Lived experience of never-married women.

A phenomenological research design was used to explore the meaning of singleness to women who have never married. Nine never-married, heterosexual, childless women were interviewed about how they experienced singleness in their lives. Constant comparative analysis of the data resulted in 13 categories that reflected the meaning of singleness for this group of never-married women. Singleness emerged as a multifaceted experience with different meanings, not only for different women, but also for an individual never-married women, depending on her perspective at any given point in time. The findings of this study, by sensitizing nurses to the subjective world of never-married women, can enhance the act of nursing female clients who have never married.