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The number of unmarried women in Australia is expected to outstrip the number of married ones when census results are released later this year, according to projections by experts.
For the first time, single women and those in de facto relationships will become the norm, marking the beginning of a social trend that will change the way we live, socialise and conduct relationships.
"My expectation is that the 2006 census results, due out in the middle of this year, will confirm that there are now more single women than women in married relationships," demographer Bernard Salt said.
"These figures are moving very rapidly."
The projections follow reports this week that 51 per cent of American women are unmarried, according to the latest US census results.
The previous Australian census in 2001 counted 3.5 million married females over the age of 15, compared with 3.4 million unmarried females.
Mr Salt said the unmarried figure would rise over the next decade, bolstered by two streams of single women.
"The first is young people in their 20s and 30s who are choosing not to formalise their relationships. This is a social revolution, really, led by generations X and Y," he said.
"The second source is older women. In about 15 years' time you'll see the number of baby boomer widows really start to ratchet up."
David de Vaus, professor of sociology at La Trobe University and author of a study on living alone in Australia, said the 1989 census showed 59 per cent of women were married. In 1991 it was 55 per cent and in 2001 it hovered around 50 per cent.
"My guess is we'll go down again with the next census results," he said.
Younger women were more likely to be partnered than their male counterparts, said Bob Birrell, director of the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University.
Their partnering chances also improve during good economic times. But this trend is dramatically reversed in women over 65.
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