The average Irish single man may not enjoy the lifestyle of the actor George Clooney, one of the world’s most famous bachelors, but he is happier than his married counterpart and more content than single Irish women, according to a new study.
An analysis by University College Cork (UCC) of responses given by 15,000 men and women to questions on their psychological wellbeing over the eight-year period from 1994 to 2001 concluded that males are happiest when single and not engaged in professional or managerial work.
By contrast, women reported improved wellbeing when married, a parent, and living in a “nice” rural area.
Lee-Ann Burke, a lecturer in economics at UCC, presented the findings at a conference last week. She said the average score for single men was 8.8, with 0 representing the best mental health and 36 representing the worst. The score dipped to 9.9 for married men.
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Single women had a score of 10.6, but that improved to 9.4 for married females.
The results of the study appear to contradict previous research showing that marriage is good for men, but Burke argues that those studies usually relate to physical health.
“The general consensus is that married men are happier, and are physically healthier because their wives will encourage them to go to the doctor more,” Burke said. “We don’t know why, but men’s mental health declined when they were married. It could be the stress of having a family or income pressures.”
Marty Morrissey, an RTE sports broadcaster in his 40s, thinks the reason men’s wellbeing declines after marriage is that Irish bachelors grow more selfish as they get older and are “so used to doing their own thing”. However, Morrissey, who is in a relationship, said that ultimately Irish men want to settle down because “we all want and need to be loved”.
He added that finding a partner can prove difficult, especially in rural areas. “The pub can be the only place for country lads to meet people, and even that is getting difficult now,” he said. “When you’re 18 you never think about where to go to meet people. But once you’re over 35, it’s more difficult. If you’re single, you’re judged and you’re categorised, even if it’s not your fault.”
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Earlier this month, Lisa Snowdon, 39, a model who once dated Clooney, said: “I haven’t had a boyfriend for five years. Now I’m thinking not when it’s going to happen, but if. It’s scary to imagine that maybe there’ll be no husband, no baby, no wedding and that’s it.”
Like Snowdon, Susan Ahern, a 33-year-old single woman from Cork who moved to London four years ago, finds it difficult to meet potential partners, even though she has a career as a make-up artist in the film industry.
“I think people living in the city with careers are perceived as being happier but I don’t think they are because it’s possible to be very lonely in a city. You don’t have that closeness you have living in a rural area,” said Ahern, who grew up near Blarney. “I do envy couples when the weekend comes and they’re on their way home or going out. Being in a couple would make life a lot easier.”
She thinks single men have it easier than single women. “They seem to move on from one girl to next and don’t think about it,” she said. “When out with women, the topic of the conversation is always men and who they’re pining over. Men just get on with it.”
Research by Robert Kaplan, an American professor, revealed that single men have a shorter life expectancy, mostly because social isolation increases the risk of premature death. In Ireland, living conditions for unmarried farmers can be particularly harsh, especially for older men. A study in Leitrim found that 30% of single male farmers aged between 35 and 65 had no hot water on tap, 47% did not own a washing machine, and almost 60% did not have central heating in their homes.
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But rural life improves the psychological wellbeing of women, the UCC report revealed. Burke found that urban issues such as graffiti, teenage loitering, litter, vandalism and public drunkenness all damaged women’s sense of wellbeing.
Such issues made no difference to men’s mental health, the research found.