More Singles Delay Marriage and Family to Enjoy the "Me" Years

In Greek mythology, Atalanta broke with convention and refused to settle down until she finished her education and saw the world; when Atalanta finally did marry, it was on her own terms.

Sounds pretty good, right? If you agree, you're not alone. Women in their 20s are being identified as "Atalantas" (more specifically, females who are "single, independent, educated, upwardly mobile and in no rush to wed") after a recent study found that women in this age group have many of the same beliefs, goals, and interests. This global study of almost 6,000 women was commissioned by JWT Worldwide and conducted by Millward Brown during summer 2006. Since it was a global study, it's interesting to note that putting off starting a family to focus on the "me" years isn't just an American phenomenon—the responses come from participants in 9 countries.

Some people bristle at the thought of being lumped into a designated target group with a catchy name. But then, if you look at the characteristics of the group, it's kind of interesting how they relate to you.

Nearly two-thirds of single twentysomething women...agree that it is not unusual for a woman to remain unattached into her 30s.

[A]lmost a third of the respondents plan to postpone childbirth until their 30s, and more than a quarter say that they would have kids without a partner; 12% of respondents say they don’t plan to have children.

Many of the statistics in the study are pretty straightforward. We already know that it's much more common now for women to remain unattached into their 30s and postpone childbirth until later in life. I was a little surprised at the number of respondents who said they don't plan on having children at all (12% of the total, and 17% of Americans). I'm not surprised the women will be childless by choice, but it's a higher number than what I've seen in previous studies.

[T]oday's young women balance modernity with tradition and strong, cherished links to family. They are more highly educated than generations past, and they have access to more and better jobs. They see careers as their natural right, with modern medicine allowing them to delay childbearing well into their 30s.

The sample was made up of 5,946 respondents. the U.S. (2,143), the U.K. (1,501), China (500), France (500), Russia (500), Australia (302), Mexico (200), Brazil (200) and the Netherlands (100). The average age of respondents was 24.3. 51% were both single and unattached, and 90% identified themselves as heterosexual.

Five trends were identified as a result of this study:

1. Single motherhood by choice will become more common

Not so long ago...it was not possible for an unattached woman to deliberately plan to have a child. But that has changed significantly: A quarter of respondents (26%) say they would have children without a partner. Though most of these women will not go on to have a child on their own, their openness to the idea indicates that single mothers by choice will become a growing niche in the next five to 10 years.

Even though single motherhood is more accepted, 56% of respondents see themselves being married by their late 20s, with the 26-30 age bracket being the preferred target zone for between 50% and 60% of respondents (in all countries except China, where 68% selected that bracket). If an Atalantan intends to get married, most of them "expect that it will happen before age 36."

2. I want Hillary...or someone like her...and my SATC...or something like it

High-profile female role models are seen as a key factor enabling female independence, with the strongest agreement on this coming from the U.S., Australia, Mexico and China. "Media-friendly attitudes toward women" are also seen as a strong enabling factor contributing to female independence, and specifically "media portrayal of single women (e.g., Sex and the City)." Though Sex and the City's finale aired three years ago, Atalantas continue to look for a comparable replacement that not only reflects their reality but influences it. They also look for role models who are passionate, dedicated and even obsessive about achieving their goals, like U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

If Hillary gets the Democratic nomination for the 2008 presidential election, the race will be very interesting indeed.

3. They're nesters, not nightclubbers

Living a life in constant motion, Atalantas seek refuge in the home. Their key challenge is finding a balance as they juggle work and/or school, family, friends, relationships, fitness and entertainment. Many feel they have little time to sit back and relax. It's no surprise, then, that twentysomething women are more inclined to describe themselves as home-loving than clubbers.

Does this explain the rise in popularity of home-design websites, magazines, and TV shows? We stay at home, so we must make it our sanctuary?

4. The power of peers prevails

Atalantas look to their peer networks, both real and virtual, for advice on everything from cars to cosmetics to clothing. According to the survey, Atalantas emerge as almost equally balanced between career-minded and friend-focused. And at this stage in their lives, they tend to live with others from their peer group, especially in the U.K. (42%) and Australia (35%), where "flat sharing" is part of the culture.

"Flat sharing" isn't for me. I like living by myself. But Atalantans do like to consult our real and virtual peer networks for advice, entertainment, and inspiration.

5. Flirting with extremes

This population feels a push-pull between living a life of free-floating exploration and one dedicated to getting ahead unencumbered. Their personalities tend not to veer to one extreme or the other: They are carefree and spontaneous one minute, responsible and thoughtful the next. Respondents describe themselves as slightly more "anything goes" than the more controlled "maintaining standards," but at the same time they believe themselves to be somewhat more organized than impulsive.

And we're not as egotistical as some people think. There was widespread agreement (4.1 on a scale of 1-5) in response to this statement: "I understand that I can't have it all. There are obligations that must come first before personal pursuits or pleasure."

Single is the new normal. However, although Atalantans are taking advantage of the "me" years, a majority of women still plan on getting married at some future point in time. But it's not such a large majority as it would have been a few decades ago: 13% say they don't plan to ever formally tie the knot ("including 30% of the French and 22% of the Dutch"). I'm just glad that studies like these confirm that either choice is acceptable.

Contributing Editor Zandria also blogs at Keep Up With Me.

(The results of this study are not available online; I received a detailed summary from an employee at JWT. All quoted material comes from that summary. The study is entitled "Twentysomething Women Challenge the Tenets of Young Marriage and Motherhood" and the quotes are reprinted by permission of JWT Worldwide.)