The term single is limited as it is defined as the absence of a romantic partner, which places one's relationship status within a binary, assumes availability for romantic partnership, and implies single is a transitory state preceding union formation. These perceptions of singlehood serve to maintain hegemonic structures of marriage and nuclear family. However, the implications associated with the term single do not represent the experiences of all singles. This paper proposes an alternative framework for classifying singles based on their approach to romantic relationships that considers both openness to and desire for romantic partnership. I provide a typology of singles that defy the assumptions of singlehood and situate these categories within my theoretical framework. Finally, I demonstrate how this framework highlights the potential stability of singlehood, and I conclude by examining how social scientists can use this theory to better understand heterogeneity in singles' experiences.

中文翻译：

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单身的稳定性：关系状态​​范式的局限性和重新构想单身的新理论框架

单身一词是有限的，因为它被定义为没有浪漫伴侣，这将一个人的关系状态置于二元中，假设可以建立浪漫伙伴关系，并暗示单身是结合形成之前的短暂状态。这些对单身的看法有助于维持婚姻和核心家庭的霸权结构。然而，与“单一”一词相关的含义不代表所有单身人士的经历。本文提出了一种替代框架，根据单身人士处理浪漫关系的方式对单身人士进行分类，该框架考虑了对浪漫伴侣关系的开放性和渴望。我提供了一种单身人士的类型学，它违背了单身的假设，并将这些类别置于我的理论框架内。最后，我展示了这个框架如何强调单身的潜在稳定性，并通过研究社会科学家如何使用这个理论来更好地理解单身经历的异质性来得出结论。