kpanghmc wrote:When people hear that a 40-50 year old has never been married, they often wonder "Why not? What's wrong with him/her that has kept him/her from getting married?". It's not fair, but that's how it is (at least in American culture anyway).
I'm 43, retired, never married, no kids. I spent 20-years in banking after earning my degree in finance and MBA, and now I'm very wealthy because I saved my butt off. No way I'd be retired at 43 if I got married and had kids.
That said, I never married because I never found a woman that would even talk to me in 30 years. Seriously. The longest I ever dated someone in my life was 2 weeks, and that was probably back in my mid-20's. Was it my looks, my personality, my career choice, my family, the car I drive, how I dress, etc. that turned women off? Did I fail all of the superficial or artificial qualities that females are attracted to? I have no idea. Only they know, but I tried. And foolishly I'm still trying, to no prevail. So yea, obviously there must be "something wrong with me".
I will tell you that staying single was not by choice in my case, and that's probably true for many women and men. No one wants to be lonely their entire adult life.
For me it was meant to be, and I've accepted that as my fate. If people want to consider that weird or creepy or "that there's something wrong with me" then so be it.