Eligible bachelor

An eligible bachelor is an unmarried man considered a particularly desirable potential husband, usually because of his wealth, high social status, or other qualities such as physical attractiveness. The concept is especially prominent in literature, most notably Jane Austen's novels, which frequently feature such men as romantic focal points, and in British society an heir to the throne has historically carried this designation because of his elevated rank and prominence. The term also carries a sociological dimension: the linguist Robin Lakoff has argued that the language surrounding it reveals a gender inequality, since a man with this status is understood to be actively choosing bachelorhood, while a woman in a comparable position of remaining unmarried is not credited with the same agency by society. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/