An Exploratory Study on the Social Status of Filipino Single Adults

Abstract

This study is on single individuals who have yet passed the age of marriageability or those referred by the National Statistics Office (NSO) as the present never-marrying individuals. The study focuses on the influence of interaction in the likelihood of these individuals to stay single. Employing the Symbolic Interactionist theory, interaction is viewed as something that is inevitable in the human life and is always a part of the human social actions. Furthermore, this theory views individuals as belonging to what we call a reference group. This reference group is a group in which a single individual may belong and is held through interaction. In this study, the researcher incorporated the reference groups, in which a single individual may belong; to wit; family, relatives, friends and work associate. This study revealed that single individuals who participated in this study were affected and thus influenced by these reference groups. This was clearly manifested in the reasons they cited as to why their remain single. Most of them, specifically the women, mentioned familial responsibilities as the primary reason to their status. While some of them cited their interaction with relatives and friends who are also single. However, one of the important results of this study is the apprehension of single individuals to build their families of procreation because of the pressing economic conditions experienced by the country. That is, aside from their reference groups, what is happening in the larger context, that is society, has also a strong bearing in the decision of the single individuals to stay single. Another important endeavor of this study is to incorporate male singles since there is relatively no or scarce Literature written about them. Results of this study exposed that there are striking similarities between male and female singles. Some of the noted similarities are the perception on their status as one that is free and marriage as a viable option. With regards to differences, there is a stark mention of female singles that having a child is the fulfillment or realization of their womanhood. Whereas male singles are chiefly differentiated to female singles with regards to their chance of altering their present status.