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However, being a single woman isn't all sex and roses. You've got all those household bills, too—and you're the only one paying them.
"A single woman's happiness depends partly on whether she can carry herself financially…so she can do the things she wants to do," says Pepper Schwartz, PhD, a professor of sociology, psychiatry, and behavioral medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle.
"In the past, many women turned to traditional married life because financially they had a difficult time on their own," Schwartz tells WebMD. "If they found a man who made a good-enough living, it made life easier. For some women, it's still that way. But now women can get high-paying jobs, which make a huge difference for them."
Also, some women aren't good at making friends, Schwartz says. "People have different talents, and surrounding themselves with friends is one that not all have. A friend to go on a trip with, to movie festivals with, to drop in when you're feeling sick—all those people can substitute for a mate."
Those single women must realize that they are "the architects of their own expansion," Schwartz tells WebMD. "Develop a broad number of interests—classes, volunteer work, travel plans, political involvement. What you're fighting is that home-alone syndrome. You're making sure people will take you out of everyday life maintenance. When you have a partner, their interests help extend your life. When you're single, you have to build that in."
