The odds are stacked

So, can you believe that there are 185,000 more single straight women than single straight men in New York City? That’s according to last week’s issue of Time Out anyway. Crazy eh? Well okay, admittedly not JUST New York, technically we’re talking the urban areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, so the tri-state area, but I’d be willing the bet the highest ratio of women to men is in the city. It certainly feels as if that’s the case.

The article’s been a bit of a talking point among the single women I know recently, although not because they’re surprised, but because now they can put a number to what they already knew; there just aren’t enough single men to go around in New York.

As part of the piece Time Out also took to the streets and asked 50, supposedly random, women whether they were happy being single. Forty-six of the fifty women – that’s 92% kids – claimed they were happy; three were on the fence, checking both yes and no, and just one women indicated she wasn’t so thrilled with her single status.

The thought of so many happily single women freely roaming the streets of New York was clearly too much to bear for a few TONY readers who wrote in to the magazine about the article. A smattering of responses were published on the letters page of this week’s issue and were mostly of the ‘these women are liars if they say they’re happily single’ variety.

Liars are we?? Well, as a happily single woman I beg to differ. WTF!! Why is it that so many people think it’s impossible for a woman to be both single AND happy? The two aren’t mutually exclusive you know. We’re not saying it wouldn’t be absolutely brilliant to meet a nice guy with whom to spend the rest of our lives, but seriously people, let’s face facts; there just aren’t enough single men to go around in New York. Even if you were able to come along and match up every single straight man with a lovely single straight woman there would still apparently be 185,000 single women left over, which leaves us single girls with 2 options:

1. Move away from New York, say to the west coast where there are supposedly more single straight men
2. Make the best of the situation and get out and enjoy life

Addressing the options in the traditional order…

…leave New York? Are you CRAZY?? Completely out of the question, wash your mouth out with soap and water for even suggesting such a thing.

…which leaves us with option 2; making the best of the situation. It is what it is folks and this is exactly what those 46 women interviewed by TONY are doing. Short of kidnapping a 185,000 eligible bachelors from the more plentiful states there isn’t a lot we single NY gals can do to change the situation. So what are we supposed to do, stay at home watching Grey’s Anatomy while sobbing into our cushions? I think not!! No, we get up off the sofa, shake off the cobwebs and shimmy on out into the world to enjoy life and if we meet someone while doing so, then great, but if we don't, then so be it. We're not going to fall apart if Mr. Right doesn’t walk into our lives, sure there will be some disappointments, but aren't there always, how can you appreciate the good without the bad? When I’m at death’s door I don’t want to look back on my life and realise I wasted opportunities to be happy just because I was walking around depressed and dour faced about being single.

Btw: Update on the two guys I met at the wine tasting last weekend…neither of 'em called!! Tsk!!