Open AccessUnderstanding Singleness: A Phenomenological Study of Single Women in Beijing and Singapore
Author(s) -
Chin-Siang Ang,
Kam-Fong Lee,
Xinyi Lie
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4269
Subject(s) - ambivalence , psychology , beijing , feeling , interpretative phenomenological analysis , qualitative research , phenomenology (philosophy) , salient , meaning (existential) , gender studies , lived experience , ethnic group , sociology , social psychology , psychotherapist , china , epistemology , social science , anthropology , philosophy , artificial intelligence , political science , law , computer science
The aim of this phenomenological study was to gain a better understanding in the lives of single women by exploring their thoughts and experiences of being single. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews of a group of six well-educated, ethnic Chinese single women aged between 30 and 45 living in Beijing and Singapore. Transcribed interviews were analysed through reading and rereading and culling for like phrases and themes that are then grouped to form clusters of meaning. Through this process, we found four salient themes: (a) the women had equivocal feelings over the reasons they were single; (b) they recognized the advantages, disadvantages, and ambivalence of singlehood; (c) they took a pragmatic approach towards their singleness; and (d) they coped singleness with various practical strategies. Implications related to clinical practice and areas of further research are discussed.