Swedes prefer the single life

singlesSwedish singles shelved the microwave meals as they geared up for the country’s Biggest Singles Party.

Last week some 3,000 single Swedes descended on the tiny town of Strangnas in the country’s centre to celebrate their unattached status where finding a partner is not necessarily high on the agenda, as The Local found out.

Sweden’s Biggest Singles Party is the brainchild of ‘professional single’ 44-year-old divorced mother of three Maria Kjell. Her status is due to the fact she simply enjoys the freedom. “I can go wherever I want and do whatever I choose – I don’t have to ask anybody. If I’m in a relationship and it’s not really good I always feel bad when I do things for myself.”

Kjell is part of a burgeoning group of satisfied singles who are determined to enjoy life without the worry or need of full-time companionship. Kjell had noticed that many singles tended to suffer or wallow in self-pity and thus the massive party idea was born.

“Some people are ashamed to be single and can’t enjoy it because they are bitter, sad and stuck in a period of suffering,” Kjell claims. “There are those who have been married for 20-something years who have only had a social life with couples. When they become single, they don’t get invited out anymore.”

Sweden’s high rate of divorce has also been suggested as reason for seeking independence. Since 1960, the divorce rate has risen from around 12 percent to over 20 percent. At this rate, almost 45 percent of married couples today will separate prior to ‘death doing them part’.

The all-day event featured Salsa classes, massage, wine-tasting, golf, tips for internet dating and the mandatory disco. It is expected that significant flirting also occurred.

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