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Becky Lee, 34, a freelance TV producer from west London, has been single for two years, following the breakdown of a seven-year relationship. At first, she admits, her instinct was to dive back in and she dabbled in internet dating. “Then I realised I was having more fun being on my own. Now I absolutely put myself first. I am always doing something – out clubbing or listening to bands. I hardly ever make plans, just see where the day takes me. And if that means spending all weekend going out, or spending all weekend at home alone in my flat watching movies, I can do it. I have that freedom.” 1 “Freemales” – manless women who are happy to remain so for the present at least – are now a force to be reckoned with and are overturning the dated Bridget Jones image of the lonely woman staring despondently at an empty Chardonnay bottle. They are too busy living life to the full to make time for “Mr Mediocre” and the last thing on their minds is, “Will I find Mr Right today?” Instead, they are juggling careers with busy social lives and if they happen to bump into him, all well and good, but they are not going hunting. “Today there is no pressure to be married by a certain age, or to be a mother by a certain age,” MacVarish said. “The old pathways of relationships have gone, dissolved.” But this can make it more difficult for women, she warned. “They have good careers. They have enjoyable lives, so they don’t feel there is a gap. It’s all about how you feel at the time. But you have to weigh that up against how you might feel in the future, which is difficult. It’s hard to think today, ‘Well, if I don’t have a baby in three years’ time will I regret it in five?’ There are some who have stepped off the relationship conveyor belt, fully intending to get back on it in their mid-to-late thirties, but then can’t find a partner.” Typical is London property consultant Annabel Turbutt-Day, 23, who says, “Yes, I see myself as a freemale. I just don’t have the time for a relationship. My weekends are so full trying to see my friends, and going to dinner parties, and enjoying my horse riding. And I work long hours. I just can’t fit another person into my life. I’ve just started a new job, and that could take me anywhere, perhaps abroad. I am really, really enjoying myself. I have no time to feel lonely, and there just isn’t space at the moment. A relationship is just not a priority.” (Caroline Davies, The Observer ) b) Define a typical “freemale” according to the information given in the article. Roleplay: Lifestyles Act out a dialogue between a singleton and a young parent in a stable relationship, with each of them convinced that their own lifestyle is preferable to the other person’s. Prepare for your roles by noting down arguments to support your point of view. Writing: Living patterns You have decided to participate in an EU essay writing competi­ tion in which young people are asked to discuss how they think the living patterns of individuals will develop in the future. In your essay you should: • explain various lifestyles in society today • analyse the implications and consequences of these patterns for society • discuss how you think this question will develop in the future Give your essay a title . Write around 400 words . 3 Useful phrases a force to be reckoned with • to overturn an image • to live life to the full • the last thing on one’s mind • to juggle sth. with sth. else • all well and good • to weigh sth. up against sth. else • to step off the conveyor belt • to launch a career • to be a sign of • to turn out to be • to feel the pressure to • to pursue a career • to see oneself as • to conform to sth. • to be typical of • to be singled out P 4 20 25 30 35 40 71 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv