EXPERIENCING AND NEGOTIATING SOCIAL SINGLISM: GENDERED PERSPECTIVES OF SINGLE PROFESSIONALS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Despite the growing trend of singlehood globally and within Malaysia, discrimination, prejudice and negative stereotyping against single people, a phenomenon known as singlism, remains underexplored, particularly in non-Western contexts. Malaysia presents a theoretically significant setting given its collectivist and marriage-normative cultural values, making it a relevant context to examine how singlism operates beyond Western frameworks. This study examines how single professional men and women in Malaysia experience singlism within their social networks and the strategies they use to negotiate it. Using semi-structured interviews with 30 participants aged between 30 and 39, and analysed using thematic analysis, this study identifies two distinct forms of singlism, unintentional and intentional. Unintentional singlism occurs without the awareness of its stigmatising effects as it is deeply rooted in marriage-normative cultural assumptions. Intentional singlism is characterised by its more deliberate and exclusionary practices. While singlism is experienced by both genders, gender asymmetry was observed, with gender mediating the intensity and frequency of singlism experienced. Female participants reported more pervasive and intense experiences and employed more active negotiation strategies. Negotiation strategies were employed in accordance with the types of singlism experienced, with more passive deflection towards unintentional singlism and more active counter-narratives to tackle intentional singlism.    Keywords: Singlehood, Singlism, Gender, Negotiation Strategies