Sheng nu cites studies that show that women are now breaking the tradition of "mandatory marriage" to have fewer children or marry later on in life. Other typologically similar terms that are still used in the modern lexicon of other countries and cultures show the concept has existed in some cases as far back as the 16th century. The term spinster was used to describe unmarried or single women of a marriageable age. It wasn't until 2004 when the Civil Partnership Act replaced the word spinster with "single" in the relationship history section of marriage certificates in the UK. Subsequently, at the
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (BA or AB, from the Latin ' or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, sciences, or both. Bachelor of Arts programs generally take three to four years depending on the country, institution, and specific specializations, majors, or minors. The word ' (from the Latin ', a berry, and ', "of the bay laurel") should not be confused with ' (translatable as "gold-plated scepter" by using the Latina ' and '), which refers to the one- to two-year postgraduate "Bachelor of Arts with