No longer looking for Mr. Right?

According to Census numbers, the majority of American women now live without a husband. It's a huge cultural shift from the 1950s, when two-thirds of women were married, and life as a single female wasn't seen as desirable or even necessarily appropriate.

A thousand research projects have probably been kicked up by this statistic and even more marketing campaigns set in motion. Retailers are trying to predict what kind of buying patterns and lifestyle decisions this phenomenon will trigger. Sociologists are studying its impact on the family and the workplace.

But as experts consider how prepared society is for all these single women, females themselves need to think about how prepared they are to be single long term.

Yes, many women will marry at some time in their lives, but the Census numbers suggest they are marrying later, living longer as widows, choosing to raise children on their own and delaying remarriage. The single life is no longer a handful of years following high school or college. It's an extended period for many women, and a permanent state for others.

That means that girls should grow up expecting to be able to provide for themselves, manage their own finances, think long-term about a career, have the skills to maintain a house or apartment, build their own social network, plan for their own retirement. Right now, some grow up that way, and some don't. Families can begin building those competencies in even very young girls.

Independence and life skills are essential for single women -- and only come as a benefit for those who do decide to marry.