Spinster tags "spinster" (meaning "...unmarried woman, typically an older woman beyond the usual age for marriage") as "derogatory" and "a good example of the way in which a word acquires strong connotations to the extent that it can no longer be used in a neutral sense." The 1828 and 1913 editions of "Merriam Webster's Dictionary" defined spinster in two ways: "1. A woman who spins, or whose occupation is to spin. 2. Law: An unmarried or single woman." By the 1800s, the term had evolved to include women who chose not to marry. During that century middle-class spinsters, as well as
Same-sex marriage in Virginia one for a year, the person paying spousal support no longer has to do so. In the approximately 10-month period subsequent to same-sex marriage being legal in Virginia (October 6, 2014 to August 31, 2015), a total of 3,598 marriage certificates were filed for same-sex couples, making up 5.27% of all marriage certificates filed in the state in that time. The three most popular city localities for same-sex marriages were Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Richmond. A May 2011 Washington Post poll found that 47% of Virginians favored the legalization of same-sex marriage, while 43% opposed it and 10% had no