| Sumario: | The phenomenon of marriage delay and increasing numbers of single people in advanced societies have directed scholars to study singlehood. However, the experience of singlehood, particularly men's, remains unclear. Based on in-depth interviews with 58 never-married individuals aged 25–45, this study develops a conceptual framework of gendered compressed modernity to investigate how modernization pressures shape women's and men's experience and interpretations of singlehood and marriage. The findings reveal bifurcated experiences: before age 30, men and women exhibit ambivalence towards marriage, shaped by professional experiences and geographical mobility. After 30, gender differences become marked. Women experience heightened anxiety due to age-related fertility norms, often leading to critical reflection and the reconstruction of self-identity beyond marriage. Conversely, men experience pressure to fulfil the financial provider role and tend to externalize their singlehood, attributing it to structural constraints. These gendered and retrospective interpretations manifest gendered compressed modernity – an analytical lens wherein men and women respond differently to condensed pressures that redefine family and selfhood. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how compressed modernity reshapes intimate lives, offering insights for policymakers and researchers to address the intimate consequences of rapid social transformation in China and other rapidly developing societies.
|
|---|