Sara S
04-25-2012, 07:48 AM
from delancyplace.com:
In today's excerpt - in 1950, four million adult Americans lived alone. Today, thirty-one
million do:
"In 1949, the Yale anthropologist George Peter Murdock published a survey of some
250 'representative cultures' from different eras and diverse parts of the world.
He reported, 'The nuclear family is a uni*versal human social grouping. Either as
the sole prevailing form of the family or as the basic unit from which more complex
familial forms are compounded, it exists as a distinct and strongly functional group
in every known society. No exception, at least, has come to light.' ...
"During the past half century, our species has embarked on a re*markable social
experiment. For the first time in human history, great numbers of people-at all
ages, in all places, of every political persuasion-have begun settling down as singletons.
Until recently, most of us married young and parted only at death. If death came
early, we remarried quickly; if late, we moved in with family, or they with us.
Now we marry later. (The Pew Research Center reports that the average age of first
marriage for men and women is 'the highest ever recorded, having risen by roughly
five years in the past half century.') We divorce, and stay single for years or
decades. We survive our spouses, and do whatever we can to avoid moving in with
others-even, perhaps especially, our children. We cycle in and out of different
living arrange*ments: alone, together, together, alone. ...
"Numbers never tell the whole story, but in this case the statistics are startling.
In 1950, 22 percent of American adults were single. Four million lived alone, and
they accounted for 9 percent of all households. In those days, living alone was
by far most common in the open, sprawl*ing Western states-Alaska, Montana, and Nevada-that
attracted migrant workingmen, and it was usually a short-lived stage on the road
to a more conventional domestic life.
"Today, more than 50 percent of American adults are single, and 31 million-roughly
one out of every seven adults-live alone. (This fig*ure excludes the 8 million Americans
who live in voluntary and non*voluntary group quarters, such as assisted living
facilities, nursing homes, and prisons.) People who live alone make up 28 percent
of all U.S. households, which means that they are now tied with childless couples
as the most prominent residential type-more common than the nuclear family, the
multigenerational family, and the roommate or group home. Surprisingly, living alone
is also one of the most stable household arrangements. Over a five-year period,
people who live alone are more likely to stay that way than everyone except married
couples with children.
"Contemporary solo dwellers are primarily women: about 17 mil*lion, compared to
14 million men. The majority, more than 15 million, are middle-age adults between
the ages of thirty-five and sixty-four. The elderly account for about 10 million
of the total. Young adults be*tween eighteen and thirty-four number more than 5
million, compared to 500,000 in 1950, making them the fastest-growing segment of
the solo-dwelling population.
"Unlike their predecessors, people who live alone today cluster to*gether in metropolitan
areas and inhabit all regions of the country. The cities with the highest proportion
of people living alone include Wash*ington, D.C., Seattle, Denver, San Francisco,
Minneapolis, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, and Miami. One million people live
alone in New York City, and in Manhattan, more than half of all residences are one-person
dwellings."
Author: Eric Klinenberg
Title: Going Solo
Publisher: Penguin
Date: Copyright 2012 by Eric Klinenberg
Pages: 3-5
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
by Eric Klinenberg by Penguin Press HC, The
Hardcover ~ Release Date: 2012-02-02
In today's excerpt - in 1950, four million adult Americans lived alone. Today, thirty-one
million do:
"In 1949, the Yale anthropologist George Peter Murdock published a survey of some
250 'representative cultures' from different eras and diverse parts of the world.
He reported, 'The nuclear family is a uni*versal human social grouping. Either as
the sole prevailing form of the family or as the basic unit from which more complex
familial forms are compounded, it exists as a distinct and strongly functional group
in every known society. No exception, at least, has come to light.' ...
"During the past half century, our species has embarked on a re*markable social
experiment. For the first time in human history, great numbers of people-at all
ages, in all places, of every political persuasion-have begun settling down as singletons.
Until recently, most of us married young and parted only at death. If death came
early, we remarried quickly; if late, we moved in with family, or they with us.
Now we marry later. (The Pew Research Center reports that the average age of first
marriage for men and women is 'the highest ever recorded, having risen by roughly
five years in the past half century.') We divorce, and stay single for years or
decades. We survive our spouses, and do whatever we can to avoid moving in with
others-even, perhaps especially, our children. We cycle in and out of different
living arrange*ments: alone, together, together, alone. ...
"Numbers never tell the whole story, but in this case the statistics are startling.
In 1950, 22 percent of American adults were single. Four million lived alone, and
they accounted for 9 percent of all households. In those days, living alone was
by far most common in the open, sprawl*ing Western states-Alaska, Montana, and Nevada-that
attracted migrant workingmen, and it was usually a short-lived stage on the road
to a more conventional domestic life.
"Today, more than 50 percent of American adults are single, and 31 million-roughly
one out of every seven adults-live alone. (This fig*ure excludes the 8 million Americans
who live in voluntary and non*voluntary group quarters, such as assisted living
facilities, nursing homes, and prisons.) People who live alone make up 28 percent
of all U.S. households, which means that they are now tied with childless couples
as the most prominent residential type-more common than the nuclear family, the
multigenerational family, and the roommate or group home. Surprisingly, living alone
is also one of the most stable household arrangements. Over a five-year period,
people who live alone are more likely to stay that way than everyone except married
couples with children.
"Contemporary solo dwellers are primarily women: about 17 mil*lion, compared to
14 million men. The majority, more than 15 million, are middle-age adults between
the ages of thirty-five and sixty-four. The elderly account for about 10 million
of the total. Young adults be*tween eighteen and thirty-four number more than 5
million, compared to 500,000 in 1950, making them the fastest-growing segment of
the solo-dwelling population.
"Unlike their predecessors, people who live alone today cluster to*gether in metropolitan
areas and inhabit all regions of the country. The cities with the highest proportion
of people living alone include Wash*ington, D.C., Seattle, Denver, San Francisco,
Minneapolis, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, and Miami. One million people live
alone in New York City, and in Manhattan, more than half of all residences are one-person
dwellings."
Author: Eric Klinenberg
Title: Going Solo
Publisher: Penguin
Date: Copyright 2012 by Eric Klinenberg
Pages: 3-5
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
by Eric Klinenberg by Penguin Press HC, The
Hardcover ~ Release Date: 2012-02-02