At least in the culture of the United States... society is cruel to both men and women who find themselves alone. I had a great-Aunt who lived and died alone. I do not remember there ever having been any talk of her ever dating anyone. She would have been the traditional "old maid" that others would talk about. As a kid, I never looked at her and saw her as flawed for being alone. I didn't think less of her for being alone. Growing up, it was just a fact and I guess I grew up thinking she was alone because she wanted to be and she did other things to occupy her mind and her time rather than having a family of her own. She had many brothers and sisters all of whom had families and multiple children.
But after she passed away... and as I became a lonely adult... I began to remember her differently... and seeing through my adult eyes, I wonder now did she feel lonely? Was she alone because she wanted to be... or because she had been unable to connect with anyone else? Was she sad to be alone? I do not know. I did not know her well enough to know, and mostly was too young to have thought to ask any of those questions when I did know her. But I do know how the larger world would see her and treat her, whether she was alone by choice or not... she would be talked about behind her back for being alone, people would ask what was wrong with her that no man wants her, and so forth. And as a lonely grown man, I know this happens behind my back as well. Not all the time, because I'm not the center of the world... but I do know people have had conversations about me, about what I must be doing wrong that no woman wants me.
Society treats men and women equally in this regard... it might be charming at first, when you are young... but the older you get without relationship experience, the longer you are alone, no mate, no spouse, no kids... people increasingly do judge you and look at you as you are wrong or broken somehow. Even if you like yourself, even if you were happy being alone, but then if you aren't happy alone, have tried and failed, and it makes you sad... then you know others look upon you as wrong, broken, something less-than... it grates on you over time.
But I do hate the "incel" community that has sprang up and been vocal in recent years. The hatred and harm it does to themselves and to the object of their hate. I just don't understand the hate. I understand lonely, frustrated, depressed... I don't understand hate.
And now, because "incel" has been taken and twisted by these people... there is no name for someone like me. There is no group for me to commune with that will not be lumped in with the others. Any time I speak I have to be very careful and I have to pre-apologize so women don't think I hate them. It's too easy to want to group all people into the same tribes whether they belong or not. If they aren't in your club, they must be in your enemy's, right? "With us or against us!" is all too often the mantra.
I hate Trump... to be political for a second... but I actually get along with many Republicans I know better than I get along with Democrats. Why? Because I do know some reasonable Republicans who also don't like Trump and we can discuss our other differences intelligently. But Democrats right now? Too many of them are mad at me for not hating Trump as much as they do... for not wanting to execute him or deport him or launch him into space. It's because if I'm not 100% anti-Trump to the nth degree ALL the time, then I must secretly like him. Much like, if I don't apologize ALL the time, I am assumed to be an incel like the others and I get lumped in with them, and that's frustrating.