The abject single: exploring the gendered experience of singleness in Britain



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.

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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
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