Proud, Single And Male -- And, Some Say, Better Off

(From The Associated Press -- By Hillary Rhodes)

A lot of attention gets paid to single women, who can cheer themselves with chick flicks, self-help books and such shows as SEX IN THE CITY, which aim to empower female consumers to think of singledom as independence or self-reliance.

But this VALENTINE'S DAY, it's worth noting -- men can be single and fabulous, too.

While single women have seemingly banded together to change their image in the popular culture, there's been no such battle cry for men, who have a whole different set of stereotypes to fight -- they're confirmed bachelors, JAMES BOND-style playboys, cranky old men or gay.

Both men and women are staying single longer, as the median marriage age rises.

In 2006, 33 percent of men in their 30s had never been married, compared to 29 percent of women, according to census numbers.

Experts say society still favors married men over their single counterparts, though.

The most common complaints come from the workplace, where many say singles are discriminated against.

"Especially as you approach your mid-30s and 40s and all your colleagues around you are married, there's a lot of unsaid words that go on and feelings of inadequacy at work," says SHERRI LANGBURT, founder of the new website SINGLEEDITION.COM, an online community for happy singles.

Those include speculation about a single man's sexual preferences and, concomitantly, a difficulty in making friends with heterosexual co-workers because colleagues might question his motives.

Single men often say they are asked to work on holidays, put in longer hours or travel more for business. Employers often assume that without a spouse, unwed workers have time to spare.

Proud, Single And Male -- And, Some Say, Better Off

[Better off? Not me. Come on, ladies! Where are you?]