NCJW Women and Gender Studies Program, Tel Aviv University, Israel; e-mail: ladadk@post.tau.ac.il.
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Singlehood, Waiting, and the Sociology of Time†
Article first published online: 6 FEB 2012
DOI: 10.1111/j.1573-7861.2011.01306.x
© 2012 Eastern Sociological Society
Additional Information
How to Cite
Lahad, K. (2012), Singlehood, Waiting, and the Sociology of Time. Sociological Forum, 27: 163–186. doi: 10.1111/j.1573-7861.2011.01306.x
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Funding for this research was provided by the President Scholarships for distinctive doctoral students at Bar Ilan University and the Yonatan Shapira Post Doctoral Fellowship at Tel University. I am indebted to Haim Hazan, Hannah Herzog, and Ilana Silver for their guidance, inspiration, and support.
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NCJW Women and Gender Studies Program, Tel Aviv University, Israel; e-mail: ladadk@post.tau.ac.il.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 6 FEB 2012
- Article first published online: 6 FEB 2012
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- family;
- liminality;
- singlehood;
- social time;
- uncertainty;
- waiting
This article explores how a temporal analysis of singlehood can contribute both to new conceptualizations of singlehood as well as to the study of social time. Prevalent interpretations of waiting single women offer a useful case study as they highlight the temporal organization of social life. Waiting is examined as an interactive setting representing and producing societal symbols, timetables, and collective schedules. Furthermore, this particular form of waiting is mostly featured as an unexpected delay and, accordingly, strengthens the widespread understanding of singlehood as a temporary and transitory life phase. Based on a content analysis, this article seeks to theorize some of the temporal aspects of singlehood, analyze its discursive implications, and study how it reflects and structures dominant discourses of family and social life.