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
The Spinster and Her Enemies contemporary feminism in "The New Victorians" (1995). According to Denfeld, when she asked the National Organization for Women for information on its position on pornography, she was sent material that included an excerpt from "The Spinster and Her Enemies". She considered this an endorsement of the work by NOW, which she found "shocking at first and then saddening." Michael Mason discussed "The Spinster and Her Enemies" in "The Making of Victorian Sexual Attitudes" (1995). He found Jeffreys's views similar to those of other historians of feminism sympathetic to the anti-sexual views of some feminists. However, he described her as more