The Emerging Field of Singlehood Studies: Centering Single People and Surfacing Systems of Inequality

ABSTRACT In the 21 st century, for the first time, substantial numbers of academics are identifying as scholars of singlehood, and research is proliferating. Following established disciplines such as women's studies and Black studies, the emerging discipline of singlehood studies is international, interdisciplinary, and intersectional. It advances theory, research, research methods, and critical thinking. Importantly, it centers the experiences of single people; recognizes and resists systems of inequality; and transcends deficit narratives by surfacing the strengths and contributions of people who are single. It problematizes conventional understandings of what single means—for example, that it is just temporary and it is defined by what is missing (a romantic partner) and not by the possibilities it affords. A singles‐centered discipline recognizes that the people in the lives of single people are not mere substitutes for a romantic partner, and that fulfillment for single people does not just come from the people in their lives. It can also grow out of their valuing of freedom and autonomy, solitude as well as companionship, meaningfulness in work, and caring and connecting. I will discuss how deficit narratives of single life have been perpetuated and how a singles‐centered approach can have positive implications beyond the academy.