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A new study has crushed the Bridget Jones myth by suggesting that many single women are happy with their status, and get all the closeness they need from friends, family and so-called ‘buddies’. Dr Roona Simpson interviewed dozens of women about their lifestyles and attitudes and found that the vast majority were too busy with their careers and social lives to be bothered about their Mr Right. Simpson, from Edinburgh University’s Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, discovered that unlike Bridget Jones, the singletons she interviewed were mostly satisfied with their situation. The study also found that unlike the fictional character, who notes down every little detail, the modern ‘spinsters’ don’t have time to be concerned about such minor details. But Simpson’s study has revealed that most single women were quite distinct from the character. "Bridget Jones is hapless and helpless and I don’t know how she managed to hold down a job," she said. "I did not see the women in my study worrying about being single," the Scotsman quoted Simpson, as saying. According to the research, which consisted of thorough studies of 37 women aged 35 to 83 from the Central Belt of Scotland, most had close relationships and responsibilities with friends and family, in spite of never having been married. Simpson said that women gave many reasons for being single. "Some talked about pressure of work and some were not willing to put up with gender inequalities in the home. Some talked about choice, and being single was the better option," she said. "But there was a big sense of contentment. Some enjoyed the solitude. They did seem to have full and rich lives. The idea that their lives were quite content related to the fact that they had intimate, supportive relationships, and solitude brought them a lot of pleasure. Some of them felt real pride in owning their own home. Some of the women did talk about wanting partners. Some were in dating agencies. But most were quite sanguine about not meeting Mr Right. It did not seem to concern them that much," she said. "The idea of a spinster is a negative stereotype associated with loneliness, and I wanted to reclaim the word spinster because I am trying to say that these women’s lives are not characterised by loneliness and isolation," she added. Simpson’s paper, Intimacy In The Lives Of Contemporary Spinsters, was presented an international conference, Extended and Extending Families, at Edinburgh University. — By arrangement with The Independent
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