• Life
• By Dr. Lopamudra Priyadarshini / 1st Aug,2025

Navigating Life Alone: Issues and Challenges of Single Women – A Global, National, and Local Perspective

Introduction

The experience of navigating life alone is both deeply personal and profoundly social. For single women—whether never married, divorced, widowed, or separated—this journey is shaped by complex intersections of culture, economy, policy, and personal agency. The United Nations reported in 2022 that over 128 million women globally are living alone (UN DESA, 2022). While the figure itself is striking, the stories behind it are even more compelling.

Take, for instance, the story of Nina, a 42-year-old architect in Berlin who chose to remain single after a painful breakup in her early thirties. “I love my independence,” she says, “but I didn’t realize how many doors are shut to you when you're not part of a couple—socially, financially, and even in terms of basic respect.” Nina’s story is echoed across continents, as women confront societal norms that often marginalize singlehood.

This article explores the issues and challenges faced by single women from global, national (India), and local (Odisha) lenses, highlighting both structural constraints and stories of resilience.

Global Perspective: The Quiet Struggles Behind the Numbers

According to a study by the Pew Research Center (2021), nearly one in five women aged 40 to 44 in the U.S. have never been married. Many of these women are highly educated and financially independent, yet still face societal scrutiny. In Japan, where nearly 15% of women over 50 are single, a phenomenon termed “ohitorisama” (the preference for living alone) has emerged. But beneath this autonomy lies an epidemic of loneliness.

Case Study: Maria from Mexico City

Maria, a 60-year-old widow who lost her husband to COVID-19, now lives alone in Mexico City. “It’s not just the silence of the house,” she says. “It’s the silence of people. They stop inviting you, stop calling you. As if your status has become an inconvenience.”

Globally, single women face unique financial risks. A 2020 OECD report revealed that single older women are more likely to fall into poverty than any other demographic. With no partner to share living costs, limited access to credit, and gender wage gaps, many single women navigate an economically precarious existence.

National Perspective – India: A Complex Social Fabric

In India, the 2011 Census reported 71.4 million single women, which includes widows (44 million), never-married (25 million), and separated or divorced (2.4 million). By 2022, this number was estimated to have crossed 90 million, according to the Economic Survey.

Despite their growing numbers, single women in India are often subject to stigma. The term “spinster” carries derogatory undertones, and divorced women are frequently seen as “failures.” Widows, especially in rural India, continue to face social ostracism—as was evident during the COVID-19 crisis when many elderly widows were left uncared for.

Case Study: Kavita from Rajasthan

Kavita, 38, was abandoned by her husband and now works as a mason in Udaipur. She recalls, “When I first came back to my parents’ home with my daughter, people whispered that I must have done something wrong. I had to prove every day that I was not a burden.” With support from a women’s collective, Kavita now trains other women in masonry.

Safety and Vulnerability: A survey by the Centre for Research on Women (ICRW, 2019) showed that single women in India are more vulnerable to gender-based violence, especially in informal housing or when living alone. Lack of access to housing, land ownership, and institutional credit deepens this vulnerability.

Emotional Toll: Societal expectations can be suffocating. “People ask me what’s wrong with me because I chose not to marry,” says Shalini, a 35-year-old software developer from Bengaluru. “I’m successful at work, travel the world, pay my own bills—but still, my worth is measured by my marital status.”

Local Lens: Odisha – Between Tradition and Transition

Odisha’s demographic landscape presents a unique juxtaposition of tribal, rural, and urban realities. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21), around 12% of households in Odisha are female-headed, many of them led by widows or abandoned women.

Case Study: Binodini from Koraput
Binodini, a 52-year-old tribal widow from Koraput district, lost her husband to a snakebite and now runs a small millet farm. “There was no one to help,” she says. “I was told not to attend village festivals because I bring bad luck. But now, with the help of a local NGO, I sell my millets in the Bhubaneswar market and even save for my granddaughter’s education.”

Access to Schemes: Odisha has implemented programs like Mission Shakti, which empowers self-help groups (SHGs) of women. However, bureaucratic hurdles and lack of awareness often prevent single women from benefiting fully. Only 3.7% of single women in tribal areas receive full entitlements under widow or housing schemes, according to a 2022 study by CYSD.

Cultural Stigma: Local superstitions still brand widows as inauspicious. In some coastal districts, widowed women are not allowed to participate in rituals or wear colorful clothes. Efforts by groups like Sakhi Ghar and Mahila Adhikar Manch are gradually changing these perceptions.

Urban Single Women: In Bhubaneswar, young working women like Sneha, a 28-year-old journalist, face a different kind of challenge. “Flat owners don’t want to rent to a single woman. Auto drivers ask why I’m out late. Strangers assume I’m ‘available’ just because I’m alone.”

Intersectionality: Caste, Class, and Disability

The experience of singlehood is not homogenous. Dalit and Adivasi single women face multiple marginalities—caste discrimination, economic hardship, and social exclusion. Disabled single women are even more invisible in both policy and practice.

Example: Sujata from Ganjam
Sujata, a 33-year-old Dalit woman with partial visual impairment, teaches at a government school. “I had a marriage proposal once,” she says, “but the boy’s family demanded that my mother give them two cows. When she refused, they called me cursed. I cried, but I also learned to stand tall.”

Mental Health and Well-being

Mental health remains one of the most neglected aspects of single women’s lives. Isolation, societal judgment, and the pressure to conform can lead to anxiety and depression. A 2021 study by NIMHANS found that single women in urban India are twice as likely to experience moderate to severe depression compared to married counterparts.

Despite this, there are stories of hope. In Cuttack, a group of single women formed a “Friendship Circle” during the pandemic, meeting online every weekend. “We talk, laugh, cry together. It’s our therapy,” says Ananya, a 40-year-old lecturer.

Policy Recommendations

1. Housing and Safety: Prioritize affordable housing schemes for single women, especially in urban areas.
2. Legal Awareness: Strengthen legal literacy around property rights, domestic violence, and maintenance laws.
3. Mental Health Services: Provide subsidized therapy and community counseling programs.
4. Inclusion in SHGs: Ensure representation of single women in decision-making roles in SHGs.
5. Awareness Campaigns: Challenge stereotypes through school curriculum and media campaigns.

Conclusion: From Silence to Solidarity

To be a single woman is not a monolith—it is to carry layers of strength and vulnerability, autonomy and alienation, freedom and fear. But what unites them is a quiet courage that defies society’s limited imagination of womanhood.

As Binodini harvests her millet, Shalini codes a new app, and Maria writes poetry in her solitude, they are not waiting for rescue. They are rewriting the narrative.

In acknowledging their struggles, amplifying their stories, and reforming policies, we don’t just help single women—we help societies become more humane, inclusive, and just.

References

1. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), 2022
2. Pew Research Center, 2021
3. OECD Report on Gender and Poverty, 2020
4. Indian Census 2011 and Economic Survey 2022
5. National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019-21
6. ICRW Study on Gender-Based Violence, 2019
7. CYSD Odisha Study on Single Women, 2022
8. NIMHANS Mental Health Study, 2021