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The Community of Single People Is 4 Years Old: We’re from All Around the World
Do you love being single? Do you think that hardly anyone answers yes to that question? Wrong!
Inclusive Policies Are Worth Pursuing, Even in Dire Political Times
[As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m cross-posting my columns about the new report, “The Case Against Marriage Fundamentalism: Embracing Family Justice for All,” that I initially published at Unmarried Equality (UE). This is the second one. It is shared with the permission of UE.]
Marriage Fundamentalism Is a Threat to the Dignity and Well-Being of Single People and Their Families
Do you know what “marriage fundamentalism” is? Everyone should. It is a regressive, inaccurate, stigmatizing ideology that is a threat to the dignity and well-being of all adults who are not married and all children living in families not headed by two married parents. Really, it is a threat to everyone – including even married couples and their families – who care about basic values of equality, autonomy, interdependence, multiculturalism, and respect for the many important people in our lives.
Serious Illness? Why You May Need an Independent Board-Certified Patient Advocate. Guest Post by Ailene Gerhardt
[Bella’s intro: Soon after Joan DelFattore and I published an article, “How single people are shortchanged in the health care system,” at my “Living Single” blog at Psychology Today, I heard from Ailene Gerhardt, who described to me the importance of having a trained advocate on your side if a serious illness sucks you or someone you are caring for into the medical system vortex. I found what she had to say so compelling, I asked if she would share what she has learned with the readers of this blog. I am grateful to her for agreeing. If you have other questions after reading this, the information and links in the “About the Author” section at the end may help. You can also read more about health care and illness in the lives of single people here.]
Discriminatory Housing Policies in the Military: Guest Post by Dale Nyhus
[Bella’s intro: When rental agents have an option to rent a property to a married couple, a cohabiting couple, or a pair of friends, they favor the married couple very disproportionately, even when the applicants are similar in every other way. That’s what my colleagues and I found in our studies of housing discrimination. When I was doing the research for Singled Out: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After, I learned that there was also a form of housing discrimination against single people in the military, and I wrote about it briefly. Recently, Air Force veteran Dale Nyhus told me about his own research into the topic, which is much more extensive and up-to-date than my previous work. I am grateful to him sharing it here in this guest post.]
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