Single-Person Households

The single-person household is a household that contains one person who lives alone. In a culture that includes family and marriage as part of the American Dream, the single-person household is a growing demographic. As a result of the rise in divorce rates since the 1950s, the increasing average age of marriage, and the choice of some to put off marriage entirely, more and more people are opting to live by themselves. Paul C. Glick reported that single-person households grew by 120 percent between 1970 and 1992. That number has continued to increase to include nearly 30 million unmarried men and women who live by themselves (U.S. Census Bureau 2006), and that number is not expected to decline any time in the near future. Such a household type has a variety of implications in terms of public policy, the marketplace, and even consumer culture.

As mentioned, the rise in living alone is, in part, a result of various lifestyle choices such as divorce or delaying marriage. This increase is also supported by changes in the consumer marketplace. Glick notes that individuals are better able to take care of themselves while living alone as a result of technology such as the microwave oven and frozen meals. Additionally, a variety of modern conveniences such as easy financing, cleaning services, and fast-food restaurants make it possible for individuals to consume in ways that negate the need for in-home help. In the past, families were self-contained units where each member of the family helped to see to the needs of the family and the individuals in that family. Now, a single person can look after him- or herself without direct or indirect influence in the home.

The research dealing with the single-person household has often been more interested in the single person rather than the type of household. This research is most often focused on how the single person seeks to become un-single, paying attention to marriage markets and dating rites. Under these circumstances, to be single in America is to be defined by what one is not. The government defines the single person as anyone who is not married, regardless of romantic involvement or noninvolvement (U.S. Census Bureau 2006); however, this definition includes any and all people over the age of fifteen who are not married. Additionally, the single person may in fact live with other family members, a cohabiting romantic interest, or simply a platonic roommate. Bella DePaulo provides a better definition but still identifies the single person by what is lacking: the presence of a serious romantic relationship.

Aubrey R. Fowler III also provides a definition of the single-person household, defining it as “any household in which a man or a woman who is not currently married, not currently involved in a serious romantic relationship, does not have dependent responsibilities (i.e., children, invalid relatives, etc.), and lives with no other human being” (2008, 22). In other words, the definition is concerned with individuals who do not have any direct influences living within the household and, as such, constitutes the most basic type of household.

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