This article was originally published at The Conversation. In 1960, 72% of adults were married, and over 90% would go on to marry. HR policies and management practices back then catered to nuclear families with a lone, male breadwinner. Today, dual-career couples and working mothers are common, largely due to the growth of women in the workforce in the second half of the […]
This post was originally published at The Conversation. Every February, Valentine’s Day amplifies what single people already know – that public life is built for two. Restaurants roll out prix fixe menus for couples. Hotels promote “romantic getaway” packages designed for double occupancy. A table for one still invites the question, “Just you?” Yet there’s […]
I’ve been tracking the Solo shift. Who will see it next? In their recent cover story, “The Great Relationship Recession: The Rise of Singlehood is Reshaping the World,” (link but paywalled at the moment). The Economist takes note of the precursors of what I call the Solo Economy: a striking rise in single living that’s […]
Yesterday, I published this article about how Singles’ Day is coming to America. On November 11, billions will be spent on Singles’ Day — the world’s largest shopping event, dwarfing Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. What began as a playful celebration of singledom among Chinese undergraduates has been transformed by Alibaba into a global consumer spectacle. Beneath […]
This post was originally published at The Conversation. On Nov. 11 each year, a curious holiday takes over China. What began among Nanjing University students in the 1990s as a tongue-in-cheek counter to Valentine’s Day has exploded into the world’s largest shopping event: Singles’ Day. The date, 11/11, was chosen because the four ones resemble […]
Tax Day highlights the costs of single living – but demographics are forcing financial change This article appears in The Conversation. Reposting it here. Tax Day is right around the corner – an annual reminder that without the option to file jointly, singles pay more per dollar earned than married people. Tax advantages are just one of over 1,000 […]
Subscribe Valentine’s Day, which traditionally celebrates romantic love, stands as a cultural hallmark that celebrates romantic love in its most traditional sense. Historically, businesses seize the day to target couples with promotions and products. Yet, as societal norms evolve and the number of single adults rise globally, there is an opportunity to reimagine Valentine’s Day. […]
Subscribe to Single Insights: The Science of Solos This article first appeared here. Imagine an advertisement that shows a woman taking a pregnancy test. What is her relationship status? If you saw her as ‘partnered’, your intuitions are similar to the results of a survey in which I asked everyday people to consider the same scenario. Whereas […]
