The weekend: the friend and foe of independent singles

Abstract

The intensification of friendship networks among independent singles is considered "the pleasure offered by the single life" (Beck, 1992, p. 121) and the sociability, rather than domesticity, of this life stage is often emphasised. This paper reports on interviews with independent singles from affluent areas which suggested that accompanying this cultural norm of sociability was the relentless onus of temporal organisation required for interpersonal synchronisation with friends. While not retracting their enjoyment of the single life, respondents expressed a distinct and distinctive sense of risk or vulnerability of spending too much time alone, particularly at the weekend. It is argued that, on the one hand, the relative absence of paid work at the weekend removes the structures that constrain the participation in and the temporal location of joint leisure practices during the week. On the other hand, the absence of employment structuring people's day increases unpredictability about other people's whereabouts, whenabouts, and their availability for shared practices. In response to this dilemmathat is, the weekend as the primary site for sociability met with uncertainty of others availabilityindependent singles responded in a number of ways to secure temporal arrangements with others, safeguarding themselves against the "built-in hazards" (Beck, 1992, p. 121) of being single and finding themselves home alone at the weekend.

Precarious leisure: (re)imagining youth, transitions and temporality

“…Participants in his longitudinal study reported a lack of control over their study and employment hours and, as a result, a lack of regular, shared 'free time' to spend together with the same group of people. Finding time for collective cultural practices, such as playing a team sport or going to a gig, were said to involve significant planning and co-ordination (see also Whillans 2014). Whilst communicative technologies such as mobile phones and social media platforms such as Facebook or WhatsApp facilitate scheduling and asynchronous sociality amongst young people, a range of research indicates that they do not regard online networks as an adequate alternative to physical, synchronous presence (c.f.…”

“…As other researchers have noted, labour market precarity not only impacts on young people's experience of work but 'contaminates' other spheres of their lives (Carmo, Cantante, and de Almeida Alves 2014), making it difficult to plan for all but the near term (Leccardi 2005(Leccardi , 2012. In particular, non-standard work schedules and irregular hours impact on young people's ability to coordinate shared time with significant others, often with negative effects on the sustainability of relationships (Whillans 2014;Woodman 2011Woodman , 2012Woodman , 2013. As 'young people find it difficult to synchronise their lives with those of their friends and relatives' (Furlong 2015, 5-6), leisure becomes yet another precarious arena of social life to be managed.…”

Feelings toward lying flatism and attitudes toward singlehood: the mediating role of happiness belief

“…Indeed, single individuals can cultivate higher life satisfaction [ 39 ] and healthier mental conditions [ 40 ] by maintaining a high quality of social connection [ 25 ]. Single individuals have better control over their time as they can focus on their schedules without worrying about their partners’ [ 41 , 42 ]. Moreover, single individuals are free from maintaining their partners’ expectations to keep attracting their romantic partners [ 43 ].…”

Antecedents of the Attitudes Toward Singlehood Among Young Adults in Malaysia, Japan, and India

“…As reviewed in the literature, couples may not have enjoyed the perks of singlehood (e.g., Lehmann et al, 2015) namely autonomy, temporal control, enhanced sociability, job advancement, and non-compliance to other's requests (Whillans, 2014). Singles during the modern industrialization era are free to alternate their social lives and ways of living (Galcanova and Vackova, 2016) besides enjoying singlehood unlike others seeking partnership (Frazier et al, 1996).…”