Singlehood is on the rise and Singlehood Australia is igniting a social, cultural, and economic transformation that includes single people in the heart of all decision-making.
Help us to make the change we want to see in the world.
Singlehood: The art of life without a partner.
Singlehood Australia is driven to spotlight the root causes of the systemic inequality of singlehood through an inspired national conversation revealing the social and economic consequences of an individual’s gender, relationship and parental status such as:
- the interplay of public policies that impede access to job security
- access to a robust social safety net and quality public services
- the exclusion from strong family, and social relationships
We advance our ambition for the inclusion of singlehood in all policy development through:
- Our Single Talk Program of community and sector based conversations, forums, roundtables, and consultations, that value and give voice to single people to facilitate their social inclusion and belonging
- Engaging with international singlehood experts to ignite Australian academic and publicly funded singlehood research
- Establishing and hosting the International Singlehood Advocates Network to facilitate the adoption of quality evidence-based singlehood-responsive policies in Australia and globally
- Strengthening established government and parliamentarian support for the inclusion and equality of single Australians
The Singlehood Penalty is the social and economic cost of living on one income in a dual-income economy. Here’s what the Singlehood Penalty looks like for the average single Australian without children
A One-person Household:
- spends $776 per month more on basic living costs than a two-person household. ABC, 2025
- saves around $19,260 less than two-person households Finder.com
- savings last about 15.9 weeks, compared to 17.4 weeks for a two-person household. Finder.com
On Housing:
- Only 31% of suburbs are affordable on the average single income. Finder.com
- A one-person homeowner needs roughly $630,000 in superannuation to retire comfortably compared to $730,000 for a two person homeowners. wealthlab.com.au
Single Women Without Children:
- fill in for parenting colleagues and care for ageing parents resulting in work-nonwork stress Myra Hamilton et al
- experience career interruptions for unrecognised care, reducing their retirement savings Myra Hamilton et al
- are not guaranteed informal support when ill, or navigating the health and aged care system Myra Hamilton et al
Singlehood Australia is dedicated to a world where single people, couples, and families interact equally with the economy, the workplace, government services, the market, and the urban environment. A world where single people are included in our social system—the law, social security, health, disability, aged care, housing, emergency responses to public health crises, catastrophic weather events, and war, should it come crashing on our shores.
Singlehood is on the rise in Australia
of Australian homes are one-person households, up from 24% in 2016. The ABS anticipates up to 27% by 2041.
Ref: aifs.gov.au
of those living alone are women, and half of these women are 65 or older.
Ref: aifs.gov.au
women today are not having children, and this trend is expected to continue.
Ref: abc.net.au
It’s safe to say singlehood is fast becoming a conventional and valued way of Australian life.