Original article Sense of security in single women and women in lasting relationships

Abstract

Background The modern preference for the independence of an individual and an individualistic attitude does not make for favourable conditions for the sense of security, a consequence of which may be the inability of an individual to build and sustain close emotional relationships with others. The sense of security, which is determined by a durable relationship and confidence in its future, is especially important for the health of an individual. The goal of the current study was to assess the sense of security among women of different marital status (single, cohabiting and married). It was also investigated how the women assess their economic status and if it is correlated with their sense of security. Participants and procedure Two hundred and forty women with secondary or higher education, aged between 24 and 35, took part in the study. Participants were divided into three groups: single (80 women), cohabiting (82 women) and married (78 women). Results Sense of security differentiated single and married women only in the aspect of the sense of stability, whereas all of the other dimensions of the sense of safety differentiated married women and cohabiting women. Married women scored significantly higher. Economic status of the participants did not have an influence on their sense of security. Conclusions Treating a relationship as something temporary negatively influenced the sense of safety of cohabiting women. It is however impossible to exclude the possibility of a selection bias, where the women with a higher sense of safety have higher chances to form a legalized and stable relationship than women with a lower sense of security.

Keywords

• sense of security
• economic status
• singles
• cohabiting
• marriage