Lai, Ai-Ling, Lim, Ming ORCID: 0000-0003-1828-7030 and Higgins, Matthew
(2015)
The abject single: exploring the gendered experience of singleness in Britain.
Journal of Marketing Management, 31 (15-16).
pp. 1559-1582.
Text
Abject Singleness JMM accepted version [final].docx - Author Accepted Manuscript Download (77kB) |
Abstract
This paper explores the gendered experience of singleness in Britain through a theoretical and empirical understanding of the abject. Drawing on the writings of Judith Butler, we argue that singleness is culturally pathologised as an abject ‘other’, a liminal state which renders the legitimation of the single subject unintelligible. Through 14 active interviews with British singles, we demonstrate how our participants negotiate their marginal status vis-à-vis the marketplace and the broader society that continue to uphold heterosexual partnership as a normative form of intimacy. Our data uncovers persistent and powerful gender stereotypes of how singles ought to organise their lives and conform both to social, as well as market-driven pressures. We therefore highlight research gaps in the experience of singleness and critique the heteronormative framework that remains dominant, yet concealed, in gender research.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | single/singleness, gender, abject, heteronormativity, family, intimacy |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
Date Deposited: | 26 Jun 2020 08:42 |
Last Modified: | 19 Jan 2023 07:20 |
DOI: | 10.1080/0267257x.2015.1073170 |
Related URLs: | |
URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3005268 |