The shelf · Living alone and single life
Does All the Single Ladies hold up?
All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation, by Rebecca Traister (2016)
A history of unmarried American women and their economic and political weight.
The short answer
Yes on the turning point it describes. Its figure for age at first marriage has since risen further.
The claims, checked
In 2009 the share of American women who were married fell below 50% for the first time.
Holds The Population Reference Bureau, using the 2009 American Community Survey, reports 49.9% of women aged 15 and over married.
Evidence: Population Reference Bureau
Women's median age at first marriage has risen to 27.
Outdated It was 28.4 for women and 30.8 for men in 2025 (28.6 for women in 2024; the figure moves a little each year).
Evidence: US Census Bureau, 2025