102:
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125:, spinning was "commonly done by unmarried women, hence the word came to denote" an unmarried woman in legal documents from the 1600s to the early 1900s, and "by 1719 was being used generically for 'woman still unmarried and beyond the usual age for it'". As a denotation for unmarried women in a legal context, the term dates back to at least 1699, and was commonly used in
211:: "If someone is a spinster, by implication she is not eligible ; she has had her chance, and been passed by. Hence, a girl of twenty cannot be properly called a spinster: she still has a chance to be married". Yet other sources on terms describing a never-married woman indicate that the term applies to a woman as soon as she is of legal age or
320:
Women have married because it was necessary, in order to survive economically, in order to have children who would not suffer economic deprivation or social ostracism, in order to remain respectable, in order to do what was expected of women, because coming out of ‘abnormal’ childhoods they wanted to
241:
has written, "To me, the spinster is self-reliant and inscrutable. We think we know what the wife is up to and what the mother is up to but the single woman is mysterious. I like that mystery. So the term is a useful way to hold onto the idea of autonomy that can get so easily lost inside of marriage
184:
defines spinster as "an unmarried woman, typically an older woman beyond the usual age for marriage". It adds: "In modern everyday
English, however, spinster cannot be used to mean simply 'unmarried woman'; as such, it is a derogatory term, referring or alluding to a stereotype of an older woman who
273:
Women may not have married for a variety (and/or combination) of reasons, including personal inclination, a dearth of eligible men (whose numbers can decrease dramatically during war conflicts), and socio-economic conditions (that is, the availability of livelihoods for women). Writer and spinster
192:
defines the "unmarried woman" sense of the term in three ways: (1) an archaic usage meaning "an unmarried woman of gentle family", (2) a meaning related to (1) but not tagged as archaic: "an unmarried woman and especially one past the common age for marrying" and (3) "a woman who seems unlikely to
161:
By the 1800s, the term had evolved to include women who chose not to marry. During that century middle-class spinsters, as well as their married peers, took ideals of love and marriage very seriously, and spinsterhood was indeed often a consequence of their adherence to those ideals. They remained
196:
Dictionary.com describes the "woman still unmarried beyond the usual age of marrying" sense of the term as "Disparaging and
Offensive". A usage note goes on to say that this sense "is ... perceived as insulting. It implies negative qualities such as being fussy or undesirable". Also included is a
171:
encouraged women to remain choosy in selecting a mate — even at the price of never marrying. The editorial, titled "Honorable Often to Be an Old Maid", advised women: "Marry for a home! Marry to escape the ridicule of being called an old maid? How dare you, then, pervert the most sacred
61:
is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally denoted a woman whose occupation was to
140:
tags "spinster" (meaning "...unmarried woman, typically an older woman beyond the usual age for marriage") as "derogatory" and "a good example of the way in which a word acquires strong connotations to the extent that it can no longer be used in a neutral sense."
278:
famously wrote that "liberty is a better husband than love to many of us". Social status issues could also arise where it was unacceptable for a woman to marry below her social rank but her parents lacked the funds to support a marriage within their social rank.
300:
postulated that during young adulthood (ages 18 to 39), individuals experience an inner conflict between a desire for intimacy (i.e., a committed relationship leading to marriage) and a desire for isolation (i.e.,
305:). Other reasons women may choose not to marry include a focus on career, a desire for an independent life, economic considerations, or an unwillingness to make the compromises expected in a marriage.
265:
attached to their status and a sense of both heightened visibility and invisibility. "Heightened visibility came from feelings of exposure and invisibility came from assumptions made by others".
512:
296:
In modern peacetime societies with wide opportunities for romance, marriage and children, there are other reasons that women remain single as they approach old age. Psychologist
50:
A poem entitled "It won't be my fault if I die an Old Maid", containing the lines "Remember no thought to a girl is so dread / As the terrible one—She may die an Old Maid."
702:
761:
Sharp, Elizabeth A.; Ganong, Lawrence (2011). "'I'm a Loser, I'm Not
Married, Let's Just All Look at Me': Ever-Single Women's Perceptions of Their Social Environment".
245:
In 2005, in
England and Wales, the term was abolished in favour of "single" for the purpose of marriage registration. However, it is still often used when the
286:, stating that all property and contracts in their name would be ceded to their husbands. This was particularly common in women who owned businesses.
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70:" or "confirmed bachelor", but this generally does not carry the same connotations in reference to age and perceived desirability in marriage.
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unmarried not because of individual shortcomings but because they didn't find a man "who could be all things to the heart".
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feel ‘normal’ and because heterosexual romance has been represented as the great female adventure, duty, and fulfillment
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institution of the
Almighty, by becoming the wife of a man for whom you can feel no emotions of love, or respect even?"
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234:(1985) defines spinsters simply as women who have chosen to reject sexual relationships with men. In her 2015 book,
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293:(1914–1918) prevented many within a generation of women from experiencing romance and marriage or having children.
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Some writers have suggested that to understand why women do not marry, one should examine reasons women
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167:
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Berend, Zsuzsa (2000). "'The Best or None!' Spinsterhood in
Nineteenth-Century New England".
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sense of the word used specifically in a legal context: "a woman who has never married".
78:
63:
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703:"In her new book, Kate Bolick argues why there’s nothing wrong with being a 'spinster'"
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Wordreference.com describes the "woman still unmarried" sense of spinster as "dated".
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marry and why it may be assumed they should marry in the first place. According to
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Singled Out: How Two
Million Women Survived Without Men After the First World War
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109:(1720–1760) in St Mary's church, Teddington which describes her marital status.
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for assaulting on Mary Bowden, Spinster, a Virgin, under the Age of Ten Years
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In the early 19th century, particularly in
England, women would fall under
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where the prospective bride was described as a "spinster of this parish".
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The
Spinster and Her Enemies: Feminism and Sexuality 1880–1930
797:"Louisa May Alcott, Spinster, Enjoys Valentine's Day 1868"
46:
226:
The title "spinster" has been embraced by feminists like
937:"Spinster: An Evolving Stereotype Revealed Through Film"
611:
Based on the Random House
Dictionary, Random House, Inc
513:"Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)"
261:
study of 32 women found that modern "spinsters" feel a
744:"Single Women Still Feel Spinster Stigma, Study Finds"
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Age is a crucial part of the definition, according to
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One 19th-century editorial in the fashion publication
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534:
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153:A woman who spins, or whose occupation is to spin.
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434:"John West, Sexual Offences: assault with intent"
185:is unmarried, childless, prissy, and repressed."
1002:
894:Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence
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634:. WordReference.com. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
249:are read by Church of England parish churches.
37:"Old maid" redirects here. For other uses, see
898:Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society
861:
405:
643:
477:
475:
396:. WordReference.com. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
66:. The closest equivalent term for males is "
760:
736:
962:Barbie: Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride
824:Women Alone Spinsters in England 1660–1850
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89:shows a woman hand-spinning using a drop
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864:The Developmental Stages of Erik Erikson
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489:. Oxford dictiionaries. Archived from
826:. Yale University Press. p. 10.
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236:Spinster, Making a Life of One's Own,
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879:"Why more women choose not to marry"
877:Schwartz, Pepper (15 October 2014).
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93:. Fibers to be spun are bound to a
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182:Oxford American English Dictionary
156:Law: An unmarried or single woman.
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30:For the 2019 Canadian film, see
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148:defined spinster in two ways:
144:The 1828 and 1913 editions of
123:Online Etymological Dictionary
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1:
979:The dictionary definition of
701:Bielski, Zosia (7 May 2015).
438:Old Bailey Proceedings Online
362:
935:Mustard, Deborah J. (2000).
847:Nicholson, Virginia (2007).
652:. New York: Harper and Row.
232:The Spinster and Her Enemies
190:Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
146:Merriam Webster's Dictionary
27:Unmarried woman, often older
7:
1021:Interpersonal relationships
941:Journal of Media Psychology
462:"Marriage service rubric".
414:. Dictionary.com Unabridged
412:Online Etymology Dictionary
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1031:Pejorative terms for women
648:Language and Woman's Place
381:Merriam-Webster Dictionary
209:Language and Woman's Place
138:Oxford American Dictionary
87:William-Adolphe Bouguereau
36:
29:
673:Jeffreys, Sheila (1985).
543:Journal of Social History
465:The Book of Common Prayer
39:Old maid (disambiguation)
892:Rich, Adrienne (1980). "
775:10.1177/0192513X10392537
763:Journal of Family Issues
724:. BBC. 14 September 2005
1011:Age-related stereotypes
956:Goodbye to the Spinster
862:Harder, Arlene (2009).
406:Douglas Harper (2010).
822:Hill, Bridget (2001).
644:Lakoff, Robin (1975).
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259:University of Missouri
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97:held in her left hand.
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951:on 26 September 2012.
585:"spinster definition"
555:10.1353/jsh.2000.0056
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74:Etymology and history
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1036:Stereotypes of women
997:at Wikimedia Commons
347:Medieval singlewomen
519:on 22 February 2014
493:on 14 December 2012
168:Peterson's Magazine
121:. According to the
803:. 14 February 2015
708:The Globe and Mail
607:"spinster defined"
483:"spinster defined"
440:. 13 December 1699
408:"spinster defined"
303:fear of commitment
269:Women and marriage
207:'s explanation in
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99:
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993:Media related to
964:by Wendy Braitman
958:by Wendy Braitman
681:. Pandora Press.
587:. Merriam-Webster
352:She never married
276:Louisa May Alcott
247:banns of marriage
131:Church of England
127:banns of marriage
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188:Currently,
176:Current use
83:The Spinner
1005:Categories
833:0300088205
807:19 October
632:"Spinster"
523:8 November
394:"Spinster"
377:"Spinster"
363:References
342:Hikikomori
995:Spinsters
918:143604951
783:146368386
284:coverture
119:spun wool
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571:40799246
563:18050547
357:Sheng nu
332:Cat lady
326:See also
253:Research
193:marry".
68:bachelor
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728:8 April
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444:28 July
257:A 2009
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828:ISBN
809:2016
730:2013
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559:PMID
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