Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-339).

Watch out for that woman : the political and social power of an unmarried nation -- Single women have often made history : unmarried in America -- The sex of the cities : urban life and female independence -- Dangerous as Lucifer matches : the friendships of women -- My solitude, my self : single women on their own -- For richer : work, money, and independence -- For poorer : single women and sexism, racism, and poverty -- Sex and the single girls : virginity to promiscuity and beyond -- Horse and carriage : marrying, and not marrying, in the time of singlehood -- Then comes what? and when? : independence and parenthood.

Working on a book about single women in the twenty-first-century, Traister made a startling discovery: historically, when women have had options beyond early heterosexual marriage, their resulting independence has provoked massive social change. Unmarried women were crucial to the abolition, suffrage, temperance, and labor movements; they created settlement houses and secondary education for women. Today, only 20% of Americans are wed by age 29, compared to nearly 60% in 1960. Through the lens of the single American woman, Traister covers issues of class, race, and sexual orientation.