3 Reasons Women Over 40 Shouldn’t
Worry About Being Single
Studies show that women are waiting longer to get married and to give birth than they were in the second half of the 20th century.
Those women who remain unmarried and childless by their mid-40s comprise a relatively small percentage, though, and some social observers say they are still stigmatized.
“You know there is nothing wrong with you, and you don’t want to be typified or put in a box, yet there is an undeniable stigma attached to single status for a woman 40 and over,” says Lee Volpe (www.LeeVolpe.com), author of Black Sheep Tries Bleach: Humorous Stories to Ease Life’s Growing Pain. “The anxiety of being an unmarried, childless woman can be overwhelming.”
According to the Pew Research Center, the number of American women in their mid-40s who are childless is 15 percent, with 14 percent having never married by the age of 45. Volpe says that while the strong, single, independent businesswoman is championed in the mainstream media today, that progressive kind of thinking isn’t typical in society toward single, childless older women.
“Those of us still single and childless get asked offensive questions like, ‘Are you married?’ and if not, ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ Or if not, they say, ‘She must be a lesbian.’ If you are smart, attractive and breathing, they view you as a social enigma.”
Volpe gives three reasons why women over 40 shouldn’t worry about the negatives some associate with being single and childless:
• You’re liberated. “Being childless and single, a woman can choose a personal rebirth,” Volpe says. “Too often we’re attached to the questions: ‘Is that what happiness is? Marriage and children? Am I not fulfilling my legacy as a woman if I’m not a wife and a mother?’ My internal voice was fed up and ready to revolt. Mourning the loss of my unborn children, I found strength in women who never wanted the title in the first place, and gained more optimism looking at their full, limitless lives.”
• More selective for Mr. Right. What we look for in a partner changes as we get older. Dating can be challenging for women in their 40s as the ratio of available men diminishes, but a woman’s focus, Volpe says, can be more on substance than on fleeting factors like looks or money.
• Living solo doesn’t have to be sad. If you're alone, you have to make your own living and social life. When friends have children, it’s difficult to find hangout time, Volpe says. Then again, you have the freedom to make different gathering times with different people. “Your social network can expand even more if you’re not married,” Volpe says. “And work-wise, it’s better to depend on yourself than on someone else for both happiness and financial stability. Going solo, you will never be abandoned.”
“It’s way past time to re-imagine life after Prince Charming failed to show up on his white horse,” Volpe says. “You have the freedom to make the life you want. Single, you can be inundated with endless possibilities. Don’t believe in fairytales; believe in yourself.”
About Lee Volpe
Lee Volpe (www.LeeVolpe.com) is the author of Black Sheep Tries Bleach: Humorous Stories to Ease Life’s Growing Pains. After a short career as an actress, Lee found her voice as a humorist, and has never looked back. Since 2011, she has been making a name for herself professionally as an honest, Laugh Out Loud (LOL) humor writer, dealing with daily life and relatable situations. Applauded for saying what most are thinking, Lee has the unique ability of finding wit in the way and amusement in the angle. Marcia Corbino of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune described Lee as “Erma Bombeck meets Sex and the City.”
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Vote now for Your Favorite Design in Deb Group’s Second Annual Happy Hands Contest
Voting ends on Feb. 28
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Feb. 1, 2018 – From super soap to a rocket ship headed for the sky, vote now for your favorite design! Deb Group today revealed the finalists in its second annual Happy Hands contest, which promotes hand hygiene at schools. The public can view the student-drawn designs and vote for their favorite finalist now through February 28 at www.debhappyhands.com.
“Each dispenser design submission found an inventive way to make handwashing fascinating and fun,” said Isabelle Faivre, Vice President of Marketing, Deb USA. “With this year’s severe flu season, it’s more important than ever to teach students about the importance of hand hygiene in a memorable way.”
Using bright and bold colors and creative concepts, each finalist design shows the importance of handwashing in a unique, imaginative way. The 2017/2018 Happy Hands contest finalists include:
Elementary School:
Middle and High School:
The student whose design receives the most votes in each category will receive a $200 gift card. Each winning student’s school will also receive a $500 donation and the winning designs will be custom printed for free on up-to 500 manual Deb soap/sanitizer dispensers for use at the school.
The designs were evaluated for visual appeal, overall hand hygiene design, creativity and unique design elements. The finalist receiving the most votes in each category will be announced on March 1, 2018.
For more information regarding the Happy Hands contest, please contact Christina Alvarez at calvarez@mulberrymc.com or 214-571-6322.
About Deb Group
Headquartered in the UK and with North American headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., Deb Group provides tailored skin care programs for a wide range of industries and organizations that value their employee and customer well-being.
The organization encompasses 23 companies operating in 19 countries, with Deb products used over 150 million times every day. The Deb product lines include Travabon®, Stokoderm®, Refresh™, Estesol®, Solopol®, Kresto®, Deb InstantFOAM™, Stokolan® and KrestoGT™.
Deb Group is part of SC Johnson, a privately held, family company and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of household cleaning products, and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care. To learn more, visit www.debgroup.com.
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SPOTLIGHT ON... EdTech in 2018
THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION. If you haven’t read EDTECH Digest’s “State of EdTech 2017-2018: The Minds Behind What’s Now & What’s Next” you owe it to yourself to set aside some time to do so. The editor’s letter that begins the report, “A message from the future” sets the stage quite nicely:
“The future ain’t what it used to be! Goodbye 2017, hello 2018! The learning landscape is shifting. The seismic activity isn’t a mystery. There are obvious recent forces at work—sure, technology, but people are making it happen…and we’re excited to recognize, acknowledge and celebrate the innovators, leaders and trendsetters who are shaking things up, making things move, and creating a future worth living in. To care deeply about others—that human element to edtech — is just a hint of things to come. There’s much more to learn as the year unfolds!”
The report contains a ton of data and provides some incredible analysis and insight into the where we are and where we’re going. The numbers themselves are fascinating: The education market is undergoing a massive digital revolution that is impacting 1.5 billion learners worldwide. The value of the global education market is estimated at nearly $7 trillion (with global adoption of edtech still on the rise). And in 2017 alone, $3.48 billion in venture capital was invested in edtech. At more than 80 million-plus, Millennials (the generation born between 1980-1999 and today, age 19-38) are the largest, and likely the most studied, cohort in history. A wired, connected world is all Millennials have ever known.
LEADING THE EDTECH PACK. The annual Top Influencers in edtech is out. CER’s founder and CEO Jeanne Allen was named in this year’s top 100! We congratulate all the leaders, innovators, catalysts and change agents who are making a difference for learners at all levels today. “By their example, by their actions, by what they write, communicate and the products they create—they are more than a social media follower count, they are interacting with those around them, making the world a better place through their work in education technology, and this year, they are all edtech’s top influencers.”
LOVING LEARNLAUNCH. “If it’s making waves in edtech, it’s going to be on the agenda at Across Boundaries… the meeting of more than 1,500 educators, education administrators, entrepreneurs, investors, education companies, and technology innovators interested in driving innovation to transform learning and increase achievement using digital technologies.” And innovation central it was! From the incredible insights of Social Impact Investors from New Markets, Lumina and Reach Capital, to the inspiring words of Lindsay Unified’s Tom Rooney and Alt School’s Devin Vodicka about the importance of transforming public education from factory model to personalized (which they have accomplished), the dynamic event was one of the nation’s big highlights in education innovation. Kudos to LearnLaunch Chair Mark Miller of Good Harbor Partners and Co-Founders Jean Hammond for helping for accelerating education innovation.
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Tell Us Your Story! Families all over the country have school choice stories to tell. Send us yours!
Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout US education.
