WIDOWS LOSING THE RACE

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 286, 29 August 1931, Page 23

WIDOWS LOSING THE RACE

Spinsters Stage Matrimonial Come-back

The widow is still slumping in the marriage market. Cold official figures issued by the London County Council in its annual vital statistics show that the spinster is making more and more headway in the old game of “get your man.” Look: • 1927. 1928. 1920. Women married 41,302 42.234 42,316 Widows married 2,749 . 2,622 2,489 “The slump first showed itself mildly as long ago as 1920,” said an official. “Before that the widow found it easy to find a new husband ; one woman out of every eight who went to the altar in 1919 was a widow. - “How do we account for it? Well, I should say that after the war the spinster found herself being left standing by the widow, and so began to battle more fiercely for a husband.”

Three bachelors who were asked whether they would care to marrf ft widow gave these answers: Number 1 (aged 23) : Cannot afford a wife. But I should not chobse a widow. Number 2 (aged 28): If I were sentenced to marriage I think I’d prefer a bachelor girl. But a young and pretty widow might get me. Number 3 (aged 34): A woman is none the worse—and perhaps better—for being a widow. I’d prefer one to some of |he young flappers I meet. One curious fact shown by the L.C.C. statistics is that the age when widows are most successful in finding husbands is between 35 and 45.