unverheirateten

Unverheiratet is a German adjective describing a person who is not married. The form unverheirateten appears as an inflected variant in sentences, for example in phrases like unverheirateten Personen or unverheiratete Eltern. In sociological and statistical contexts the term is used to categorize individuals or groups who have never entered into a legal marriage or who are not currently married. It can be used descriptively and, in some texts, as a nominalized group label such as die Unverheirateten, though more common phrasing is unverheiratete Menschen.

In many German-speaking countries the share of people who remain unmarried has risen over recent decades. Explanations include higher educational attainment, career considerations, later age at first marriage, increased acceptance of cohabitation outside wedlock, and broader social changes regarding gender roles. Demographic patterns often show differences by age, gender, and region, with various countries reporting a rise in lifelong singles and long-term partnerships outside marriage.

Legal and practical implications accompany marital status. Marriage typically confers specific rights and obligations in areas such as taxation, inheritance, and social security. Unverheiratete individuals generally do not automatically receive spouse-related benefits and may need contractual arrangements (for example wills or cohabitation agreements) to secure rights. In the context of families, unverheiratete parents may face different custody, child-support, and recognition rules compared with married couples; paternity and parental rights may require explicit establishment.

Terminology and usage vary slightly by country but share a common purpose: to distinguish people by civil status. The category unverheiratet complements other statuses such as verheiratet, geschieden, and verwitwet and is routinely employed in demographic, policy, and social research.