| Summary: | 博士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 輔導與諮商研究所 === 102 === The rate of lifetime single increased year by year in Taiwan, especially in females. According to 2014 census, 8.15% females who were over forty years old remained single, including those who do not consider marriage. The goal of this study was to understand these lifetime single females, including the life experiences influence them to be lifetime single, their feelings and subjective experiences about stay the traditional culture, their life state and future plan, their subjective experiences about seeking subjective conscious and social identification, and their values regarding family, love, and intimate. Counselors could have a deeper understanding about them and take it as a reference for marriage and career counseling. The study method was based on hermeneutic phenomenology. Deep interview and thematic analysis were used. Four participants were between forty to fifty years old.
Results were as following: First, the reasons behind their choices to be lifetime single included the conflict between patriarchy system and individualism, the conflict between traditional marriage culture and social change, and the disappearance of family function and the benefits of marriage change. Second, there were different manners of lifetime single females, but there were the same characteristic of them. They emphasized on work and leisure, preferred younger, single, and neuter characteristic friends, and liked spiritual activity and travel. The best image of their life were leisure and comfortable. Finally, the happiness of lifetime single females came from freedom, autonomy, and self-subjective. The biggest challenges to them were lonely and stress of public opinions. Their love values were open or conservative. The subjective conscious of lifetime single females were promoted by multiple factors. They expected an ideal family, because they needed the feeling of independent achievement and self-existent. They expected to bring up children, because they needed the sense of belonging. Their parents’ understanding and identification were most emphasized.
Although participants had their own reasons to be lifetime single, they were influenced by traditional Taiwanese marriage culture. The issue of being lifetime single was related to not only individuals but also social culture. Women’s subjective rights in marriage should be more addressed. Six suggestions were in accordance with the results.
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