Hobo's Question of the Day

I have a question that is directed mostly to all the single ladies out there. Are you depressed and do you think that you are discriminated against because you are single?
Recent articles in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior and the Chicago Sun-Times both reported on the statistics stating that singles are typically more depressed then married persons and that singles are more likely to report feeling discriminated against.

The Chicago Sun- Times reported:

•Nearly 96 million Americans 18 years old and older are single (never-married, divorced or widowed).

•There are more single-person households in the United States than married-couple households with children.

•34 percent of Asians, 39 percent of non-Hispanic Whites, 43 percent of Hispanics and 56 percent of African Americans in the United States are not married.

•1.6 million Single parents live with and have primary responsibility for their children. 9.8 million of these are single mothers (Source: Bella DePaulo, Council on Contemporary Families.)

The article continues on to indicate that non-married individuals receive less benefits such as discounted insurance, fares, and other benefits as married individuals. According to the Journal of Health and Social Behavior: Depressed individuals get more of a psychological boost from marriage than people who aren't depressed, even though depressed people tend to have poorer quality marriages.

A study conducted at Ohio State University (OSU) analyzed data on 3,066 single people, 55 years of age and younger, who took part in the U.S. National Survey of Families and Households. The OSU researchers identified people who married during a five-year follow-up period and asked them about the quality of their marriages and changes in their psychological health. The study indicated that, overall, participants who got married scored an average of about 3.5 points lower on a 12-item depression test (a score of 23 or higher indicated depression) than when they were single. Depressed participants who married scored an average 7.5 points lower on the depression test than depressed people who remained single. Non-depressed people who got married had a smaller average reduction on the test (Journal of Health and Social Behavior).

So my question: with all the statistics and research that indicate the negative aspects of the single life, is there anything wrong with being single and how does a single person learn to command the same amount of respect as their married counter parts from a society that continues to negatively label the single woman?

Looking for answers,

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