In 1889, a British newspaper asked women why they were 'spinsters' - this was one of the answers

Being a bit of a sceptic. I thought "Yeh, right - unattributed quote from unattributed publication". But turns out, it's legit: https://racingnelliebly.com/trailblazers/victorian-spinster-replies-surprised-tit-bits-editors/

It's from Sarah Kennedy from Ashton-on-Ribble, Lancashire writing in - of course - Tit Bits.

I wished we still wrote and talked like that.

She has a point.

Literally why I'm single in my late 40s

spinster:

A woman who has never been married, especially one past the typical marrying age according to social traditions.

This post reminds me of the entertainingly biting (though unfortunately, sometimes misogynistic) vinegar valentines of the Victorian era.