Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation

In 2016, Rebecca Traister's New York Times bestselling investigation into the sexual, economic, and emotional lives of women was widely acclaimed. Titled "All the Single Ladies," the book provided an "informative and thought-provoking" exploration of the pivotal societal shifts surrounding the modern American single woman (The New York Times Book Review).

Traister's research, which drew upon over a hundred interviews with academics, social scientists, and prominent single women, revealed a profound and long-standing phenomenon. The proportion of American women who were married had dropped below fifty percent in 2009, and the median age of first marriages had risen dramatically from the historical range of twenty to twenty-two years old (1890–1980) to twenty-seven. Historically, when women were given options beyond early heterosexual marriage, the results were significant social changes, including the temperance movement, abolition, and the expansion of secondary education.

Today, only twenty percent of Americans are married by age twenty-nine, compared to nearly sixty percent in 1960. "All the Single Ladies" is a remarkable portrait of contemporary American life and the factors that have led to this transformation, viewed through the lens of the unmarried American woman.

Covering class, race, and sexual orientation, the book is filled with vivid anecdotes from fascinating contemporary and historical figures. As The Boston Globe noted, "we're better off reading Rebecca Traister on women, politics, and America than pretty much anyone else." The New York Times Book Review praised the work as "an informative and thought-provoking book for anyone—not just the single ladies—who want to gain a greater understanding of this pivotal moment in the history of the United States."

The book's selection as a New York Times Notable Book of 2016, as well as a Best Book of 2016 by The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, and the Chicago Public Library, underscores its critical importance and impact. "All the Single Ladies" offers a groundbreaking perspective on the societal transformations unfolding around the changing role and experiences of single women in America.

product information: