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Single women above what was once considered marriageable age are no longer dismissed as spinsters but enjoy their economic and personal independence. They think of marriage as a choice rather than a must and spend freely on developing their skills and their leisure. The term ¡°Gold Miss¡±, created from the broken English ¡°Old Miss¡±, made it on a list of the fad words of 2006 compiled by Jobsearch firm Career.
¡°Gold Misses¡± typically graduated from college, have professional jobs earning more than W40-45 million (US $1=W938) a year and have sophisticated looks and image. Lee Woong-jin (41), the chief of dating company Sunoo, says single women are categorized into two groups: one who simply failed to marry at the marriageable age and the other made up of ¡°Gold Misses.¡± "Gold misses believe that they can continue to live alone without getting married, and their economic ability is the no. 1 factor that helps them do so,¡± he said. The 30-something women in the group tend to have more than one hobby and often meet up with former fellow students. They go shopping four or more times a month.
"Marriage used to be the only institution framework for women to secure stability in life, but social conditions have changed greatly and women exert more power in economic activities today,¡± Ewha Women's University sociologist Ham In-hee says. "Women who are economically capable tend to postpone their marriage; that trend will continue.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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