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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Top Galleries: February 15, 2007 Eugene awash in unmarried women EUGENE — From just the raw numbers, Eugene looks like a city where a gal just can't get a feller. Not necessarily. True, statistics show that one Eugenean in four is an unmarried adult woman and that last year 60 percent of women over 18 said they were living without a spouse. The national average is 48 percent. But things often are different in Eugene. Specialists cite the area's demographics — who lives there — and a strong local reflection of social trends that are lowering marriage rates nationally. The numbers come from an analysis of the American Community Survey done by the (Eugene) Register-Guard newspaper. The annual survey provides a snapshot of cities with 65,000 or more people. Eugene has the University of Oregon, with 20,000 mostly-single students, but the survey doesn't take into account those in group housing, diminishing the university's impact. A major factor may be what women do after graduation. Educated women are more likely to delay marriage or not marry, said Ellen Scott, director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at the University of Oregon. "Women can get better-paying jobs and are therefore less financially obligated to rely on men to provide a decent standard of living," she said. Even Eugene-area singles events reflect a focus on things other than marriage. Carrie Stampe, who coordinates speed dating events around Eugene, was not surprised and said neither sex often mentions tying the knot. "I don't think (women) are single, I think they just choose not to get married," said Stampe, 28, who is happily single. "It seems to be more accepted and strived for in this community, to find a partner but not necessarily a husband or wife. I just don't think that it is the highest goal. The priorities seem to have shifted." Rates of divorce are rising, Scott said, along with the number of cohabitating partners and single parents, indicating a more liberal attitude. "Eugene is a place that tends to attract liberal people from outside," Scott said. At a recent singles hike hosted by Mount Pisgah site manager Tom LoCascio, each of the five women were in their late 40s or older and at least three were divorced. Irene Bertani of Corvallis said her marriage of 26 years ended a few years ago. Now, she says, she just wants someone with whom she can share travel, restaurants and the outdoors. "To be honest with you, I'd like to meet a gay guy," Bertani joked. The survey does not count same-sex couples who live together but cannot legally marry. An estimated 336 lesbian couples live in Eugene, according to www.gaydemographic .org, which broke down the 2000 census data, the first census to ask about same-sex couplings. Many believe the numbers are low. "All I know is that the gay and lesbian community is large enough to not know everybody," said Sarah Hendrickson, who has lived with her partner, Gretchen Miller, in Eugene for 27 years. "We've got a substantial gay and lesbian population. (The census) doesn't really catch the picture." Hendrickson, 60, said the Pacific Northwest has historically drawn gay couples because of its liberal reputation. In the 1970s, many lesbians arrived as part of a "back to the land" movement, she said. Married women tend to outlive their husbands, and the survey finds 2,260 more women than men in Eugene ages 70 and up. But women seeking a decent guy shouldn't blame the paucity of single males, Stampe said. "The biggest problem I hear from people here is saying it's hard to meet people," Stampe said. "But they're also not going out and doing something outside of their comfort zone." ------ Information from: The Register-Guard, http:www.registerguard.com Current Comments: Why is this a story? This just drivel from the Register Gaurd. . .so, how many unmarried men are there in Eugene?? Why, oh why, is this news???? Heather - Ashland, Oregon - February 15th, 1:30 PM I just turned 50 last year. I'd like to meet and marry the right Christian woman. Why are so many single women today (including Christian women) self centered, flighty, independent, and materialitic? Finding or even dating someone today is like being in Vietnam or Cambodia: it's a treacherous jungle! I'm not giving up hope yet. A couple generations back I'm sure it would have ben alot different than today. James A. Farmer - Ashland, Oregon - February 15th, 3:58 PM James, you mean why are so many women just like most men have always been and why don't we like it...don't you? Equality brings sacrifice of old beliefs and expectations and change is never easy. Keep praying and don't lose hope. You will find the right person when it is the right time. todd e. - ashland, or - February 15th, 6:20 PM James, you can always mail-order a bride that will be very be a servant to a christian male, who will provide shelter and stability. Your right Todd. We women are just begining to show our strengths... why should that scare you? Mandi S. - Tangent, OR - February 15th, 8:55 PM Well said todd, I will add to that a couple generations ago the prevailing attitudes of men were to avoid being "trapped" at any cost as if marriage was imprisonment.At a very early age that bothered me. When I looked around it seemed that married women were the ones who were "trapped" if anybody. It is too bad the pendulum never seems to rest. James an unhappy single person is as sad as an unhappy married one. Maybe your christian lady just attends a different church why don't you venture out? C - Ashland - February 15th, 9:48 PM What we see in others is often a reflection of something that exists within ourselves... Perfect the balance within and you will find the things that exist on the outside become quite harmonious. That's the space that love grows from. James - Ashland, OR - February 16th, 10:17 AM I don't know . . . when I read that headline, I just got a mental picture of some guy named "Eugene" in a big tub with some foxy debs! "A-wash this, baby!" Who? - Herefornow, OR - February 16th, 1:03 PM Thats a good one Who? lol I pictured waves of women piling up on a beach somewhere but Eugene is so far from the coast it doesn't work. C - Ashland - February 16th, 8:00 PM Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising: Debt Help Inkjet Printers Payday Loans Free Ringtones Debt Consolidation Water Filter Security Systems Debt Relief Advertisement: Copyright © 2007 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved. Del.icio.us