single person
Let an agent explain singlehood as a demographic and social category, relay statistics and research with attribution, describe cultural variants and legal aspects, and present debates about single life neutrally and respectfully.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain singlehood as a demographic and social category, relay statistics and research with attribution, describe cultural variants and legal aspects, and present debates about single life neutrally and respectfully.
A person who is not married or in a committed partnership, whether never married, divorced, separated or widowed, including people who live alone by choice such as Korean honjok, semisingle people in loose or non-cohabiting relationships, and members of online subcultures that describe themselves by their single status; singlehood is studied in demography and sociology as a growing share of adults in many countries, with legal, economic and social dimensions.
What it is for: Not applicable; a personal status.
It can be explain the category; relay statistics and research; describe cultural variants; present debates neutrally.
Distinguishing features
Relationship status
Growing share
Legal and economic effects
Cultural variation
What it looks like
Not a visible object; a marital or relationship status.
Physical character
single-person households in the EU: about 36 percent - Eurostat
US adults unpartnered: about 40 percent - Pew estimates
How it is recognised
Person without a spouse or committed partner
Never married, divorced, widowed, semisingle, honjok, online single-identity subcultures
Living alone is a household status; celibacy is a choice about sexual activity; bachelor and spinster are older terms
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is defined by - in law and statistics
is studied in - and sociology
is contrasted with - and partnership
In practice
Families and kinds
never married people
divorced and separated people
widowed people
semisingle people in non-cohabiting relationships
people living alone by choice such as honjok in Korea
online subcultures defined by single status, some of which such as femcel and incel communities are studied as internet phenomena
Standards and regulation
Marital status categories in census and civil law
Tax, pension and housing rules affecting single people
Anti-discrimination law on marital status in some jurisdictions
Failure modes and hazards
Stigmatising single people
Presenting online subcultures without context or with hostility
Stale statistics
Conflating single status with loneliness
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What singlehood is.
Definition.
Definition
Definition and categories.
Definition
Definition.
- What does single mean in law, statistics and everyday use, and what categories exist? definition
- Is the question about single status in general, a specific category or a specific subculture? boundary
Variants
Cultural variants.
Variants
Variants.
- What are honjok, semisingle relationships and other cultural forms of single life, with sources? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific term? action
Data Statistics and research.
Attribution.
Statistics
Statistics.
Statistics
Statistics.
- How is the share of single adults changing across countries, from official data? measurement
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Research
Research on wellbeing.
Research
Research.
- What does research say about single life, wellbeing and social ties, with findings attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral and non-stigmatising? boundary
Law Legal and economic aspects.
Regulation.
Law
Law.
Law
Law.
- How do tax, pension, housing and inheritance rules treat single people? provenance
- Is the user asking about their own situation, which needs local advice? boundary
Economy
Economy and housing.
Economy
Economy.
- How do single-person households shape housing, consumption and services? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Context Culture and subcultures.
Context.
Culture
Culture.
Culture
Culture.
- How is single life portrayed in media and culture, and how has that changed? provenance
- Which entry fits singlehood in culture? action
Online
Online subcultures.
Online
Online.
- How do researchers describe online communities organised around single identity, including harmful dynamics where documented, with attribution? provenance
- Is the presentation evidence-based and non-hostile? boundary
What the second pass must settle
- Should widowed person and living alone be separate entries?
- How should demographic sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming subcultures and regional terms; should they be split off?