I had a friend who used to warn me I was on track to becoming a crazy cat lady, every time I took a break from dating.
The longer I left it, he claimed, the lower my chances of finding anyone who would want me.
Was he right? Was I going to be single forever?
Let’s start with the good news:
96% of women end up married at least once.
So the chances of you NEVER marrying are about 4%. Pretty small odds!
But…
If you’re in your mid-50s and you’ve never been married, your chances of marrying start to look pretty slim.
The age at which there starts to be a more-than-likely chance you’ll stay single forever is 54.[1]
Not many women hit that age without at least one marriage under their belt, though. Ninety-two percent of women between the ages of 45 and 54 either are married or have been married before.
But maybe you want to know if putting off the idea of marriage until you finish your education and get established in your career is going to cause you problems.
Go right ahead!
More and more young people are postponing marriage until they’ve got a degree and feel like they’re on a firm financial footing. Women are doing it. Men are doing it. Most people wait to get married until at least their late 20s.
Finishing your education first not only won’t hold you back from getting married, but it may provide protective benefits. Not having at least a bachelor’s degree makes you more likely to end up in the ranks of the never-married.
Having a job also protects you. People who are unemployed are at greater risk of never getting married.
There’s one more risk factor for staying single forever … and it’s an uncomfortable one.
It’s race.
Black women are more likely than white women to never get married.
If you want the full details, visit the Pew Research Center.
And don’t worry that taking a break from dating will doom you to becoming a crazy cat lady!
[1] https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/09/24/record-share-of-americans-have-never-married/
Let us know what you think!