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Spinster love or hate the term?

Spinster is frequently seen as a derogatory term. Use be the most adored Jane Austen painted single women as characters of ridicule through her novels. Helen Fielding presents Spinsterhood as a fate worse than death through the globally cherished Bridget Jones. Often evoking pity, or the stereotype of envious and resentful.

Evolving in the thirteenth century, Spinster in reference to women who spun threads. Married women were given the higher level roles due to the means to obtain materials often through their husbands. Lowly occupations of spinning were awarded to the unmarried. Single women faced further discrimination, often branded as witches or prostitutes.

Does this term cover long term singleton? What about the Dolly Aldertons of the modern age, the central character in the novel and recent BBC adaptation of Everything I know about Love. Long-Term, relationships-free females who cherish gal friends while men take a back seat. Girls that are ‘Must-be’ leading bridesmaids and a staple at any hen night. Those who internet date and frequently indulge in casual sex. Those who are widely desired by men, but will continue to founder with commitments in relationships. Make the party, but always guests at baby showers, but never the host. They cannot be considered spinsters can they?

Could Sylvia Pankhurst have been considered a Spinster? Second daughter of Emily, providing the artwork for the Suffrage posters and one of the most incarcerated during the fight for the female vote. The later years of her life were devoted to entitlement campaigning for unmarried mothers in East London. Although in a long term relationship with another devoted Marxist, they never married even after she gave birth to a son. A matter she fell out with her mother over, her feeling being that she had a louder voice for the rights of single women with children by remaining unmarried.

Customerilly, Spinsters were the first to take up female professions. Working as a governess or a nurse when married women were assigned to the role of homemaker and child bearing. In reality, the first female professionals, when married women were normally required to abandon full time work and start a family. An archetypal requirement which preceded effective birth control. During the sixties and seventies women frequently stopped taking the pill immediately after the wedding ceremony to start a family. Single women were not required to relinquish their freedoms, compromise their identities and they were financially independent.

In reference to single men, the phrase Bachelor emerged. In contrast this has positive associations, footloose and fancy free. Both terms were used on official documents in the UK until a shocking 2005, from then the term Single was instated.

So, would you prefer to take or leave the term Spinster? Old Maid, not preferential, perhaps Bachelorette. How about Free Woman, Life Long Singleton or Independent Woman? 

Or do we need to reclaim the term Spinster with positive associations? Could the term Spinster Sister become a professional name for a female DJ? Footloose Spinter a term for a Lioness presenting great ball skills during an international football tournament. Unmarried to become Unburdonned by marriage and a family? Would more positive examples of long-term singletons presented throughout the media look to challenge societies governance toward cohabiting relationships. On looking back to 1950 girls fiction, every girl when asked what she wanted to do when she grew up would have answered ‘Get Married’. Will that response become ‘Self-partnered’ in the 2050’s?

A Vision, year 2030:

Girl walks into a bar. A friend remarks:

‘She’s a Spinster’

The response is:

‘Cool’

Everyone gets up to slap her hand.

Conceivable, but a valid reality?