Why Being Single? : A Research For The Delayed Marriage Among People (Aged 25-35) In Shanghai, China

Abstract: Get married is the rite of passage that coincides with exit from the parental household, solemnizing the establishment of a new household and commitment to a sexual partner (Allan, G. et al, 2003:135), which is a ubiquitous phenomenon across human society. Almost all adult men and women seek to marry or form a permanent stable relationship with another person for the sake of bear children and raise a family in a secure, loving, and fulfilling environment. However, in Shanghai of China, more and more people have exceeded the normal matrimonial age but remaining unmarried, those who are intituled as "Young but Old people (DA LING QINGNIAN)". It is previously deemed by Chinese people as "A Man Should Get Married On Coming Of Age, A Girl Should Be Married Upon Reaching Womanhood (NAN DA DANG HUN, NV DA DANG JIA)", but nowadays, the conventional conception of marriage seems to be toppled down especially in big cities of China, like Shanghai. "Young but Old people" has turned into an age group in which not being married in statistically normal. It is, therefore, attracted people's attention that whether being single is lived as a positive social category for both woman and men. People may pose questions such as: How it comes the delayed marriage? What single young people seek and expect of relationships? Is there any gender difference of staying alone? Are they enjoying the experiences of being single? What are the young people's plans and expectations about the future of their personal life? To give the reader some idea of what to expect in the following pages, the main concern of this thesis paper is related to the possible causations of being single and the attitude and plans of young people who are somewhat in the shadow of marriage