'Single shaming': Why people jump to judge the un-partnered

'Single shaming': Why people jump to judge the un-partnered Getty Images The number of singletons is increasing, yet people still insist on telling them they’ll find a partner soon. Getty Images In the film Bridget Jones's Diary, the titular character judges herself for her single status, despite her success The harms of single shaming According to New York City-based psychotherapist Allison Abrams, single shaming is “negatively judging somebody for not being partnered up and not conforming to society’s expectations… of being married at a certain age”. In the study shared by Match, researchers asked about the common “shaming phrases” single people have heard from others, and 35% said they were told “you’ll find someone soon”. DePaulo says myths around singletons include the idea that married couples have a special mastery of life that single people don’t; that the lives of singles are “tragic”; and that being single implies being selfish. Single women are more often subjected to the annoying sorts of questions like, ‘Are you seeing anyone?’ Dating app Bumble’s research from October 2021, seen by BBC Worklife, showed that 53% of the more than 8,500 Bumble users surveyed across Canada, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Australia, the UK and the US “realized that it’s okay to be alone for a while”, thanks to the pandemic.