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The Civil Partnership Act in the UK replaced the terms “spinster” and “bachelor” with the more neutral “single” for unmarried individuals. “Spinster” has become pejorative, while “bachelor” survived, possibly due to a reality show. The terms date back to the 14th and 15th centuries.
The Civil Partnership Act came into effect in the UK in December 2005, so that civil marriages and civil partnerships are registered in the same way. Before the Civil Partnership Act, unmarried women in Britain were legally known as ‘spinsters’, while unmarried men were officially ‘bachelors’. Since December 2005, however, the official term for both unmarried men and unmarried women has been the more neutral “single.”
New spins to old terms:
To some extent, legal change codified social norms. The term “spinster” has taken on a pejorative meaning and is rarely found in modern usage. On the other hand, the “bachelor” survived, mainly thanks to a certain reality show.
The word “spinster” dates back to at least 1362, when it was first used in printed notices.
Geoffrey Chaucer is credited with first using “bachelor” to describe an unmarried man – in the 15th century it referred specifically to a young knight.
