Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Spinster
Spinster is a term typically referring to an older unmarried woman with doubtful prospects of marriage. In marketing terms, she is considered past the sell-by date.
The word was spawned before the industrial age brought automation. Much of what is now done by machine was done by hand. One of these tasks was spinning, the process of taking wool or cotton fibers and twisting them into thread to be woven into cloth using a spinning wheel. Spinning was usually done by young girls and women at home. Once married, women were too busy with other household chores, leaving “spinners” or “spinsters” typically unmarried. The independent women who stayed home to spin were the original career women.
Women had to give up many personal rights when they married. Their land and property became the property of their husband and their wishes were considered subservient to their husband’s wishes. Some notable “spinsters” include writers Jane Austen, Emily Dickenson and Charlotte Bronte; founder of the Red Cross, Clara Barton, and nurse Florence Nightingale; artist Mary Cassatt, fashion designer Coco Chanel, actress Greta Garbo, and Queen Elizabeth I of England. They were all strong, successful women who shared an independent streak.
There is no corresponding term for an unmarried man. He might be termed a bachelor but it doesn’t carry the same negative tone as spinster. A spinster might also be called an old maid while a bachelor, young or old, is always considered eligible.
The term spinster is happily no longer relevant. Women have greater choices to marry later in life or not at all. Today the mention of spinning probably refers to a high intensity workout on a stationary bike done by men and women alike.
