RESUMO
The novel coronavirus has resulted in self-isolation and physical distancing for millions of people. In this critical commentary, we analyze the effects of these practices on our leisure as two single, professional, childless women who live alone. Women face societal expectations that they will play large roles in caregiving. We argue that in the current pandemic, women who are not responsible for the provision of care may face amplified resentment or belittlement for engaging in regular leisure activities. Further, many people have been limited in interacting with those outside of their household. For those who live alone, this is particularly isolating and has a huge effect on the types of leisure in which they can engage and removes them from their established networks of support and safety. We show that removal from our social and care networks can result in feelings of selfishness, shame, and fear during leisure participation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
RESUMO
Despite the worldwide increase in the unpartnered population, little research has examined what factors contribute to a satisfying single life. This is an important gap in the literature as the degree to which one is satisfied with one's relationship status has been shown to be a more important determinant of well-being than relationship status per se. In the present research, I examined situational (Studies 1-3) and individual factors (Studies 4-6B) related to a satisfying single life, with a focus on single individuals' social experiences. In the first three studies (N = 3,890), I examined if and how having satisfying relationships with family and friends or having a satisfying sexual life is associated with single individuals' satisfaction with singlehood. Results showed that having satisfying friendships and a sexually satisfying life were both associated with single individuals' feelings of satisfaction about being single. In the next four studies (N = 3,195), I drew on the Fundamental Social Motives Framework to examine single individuals' motivations to pursue different types of social experiences in relation to satisfaction with singlehood. Across two Western samples (primarily European and American) and one Korean sample (collected during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021), I identified three different configurations of motives that exist within the single population. Importantly, the profile characterized by high independence motives in combination with low affiliation and mating motives seemed to be associated with greater satisfaction with singlehood compared to the profile characterized by strong interest in self-protection and social connections as well as the profile characterized by little interest in self-protection but moderate interest in affiliation. Despite considerable consistency, these profile features did not perfectly replicate in a smaller sample collected before the pandemic, highlighting the need to interpret the data with the historical background in mind. Overall, the present research provides novel evidence that maintaining satisfying friendships and sexual lives may contribute to a satisfying single life;at the same time, individuals oriented towards independence in the absence of strong interest in affiliation or romantic partnership may be prone to experiencing singlehood as more satisfying. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
RESUMO
V prispevku obravnavamo zaustavitev javnega življenja v Sloveniji, ki je zaradi zajezitve epidemije covida-19 trajala od marca do maja 2020. Osredotočamo se na specifično družbeno skupino, tj. na ženske, ki so v tem obdobju živele same. V prispevku odgovarjamo na dve raziskovalni vprašanji: kako so pandemijo in z njo povezane zaščitne ukrepe doživljale različne starostne skupine žensk, ki so v času zaustavitev javnega življenja živele same, ter o kakšnih virih in strategijah spoprijema z izredno situacijo vsakdanjega življenja so poročale? Rezultati kažejo, da velja ob načrtovanju in izvajanju ukrepov posebno pozornost nameniti mladim in mlajšim odraslim, ki so zaradi posebnosti faze življenjskega obdobja izpostavljeni še posebni socialnopsihološki ranljivosti.Alternate :In the article, we discuss the COVID-19 epidemic-related lockdown in Slovenia during March and May 2020. We focus on a specific social group: solo-living women. We aim to answer two research questions: how did different age groups of solo-living women experience the pandemic and the pertaining protective measures, and which resources and coping strategies did they report? A practical implication of our study is the evidence-based recommendation that the planning and implementation of protective measures should pay close attention to youth and young adults since they are exposed to a particular socio-psychological vulnerability, amplified by certain circumstances and social expectations interrelated with their phase in their life trajectory.