Being single in the age of ‘The Bachelor’
The local version of the television programme The Bachelor has given us one version of being a single straight woman in
New Zealand, but what’s the real story?
Researchers at the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland aim to find out. They are seeking straight women
aged between 25-35 years based in Auckland and willing to talk about their experiences of being single.
“The Bachelor has taken up quite a bit of space in media entertainment over the past couple of months so we think this
research project is timely,” says Associate Professor of Psychology Virginia Braun.
“We hope to hear from women about their diverse experiences of being single, including women who may have a very
different perspective than that shown during The Bachelor.
“We want to widen the discussion around what young women’s experiences are in the real world, how they navigate
singledom in a society that sends some pretty strong messages about what is ideal and what isn’t.”
Masters student Chelsea Pickens says the research will also look at what messages shows like The Bachelor send to and
about young men.
“The media in all its forms, including advertising, does send strong messages about being single, about dating, and to a
significant degree it also sends messages about couples as an ideal,” she says.
“So we would really like to talk to young women themselves and ask them what their experiences have been and how that
aligns with some of the presumptions we often make around issues of being single, young and heterosexual.”
Participants in the study will be given anonymity and asked to discuss their views and experiences during a one-hour
interview.
The study has ethics approval from The University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee, and is being
conducted for a Master’s degree.
For women who are interested in finding out more about participation in the study, please email:
cpic011@aucklanduni.ac.nz
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