First, consider the words to describe single women as opposed to men. While men are known as ‘bachelors’, women are called ‘spinsters’. In the late Middle Ages, the latter originated as a term to describe women who spun wool professionally, most of whom were unmarried. The lower-status job was easier for them to get, since more desirable jobs were generally reserved for married women – who, through their husbands, could afford the materials required to do higher-status work. ‘Bachelors’, meanwhile, are often portrayed as fun, potentially suave (if not sleazy), living their best lives and carefree – these positive connotations go all the way back to Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.