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Uniwersytet SWPS - Logo

It’s not easy being a single man

Existing research on singlehood has largely focused on the experiences of single women, and little is known about singlehood among men. A team of researchers from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and SWPS University, including Kamil Janowicz, Ph.D. from SWPS University’s Center for Research on Personality Development addressed this gap.

#never-married #single men #singlehood #masculinity #masculine norms #gender stereotypes #thematic qualitative analysis

sad young man looking ahead

What we researched:

  • We examined the experience of long-term singlehood among men.

How we did it:

  • We conducted individual, semi-structured interviews with 22 never-married single men (age 22-43), living in Poland.

What we discovered:

  • The results contradict the view that single status is problematic only for women. Our study shows that single status may impact men’s self-esteem, satisfaction with life and single status, and sense of personal development and life fulfillment.
  • The study shows that it is difficult for single men to fit into the mainstream discourse dominated by traditional masculinity and couple ideology because this discourse is too narrow to contain the richness and complexity of their personal experiences.

Why is it important?

  • Because these findings challenge stereotypical and unrealistic views of singlehood among men and have practical implications for psychotherapists, counsellors and educators working with single men.

The current investigation demonstrates the complicated and multifaceted nature of the experience of being single among men, and shows that singlehood can be an essential aspect of their lives. Our study reveals that single men attempt to find their own individual way of experiencing and dealing with singlehood, navigating in the context of traditional masculinity norms and gender stereotypes. In general, our findings contradict stereotypical beliefs about single men and the notion that it is much easier for women than for men to be satisfied with living single. They also indicate that single men face several challenges in sustaining emotional and developmental growth in a couple-oriented social context..