To think most people will be mostly single in future

That was the male peasants. The females were mostly at home raising children and managing home life. Obviously a shift in what managing home life means then and now, but they weren't going out to work 40 hour a week and putting their children in nurseries.

I doubt it. The majority of people who want children enjoy being around other people (otherwise they would likely choose to be single without children like many do)
It's also not that easy financially or practically to have DC as a single parent. There is then the conflict of being the only adult available to provide their physical and emotional needs, whilst also needing to be successful in a career to provide for their financial needs. At minimum it means a lot of time in childcare. Or struggling financially whilst being present. You can't be in 2 places at once.

It sounds depressing to me, so I'm glad I'm living now. Nothing wrong with being single, but I think most people will still crave a live-in companion, even if they struggle to find one or stay with them for life.

Look at rates of marriage and child bearing by education and income. Not every socio-economic group has decided that marriage and curated childbearing are a bad idea.

I don’t see the economically more successful classes forgoing a system that works to raise more economically successful members.

It’s possible the system no longer works for people unable to enter those economic classes, but I doubt it will go away entirely.

Exactly this. I work in Healthcare which is predominately female and see this all the time. Once the kids are out of school they leave. I’ve also noticed a trend of divorced previously hetro women having happy relationships with other women in their 40s. They thrive whilst the man just becomes bitter.

I won't get married again for sure. I have my cats and my adult son who doesn't live too far away. My husbands were about as good as a chocolate fireguard.
A good few of my friends had children on their own by sperms donor one said she couldn't find anyone fit to be the father of her child.
It's sad really given the expectations we had of romance when we were young.

Nonsense. Humans worvk far fewer hours today.

”Historically in the UK, working hours have varied significantly over time. In the 13th and 14th centuries, adult male peasants and casual laborers worked approximately 1,620 and 1,440 hours per year, respectively. By the middle ages, the average English worker was estimated to work 2,309 hours annually. During the industrial revolution in the mid-19th century, working hours were considerably longer, often exceeding 3,105 hours per year for average workers. Today, the average full-time worker in the UK works around 1,700 hours per year. “

Yes and it will change the housing market. It is already a key driver of the housing shortage as the number of houses needed has gone up significantly out of proportion to population increase.

There’s nothing selfish about them choices. Your life sounds bliss.

People are attracted to each other and are social beings. We thrive when we have healthy, supportive relationships.

In terms of decline in birth rate we need to look at the reasons why.
Women are choosing to be single. Men are single because they don’t have a choice. Women are far advancing men in terms of education,money and career progression. There have been many articles about how girls in secondary school are performing better compared to boys. Women are levelling the playing field finally after hundreds of years of oppression.
Cost of living is also a factor. People just can’t afford to have a child and a good standard of living, so what’s the point really? Women have also woken up and realised that they can choose not to have children unlike women before them that probably didn’t realise that they infact they did have a choice.
Final factor is men’s treatment of women. Everyday you read horrendous stories about yet another man killing a woman. People like Andrew Tate have influenced young boys to openly hate women and see them nothing more than sex objects. There’s also the rise of incels. Men agin who hate women and are voluntary celibate because no woman in their sane mind would willing go near them. A lot of the problems we have around the declining birth rate has been caused by men.

I much prefer being single, I’m truly happy and feel sorry for married friends with their grumpy husbands that can’t find things and drink too much and snore. But I think I enjoy singledom so much because I’ve been very much in love in the past, had relationships and great times with partners. So I’ve got the t shirt. I haven got FOMO. I also have family living with me.
I think chronic aloneness might not be feasible, for mental health.

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I think you are on to something, and I think a lot of has to do with what a PP said, women have more money, more power, more time and they don't need to settle when it comes to men but a lot of men still seem to think any woman should just be happy to have them.

I was married and lived with a man for 20+ years, I won't live with another man again. I could potentially have a relationship again, but I won't be living with anyone. I also live in the country with the most single people households in the world (Sweden) and it's on the increase here. It's also a fairly wealthy country with great financial support for people so it's easier than in many other countries of course.

I think that the social acceptance of single life has changed as have the circumstances that allow people to be independent in a way that wasn’t previously possible but people are generally sociable and that’s why we seek out relationships
The nature of relationships may change for example less marriage but I think that relationships themselves are still going to dominate, practically, financially, emotionally & just for general companionship
yes relationships will continue to be imperfect & will work better for some and not others and will change over time but I don’t think they will be the minority

I know loads of fully functioning men, really good ones, good partners, hands on parents, earn well, contribute at home, I know loads of them. If the rest of them get the message that this will give them the best opportunity at a healthy fulfilling relationship with a partner then I think that there is a lot of hope for the future. If they listen to the incel narrative and go the other way then I don’t hold out much hope.

I do predict a massive swing to the right coming our way, left leaning ideology coming out in liberal democracy has not had many good answers to some of the most serious social issues of the last fifty years so that will likely bring its own impact.

Young people will still couple up, to afford housing, to have children, to try and create a successful nuclear family.
Half of those relationships will fail. The rate of failure may continue to rise.
But I don't see young adults giving up the dream.

For older people, the women will want to remain single after divorce, especially if the children have left home. The men will want a new partner, and if they are lucky will get a younger one, then likely she wants to start her first family (his second family).
But most men won't get a new relationship and will be lonely and bitter in old age.

I don't think so. There's nothing wrong with being single and there's those that are happy to be. But equally there's nothing wrong with seeking a relationship and being happy with being in one and being married.

Not all men are useless, mummy's boys or have women dependent on them. I am in a relationship where we both earn good salaries and both share the housework, parenting load. I was brought up in a household where it similar and I'll be raising my own son to have these values.

I value my independence and having my own money. But I also like being part of a partnership and raising a child together.

What I think is great is that women now hopefully feel more freedom and less pressure in terms of this stereotypical way to live and they can live their lives how they want. There is no "right" way to live and what makes one person happy might be another person's nightmare.

42
Single for 20 years
2 dogs
Own my own home
Have a handful of close friends
No children and no desire for children

Love being able to do my own thing without having to worry about someone else. As a PP said I not prepared to be anyone elses carer/chauffeur/cleaner/cook and online dating is an absolute cesspit of mummy's boys, cheaters and man children.

I'd rather be single for the rest of my life than settle because being in a relationship is seen as the norm. I've seen too many people become miserable as sin because they're in a relationship just for the sake of it and don't know how to be single.

There is the fact that children have been consistently proven to do better in two parent families.

Possibly. I heard an expert say that AI could double the human lifespan in the next decade. And many serious scientists now believe radically extended lifespans are on the horizon. But people won’t be living to 150 or 160 in a crippled, broken body. We will be rejuvenating the body too, so people in their 80s and 90s look like 30-somethings.

Who knows whether all this will happen. But let’s say it does, just for argument’s sake. What will that mean for relationships?! One of the main reasons people form committed relationships is the hope that they’ll have love and support in old age. But what if old age is 150 years into the future instead of 40? When you think how hard relationships are, and how much fear, jealousy, boredom, irritation, etc, is involved, will people still want to commit? Will they still think it’s worth it?

I think there may be a socio-economic divide where this plays out more in some groups than in others.

Many people choose to live together because it makes more economic sense to pool resources. It’s incredibly hard to pay housing costs out of one salary now unless you earn well, aren’t servicing debts and don’t have to pay childcare.

Despite the trope that it’s men who don’t want to settle down, it’s actually women who consistently seem happier single according to most research. Even now though, women tend to be financially much more vulnerable than men, mostly after having children.

I think we might see more women who are economically independent choosing to go it alone rather than saddle themselves with shit men, but a quick look at the relationships board shows you that even then an awful lot of women will put up with an awful lot of poor behaviour from men rather than be alone. In don’t blame them for this BTW - our society is geared up around perpetuating this.

Ultimately, human beings are social species and we pair bond. How long that can be maintained successfully is a matter for debate but most of us will find ourselves wanting human connection and making that connection with someone we see as a life partner (however poor that judgment) if we also want children.

Our society doesn’t really present or support alternatives to the pair bond. Yes single mums may be able to claim child maintenance and/or child care support and/or other benefits but they’re not a given and still associated with much stigma by far too many people. Women who have children deliberately when single are still often painted as selfish or pitiful (“couldn’t get a man”).

I think later in life, ie after children, there will be more and more single women not looking to recouple. They've had enough of men's shit and have no desire to find themselves lumbered with a man who wants a cook/carer. There will also be a lot of single men desperate to get recoupled, being rejected by these single, older, solvent women. These might be the new market for the upcoming Andrew Tates of the future.

I don't accept your premise. Financial needs and procreation decoupled from long term relationships?

You'll have to prove that first.

Single 12 years no children good mates absolutely loved it totally blissful.
If i get bored which i dont i do coloring or make clothes for a babie.
Very therapeutic.
I love being selfish and doing what i like.
I live comfortably.
I dont need a man or kids what would either of them bring me.
Nothing but hassle and less money.