Being single is very expensive and stressful, but these women would rather be alone

Women would rather accept the “singles tax” than the couple.

The “singles tax” — the highest costs singles pay to support themselves financially — recently rose to over $7,000, according to Zillow, but women would rather stay on their own.

A new study conducted by Qualtrics on behalf of Intuit Credit Karma found that while many single women admitted that the financial burden of being financially independent is a major cause of stress in their lives, they still prefer to be single.

“The makeup of women’s financial lives has changed, likely due to a shift in economic factors such as housing affordability and the rising cost of higher education,” Courtney Alev, consumer financial advocate at Intuit Credit Karma, said in a statement. .

“As a result, women are no longer focused solely on marriage and raising families, but instead are focused on building their careers and prioritizing debt repayment.”

Nearly half (47%) of single women say living on their single income is a major source of stress for them, especially as prices for almost everything continue to rise.

More than a quarter (26%) of single women specifically admit that it is too expensive to be single, and 16% of married women say they are with their partner because they support them financially.

About 35% of single women find it harder to meet basic needs, such as rent, groceries and other bills, compared to their married friends.

In fact, the financial burden has driven about 20% of single women to live at home with parents or other relatives, compared to 7% of partnered women.

Beyond the basics, single ladies are struggling to afford some activities, including vacations (50%), dining out (34%) and entertainment (27%).

But some girls just want to have fun. Almost one in 10 (9%) single women have gone into debt – about 17% of Gen Z single women – trying to keep up with their boyfriends.

However, despite the price of being single, many women today are not seriously considering a monetary match.

Just one in 10 (13%) say they want a partner for their money and 65% of single women still believe they can achieve major financial milestones on their own.

The merger does not seem to be the solution to everything.

Almost half (49%) of partnered women say being in a relationship enables them to save more money than if they were single, but 37% of women in relationships say being in a relationship makes them spend more money than if they were single.

While women may not rush into relationships for money, they do consider financial ability a huge green flag. It’s not necessarily about how much money you have, but how you manage it.

DatingAdvice.com commissioned the nationwide Propeller Insights survey of more than 1,200 single American adults, ages 18 to 42, and found that 42% of respondents admitted that financial health is something they prioritize when looking for a partner. possible.

And, for many, it’s not just something on their checklist, it’s the main marker. A survey by buy-now, pay-later company Affirm found that 51% of millennials see the ability to manage money as the most attractive trait a partner can have, while 49% value financial stability.

While financial literacy and stability are turning people on, nearly a quarter of singles aren’t wasting their time trying to figure out what’s in the bank and, therefore, who’s going to bed.

A survey by TD Bank found that 27% of all respondents said they discussed finances with a potential romantic partner before going on their first date.

And more than a third of Gen Zers and millennials say they would break up with their partner if they didn’t share the same money values ​​as them (38% and 36%, respectively), according to a study by Intuit Credit Karma.

“It makes sense, especially in the context of the American financial landscape, that lovers don’t want to fall in love with someone who would ultimately hold them back from their goals and aspirations,” Amber Brooks, editor-in-chief of DatingAdvice.com, said. previously for The Post.

“Lovers have a lot of criteria to consider when looking for a partner, and it’s naive to say that those decisions are about feelings of love and not even a little about finances.”