Is There a Bias Against Single Women?

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I've heard the assumption made that single women without children just aren't married or don't have children yet. How should single women respond to these kinds of presumptions when they hear them in the office? Right, right. But it is unfortunate that that is a perception that women have to face. No matter what you do, you can't escape problematic assumptions and expectations about ultimately how your family status is gonna negatively impact your contribution or your devotion to work.

If you aren’t married and don’t have kids, people at work might assume a lot of things: that you can stay late at the office, that you can’t possibly understand their stories about parenthood, that you just haven’t found the right partner (ugh). But those assumptions are often false. Single childless women have busy lives, close relationships with children like nieces or nephews — and many don’t want coupledom or motherhood.

We talk to two women who’ve been researching and writing about being a single childless professional. The writer Shani Silver shares her experience with the career pros and cons, and then Tracy Dumas, a professor at Ohio State University, gives research-backed advice for responding to bias and unrealistic expectations.

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