We know that for many of you, Sudden Bachelorhood is a drag – at least at the beginning. And while we tend to focus on helping you – the unhappy, confused Sudden Bachelor, lets not forget that some of you are very HAPPY to be a SB. Some of you have it made. Dig this excerpt from a recent article in Details:
Since childhood, we’ve been hearing about the one in two marriages that fails. Not much has changed—a study released in 2005 by the U.S. Census Bureau showed that only about 65 percent of unions make it to the 15-year mark. But while the numbers are about the same as they were a few decades ago, the archetypal 21st-century bachelor is a very different beast from those who came before him—one who would be the envy of the Mr. Mom–style married man. He’s not a do-nothing charmer like Jack from Three’s Company. or Joey from Friends; nor is he Empty Nest’s Charley, an aging Lothario laden with medallions. He’s . . . well, he’s Samantha from Sex and the City.
This wealthy, formerly married guy is situated squarely in the marketing industry’s bull’s-eye. He’s not necessarily saddled with alimony anymore—the Equality in Marriage Institute reports that the number of prenup inquiries it received more than tripled from 2003 to 2005, to 5,000 a month. And divorced men from 25 to 44 have a mean income that’s more than $6,000 higher than their never-married counterparts’, according to 2004 figures from the Census Bureau.
In other words, childless, six-figure-salaried men are now catapulting out of marriage to find themselves not alienated but greeted by a smorgasbord of products and real estate packaged and marketed especially for them. High-end residences that were seemingly focus-grouped to appeal to newly single men are popping up in metropolitan areas, glittering with accoutrements like Food Network–ready kitchens, extravagant on-site gyms, and embedded sound systems.
Cushy living spaces aren’t the only thing making the world a friendly place for the new breed of bachelors. Women—especially those cultivating their careers first and marrying later—are welcoming the freshly divorced thirtysomething guy with open arms. It turns out that being divorced at 35 isn’t a red flag as much as it is a stamp of approval.
“If you’re single and you’ve never been married at this age, you’re the red-light bachelor,” says Derek (who asked that his real name not be used), 36, an art director in New York who’s been divorced for six years. “Every girl’s looking at you like, ‘What’s wrong with him? Is he gay? Is he crazy?’ Having been married, all that’s wiped away. You’re a single guy, you’ve already been married, so you’ve already been through the first interview.”
“Guys who get married younger and then go back in the dating pool are much less likely to be seen as damaged goods than they might once have been,” Kimmel says.
So don’t fret all you depressed Sudden Bachelors – take a few notes from your “happy” counterparts and enjoy life. Read the rest of the article here.
