Why are single people looked down on so much?

[IsThereAnEchoInHere]

It just doesn’t make sense to me?
Why do people care so much?
It’s one thing if they want or can’t live without a relationship, but why do they impose it to others?

By who ? Who is doing this “looking down” ?

They are not looked down on, no one really cares

These posts with sweeping generalisations are frustrating- I don’t feel sorry or look down on anyone and that includes childless / child free people of any persuasion.

They're not. It's just your perception.

I didn’t realise I was looked down on as a single person.

What makes you think single people are looked down on?

Jealousy🤣

Are they ? By whom?

My second best person in the world is single, I think she’s perfect.

I'm single & I've never felt looked down. The opposite actually. Several of my friends have said they envy my freedom

It depends what you mean really, can't say I think of my single friends any different and didn't seem to be treated any differently when I was single? I can imagine it happens but not sure as to why.

Doesn’t cross my mind to ‘look down’ on anyone for any reason least of all being single it doesn’t really enter my head. Sometimes I think I’d rather be but I think your experiences are clouding how you feel about this, it’s not something the majority of people think imo

Who are these people who 'look down' on single people?

Are you projecting at all?

I really don’t think anyone cares about whether someone is single or not.

I'm not sure they are.

However, there is definitely a species of attached woman who likes to make single women feel small. That woman is a rather superficial bully.

We all know she exists because in her world, she only appears when you aren't partnered up. You never see her otherwise. She likes to ask intrusive questions about your status, because frankly that is the only way she sees the world.

You can be polite to her or flirt with whatever gorilla she is so proud to be with.

I think there is a basic type of person who thinks ''at least I'm not single like her'' the type of person who stays in a meh relationship with a very very ordinary partner. They don't realise, the people that they feel ''at least I'm not single like her'' about, those people were strong enough to say not for me, walk away, call time, sit comfortably in their own company, go places without a sidekick.....

I feel brave, and proud of myself. Apart from a disastrous relationship with my children's father and a few short relationships (some fun, some awful) I've been single pretty much my whole adult life. If anybody looks down on me then they have a limited understanding of how you grow as a single person, imo.

Saying that though, I do feel bullied and gaslighted by my mother and I do not think she would try and FORCE her distorted narratives on me if I were with a strong partner. I was with somebody who was strong and succinct and didn't get upset or unpleasant when he was fighting his corner, if he'd been a long time partner or husband, my mother wouldn't have dared to try and gaslight me the way she has. There would have been a very strong witness to her antics. As it's just me, my mother has gaslighted me for her convenience. But, I digress. Although, my mother is exactly the type of person who feels sorry for me being single. So it is connected.

Who by exactly?!

I think there are people in unhappy relationships trying to convince themselves that its better to be an unhappy relationship than be single and so it might come across that they are looking down at single people when in reality its their fears that are the issue

If Op is feeling looked down on, I think it’s safe to say that they have people in their life that seem to make a big deal of it, so all this nonsense of pps saying ‘no one cares’ clearly are wrong. A lot of people have judgey people in their life that seem to care about shit like this, it’s annoying. The only thing you can do is live the life you want to, and ignore those who try and make you feel bad about it

Biologically and, later, traditionally, society has worked with humans being pack animals, so lone rangers are an anomaly.
Nowadays, whilst we know being single is fine, it's hard to overrule millions of years of sociology.

I went to a wedding once, and there was a toast that the single people at table 9 would find love too! ha ha! Even 20 years ago that made me roll my eyes. Imagine if single people lifted their glass and said ''may you never lose yourself in this relationship', or ''may your time and right to a career be valued equally in this marriage!''. or ''may you not be one of the one in four (who suffers domestic abuse).

I can laugh now but i did feel the weight of not conforming to these conservative norms when i was younger. Not now though.

I think there may also be a bit of feeling unsettled that the single person is out of sync, stuck in a previous stage of life, and anything unsettling can be seen as a threat - you get the same with a lone childless woman in a group of friends who have babies.

I probably should specify that I mean single, single.
I don’t date, or have ’arrangements’ or hook-up, don’t talk about anyone’s looks or dating or whatever, or plan to date/marry in the future.
So, I’m not talking about being single for couple of weeks thpe of thing.

And definetly get a second-class-citizen kind of treatment because of that.

In what way do you get second class citizen treatment?

I do think life is set up for couples. I earn above average salary but have no hopes of buying a house (even a small one) because of having one salary

Maybe this is a version of the "I love bacon" reaction vegetarians get.
If you live perfectly happily without doing something that the majority do, it can be assumed that you are judging their choices and also subconsciously implies that maybe that 'essential' thing isn't quite so essential as they have always assumed/arranged their life around - which can also be unsettling.