Singlism

Just over a month ago, on February 7, 2017, the Human Rights Commission of New Brunswick unveiled its schedule of events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the New Brunswick Human Rights Act.  On Sept 15, 1967, the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick was one of the first in the country to pass a law protecting its residents against discrimination and promoting true equality for all in a modern society.[1]

The preamble to the current Human Rights Act of New Brunswick begins with this statement:

“WHEREAS recognition of the fundamental principle, that all persons are equal in dignity and human rights without regard to race, colour, religion, national origin, ancestry, place of origin, age, physical disability, mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, sex, social condition or political belief or activity, is a governing principle sanctioned by the laws of New Brunswick;”[2]

The Affirming Committee here at Central has utilized Minutes for Affirm and the movie nights to draw attention to the various areas in which individuals still face discrimination and harassment.  This past Thursday evening we viewed a movie whose focus was equal pay for equal work, still very much a current issue.  Today, the topic I would like to address is Marital Status.  As I did some research in the area, I realized that the topic was much greater than could be covered in one Minute for Affirm.  So I narrowed it down to singlism.  According to researcher Bella DePaulo, singlism is “when you are stereotyped, stigmatized and discriminated against because you are single.”[3] Though it most often pertains to individuals who have never married, individuals who are divorced or widowed can also experience singlism.  Have you ever wondered about the following:

1) Employers often subsidize health benefits/parental leave for employees with partners/children.  What is offered for single employees?

2) A study by social psychologists Bella de Paulo and Wendy Morris “revealed that single people were viewed more negatively across a wide spectrum of personality traits.  For example, married people were more likely than singles to be described as mature, stable, honest, happy, kind and loving;  singles were more likely to be called immature, insecure, self-centered, unhappy, lonely and ugly.”[4]  What is your view?

3) Research also suggests that bias against single people affects actions: “When presented with a choice between married and unmarried renters who had the same occupation, hobbies and other characteristics, 80 percent of people chose to rent to a married couple.”[5]  Participants rated a male job applicant as more “suitable” if he was married and rated a male employee as more dedicated if he was married.[6]  But the opposite was true for women.  What does this say about our society?

4) Couples – whether married or not – can often take advantage of various programs and discounts – 2 for the price of 1 meals, double occupancy travels, income/pension splitting at tax time.  What perks are available for the single person?

5) Have you ever encountered the situation where the single person in the family was expected to be able to drop everything in order to be a caregiver to other family members?

6) How many times have single people been asked “So, when are you getting married?”

7) Have we ever considered the possibility that a person is single because they want to be single?

The assumption many make is that single people are just those individuals who haven’t found the “right person” yet.  For further insight, read the article by Elena Gritzan in the February 2017 The United Church Observer titled Single and Satisfied.[7]

8) How many movies have you seen or how many stories have you read (whether geared for children or adults) that end with the single person (not the couple) living happily ever after?  As Elena Gritzan mentions in her article in the United Church Observer, “People who are single by design … are challenging social norms by creating the lives they want instead of chasing the ones they ‘should’ want.”[8]

My main aim today is to raise some questions regarding singlism.  There are many other aspects that could be included in this discussion: singlism and gender, singlism and sexual orientation, singlism and race, singlism and age – to name just a few.  What are our prejudices and biases?  Something to think about as we focus on the statement from the Human Rights Act of New Brunswick which asserts the “fundamental principle that all persons are equal in dignity and human rights.”

 

References:

[1] http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2017.02.0165.html

[2] http://laws.gnb.ca/en/ShowPdf/cs/2011-c.171.pdf

[3] Bella DePaulo, “Discrimination against single parents has vast implications for their children,” The Guardian, 13 March 2015.

[4]DePaulo, Bella M. & Wendy L. Morris. 2006. The Unrecognized Stereotyping and Discrimination Against Singles Association for Psychological Science

[5] Leong, Nancy. 2014.  The Other Marriage Discrimination http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-leong/the-other-marriage-discri_b_5702032.html

[6] ibid

[7] Gritzan, Elena. Single and Satisfied The United Church Observer (February 2017): 18-21.

[8] ibid