Spinster still has a chance to be married." Yet other sources on terms describing a never-married woman indicate that the term applies to a woman as soon as she is of legal age or age of majority (see bachelorette, single). The title "spinster" has been embraced by feminists like Sheila Jeffreys, whose book "The Spinster and Her Enemies" (1985) defines spinsters simply as women who have chosen to reject sexual relationships with men. In her 2015 book, "Spinster, Making a Life of One's Own," Kate Bolick has written, "To me, the spinster is self-reliant and inscrutable. We think we know what
Marriage certificate 1850 some 75% of certificates said that; if the certificate reads "minor" or "under age", it means that, until 1929 when the law changed to 16, the bride was between 12 and 20 and the groom 14 and 20 years of age). The certificate also records the previous marital status of the bride and groom. Those not previously married were "bachelor" or "spinster." From 1858 to 1952 a previously divorced groom was listed as "the divorced husband of…" with his ex-wife’s maiden name listed, and vice versa for a divorced bride. The currently used wording is "previous marriage dissolved" with