A freemale is a woman who opts for a single life, valuing friendships rather than pursuing extended romantic relationships. Some freemales also choose to live childfree, choosing not to have children for a variety of reasons, while others decide to become single mothers. The numbers of freemales around the world appear to be on the rise, with several demographic surveys in the early 21st century indicating that single women outnumbered married women for the first time since the First World War.
There are a variety of reasons to choose to live as a single woman, and these reasons vary widely from freemale to freemale. Some women cite the desire for an unencumbered lifestyle, which allows them to spend more time with other single friends, travel, and pursue other activities without having to cater to the needs of a partner. Others simply prefer a solitary life, although they may develop rich friendships with an assortment of friends.
Some evidence seems to suggest that the rising numbers of freemales may also be linked to the divorce rate. Young single women may decide to remain single after seeing relationships of friends fail repeatedly, believing that living as a single may be preferable to dealing with the chaos of relationships. Others simply haven't found partners who interest them, while some have an inclination towards asexuality, preferring friendships to romantic relationships.
The freemale demographic is very intriguing to researchers who look at shifts in the human population. Single women are especially common in cities, and they take up large numbers of housing units, because of the fact that they live alone, putting pressure on housing markets to provide homes which are comfortable for single women living alone. Freemales also have a great deal of disposable income in many cases, which can translate into growth for companies savvy enough to cater to the freemale demographic.
While people may assume that women living alone are naturally childless, this is not in fact the case. It is certainly true that in some cases, freemales are not at all inclined to have children, others are interested in having children and do pursue childrearing, sometimes with the support of another female friend who has also opted to be a single mother. Freemales may choose to adopt, pursue sperm donation, or make arrangements with male friends to have a child jointly, but not to establish a romantic relationship with each other.