The Elderly Who Live Alone in the United States: Historical Perspectives on Household Change

Abstract

One of the most dramatic changes in the life of the elderly in the United States in the twentieth century is the rise in the proportion of elderly widows living alone. This paper examines this transformation by comparing the determinants of elderly widows' living alone at four points in time, in 1910, 1940, 1960, and 1990. Logistic regression models of the probability of living alone are estimated. The results of these models are used to calculate the expected proportion of elderly widows living alone in various hypothetical scenarios of social change. This analysis suggests that no single factor is responsible for the rise in living alone among the elderly. Value changes, as represented by a variable for time, are shown to have strong and direct effects on the increased probability of living alone in old age in the late twentieth century, independent of the effect of rising income levels. These results are discussed in light of previous research on living arrangements of the elderly, which articulates demographic, economic, and cultural explanations for change.

Long-term trends in living alone among Korean adults: Age, gender, and educational differences

“…Hence, the simple measure of having a college degree may be limited in capturing varying economic conditions within this group. Moreover, we recognize that educational attainment may also indicate cultural values and a taste for independence and individualism (Kramarow 1995;Michael, Fuchs, and Scott 1980) distinct from economic resources, although possibly related. Given the lack of direct measures of an individual's economic resources, we do not attempt to address what education really measures, but rather consider education as reflecting generally 'advantaged' socioeconomic status.…”

“…Distinguishing different subpopulations will help identify whether the trend toward solo living has been uniform across different groups or, instead, whether the trend has been more evident for some groups than others. Many previous studies have focused on identifying demographic and socioeconomic characteristics associated with living alone among the elderly, particularly the widowed elderly, as many in this group live alone (Kramarow 1995;McGarry and Schoeni 2000;Ruggles 1996). The increase in living alone has also been considerable among young adults aged less than 35 years in some countries such as the United States, although there has been a recent upward trend of living with parents, particularly during the economic recession (Klinenberg 2012;Qian 2012).…”

“…Along with the overall rise of living alone, however, the nature of living alone, factors associated with living alone, and the implications of living alone may differ across different age groups (cf. Klinenberg 2012;Kramarow 1995;Stone, Berrington, and Falkingham 2011). Therefore it will be useful to examine the evolution of living alone for younger and older age groups simultaneously, in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of living alone.…”

What does living alone really mean for older persons? A comparative study of Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand

“…This argument ties in closely with the cultural explanation, which associates the increase in solitary living with the rise in individualism and the decline in familycentered values, which can influence residential preference among older parents and children. Evidence from western settings indicates that the increase in solitary living among the elderly is embedded in broad social transformations and may vary across race and ethnicity (Kramarow 1995).…”

Idoso, família e domicílio: uma revisão narrativa sobre a decisão de morar sozinho

“…Além dessas hipóteses, Kramarow (1995) (BERQUÓ, 1996). Morar sozinho ou com parentes pode ser resultado de desenlaces ou celibato, da não existência de prole, do falecimento dos filhos ou ainda da decisão de não viver com os filhos ou com qualquer outra pessoa, caso tenha recursos para tanto (BERQUÓ, 1996).…”