All the single ladies : unmarried women and the rise of an independent nation / Rebecca Traister.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Traister, Rebecca, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Single women--United States--History.

Single women.

Women--United States--Social conditions.

Women.

Feminism.

History.

United States.

Social conditions.

Feminism--United States--History.

United States--Civilization.

Civilization.

United States--History.

United States--Social conditions.

Physical Description:

xii, 339 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Simon & Schuster, 2016.

Summary:

"Today, only twenty percent of Americans are wed by age twenty-nine, compared to nearly sixty percent in 1960. The Population Reference Bureau calls it a 'dramatic reversal.' [This book presents a] portrait of contemporary American life and how we got here, through the lens of the single American woman, covering class, race, [and] sexual orientation, and filled with ... anecdotes from ... contemporary and historical figures"-- Provided by publisher.

In 2010, award-winning journalist Rebecca Traister started a book that she thought would be about the twenty-first-century phenomenon of the American single woman. Over the course of her research, Traister made a startling discovery: historically, when women have had options beyond early heterosexual marriage, their resulting independence has provoked massive social change. Unmarried women were crucial to the abolition, suffrage, temperance, and labor movements; they created settlement houses and secondary education for women. Today, only 20% of Americans are wed by age 29, compared to nearly 60% in 1960. The Population Reference Bureau calls it a "dramatic reversal." Traister sets out to examine how this generation of independent women is changing the world. This is a remarkable portrait of contemporary American life and how we got here, through the lens of the single American woman. Covering class, race, and sexual orientation, and filled with vivid anecdotes from fascinating contemporary and historical figures, this book is destined to be a classic work of social history and journalism.--Adapted from dust jacket.

Working on a book about single women in the twenty-first-century, Traister made a startling discovery: historically, when women have had options beyond early heterosexual marriage, their resulting independence has provoked massive social change. Unmarried women were crucial to the abolition, suffrage, temperance, and labor movements; they created settlement houses and secondary education for women. Today, only 20% of Americans are wed by age 29, compared to nearly 60% in 1960. Through the lens of the single American woman, Traister covers issues of class, race, and sexual orientation.

Contents:

Watch out for that woman : the political and social power of an unmarried nation

Single women have often made history : unmarried in America

The sex of the cities : urban life and female independence

Dangerous as lucifer matches : the friendships of women

My solitude, my self : single women on their own

For richer : work, money, and independence

For poorer : single women and sexism, racism, and poverty

Sex and the single girls : virginity to promiscuity and beyond

Horse and carriage : marrying

and not marrying

in the time of singlehood

Then comes what? and when? : independence and parenthood.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [313]-316).

ISBN:

9781476716565

1476716560

9781476716572

1476716579

OCLC:

933728312