Happy Singlehood charts a way forward for singles to live life on their terms, and shows how everyone—single or coupled—can benefit from accepting solo living. Based on personal interviews, quantitative analysis, and extensive review of singles’ writings and literature, author Elyakim Kislev uncovers groundbreaking insights on how unmarried people create satisfying lives in a world where social structures and policies are still designed to favor marriage.
In this carefully crafted book, Kislev investigates how singles nurture social networks, create innovative communities, and effectively deal with discrimination. Happy Singlehood challenges readers to rethink how single people organize social and familial ties in new ways, and illuminates how educators, policymakers, and urban planners should cater to their needs.
“Bringing together first-person accounts and data analysis, Kislev takes us on a global tour de force of demographic change, skillfully charting the rise of “singlehood” worldwide and capably detailing its implications for inequality and wellbeing. This is an immensely readable and welcome addition to the literature on single life, and a call to action for scholars and policy makers alike.”—Alondra Nelson, President, Social Science Research Council
“A breath of fresh air. Kislev brilliantly shows that singles can be very happy in the modern world.”—Jocelyn Crowley, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, author of Gray Divorce
“Read this book. Whether you want to remain single or your goal is a healthy relationship, this book has all the answers.”—Susan J. Elliott, author of Getting Past Your Breakup
“When Singles Studies becomes a recognized discipline, this book will be an important part of it.”—Bella DePaulo, author of Singled Out
“Shows how singles live—happily—despite continued discrimination against them.”—Laurie Essig, Middlebury College, author of Love, Inc.
"I was eager to read this book as soon as I heard about it. Kislev captures the genuine joy of adults who are single by choice, whether life-long or following the dissolution of a marriage. The scope of its ideas, as well as its international perspective, makes this book a valuable contribution to the field."--Joan DelFattore, University of Delaware, author of Knowledge in the Making
“In this well-sourced and researched book, Kislev thoroughly explains the growing popularity of the ‘single by choice’ phenomenon, providing real-life examples culled from interviews and blogs with singles."
