Legally a Spinster
Spinster:1. An unmarried woman, especially one past the normal marrying age
2. (obsolete): Someone whose occupation was spinning thread
As I was sitting on a global conference call this morning, a UK colleague who had just gotten hitched proclaimed proudly that she was no longer a spinster. We all laughed a little and sent her mocking congratulations over her new positively framed marital status.
We then got into a mini discussion over what a spinster actually is. We’ve all heard this term, usually used to poke fun at our sad single status. We picture little old ladies sitting on their front porch knitting away at a sweater for the proud offspring of her siblings. Yet another visual - the picture on the front of a box of "Old Maid" cards. The common thread of it all - being without a man.As we progressed down this non-work tangent, my UK colleague announced that in the UK, “spinster” is actually a legal term. That’s right ladies. In the United Kingdom, until the introduction of the Civil Partnership Act, any woman who has never previously married is legally categorized as a "spinster,” regardless of her age at the time of obtaining a marriage licence. Men are dubbed "bachelors.” I mean, how unfair!
In a singles-friendly city like New York, I'm glad that the self-mocking of my own marital status can be kept at a minimum by shear safety in numbers!
posted by Lisa @ 3:02 PM
4 Comments:
HA! I can't believe it's a legal term over there.
Not so funny...it wasn't long ago that it was a legal term in the States. In fact, when I bought my house, even though I'm the lead "borrower," my name was put second on all legal documents because I'm a woman. You heard it here. We can buy our own shit..but the guys name always goes first. Unreal.
Yup...I was in the UK in September and it was used quite frequently. I use the word Spinster in my blog title so you can imagine how senstive I was to the word until I realized it was a legal term.
BUT on the redeeming side...the men call women 'love' and kiss your cheek in greeting. That earned points back.
Spinster sound smuch nicer than "old maid."
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