The pattern and structure of one‐person households in England and Wales and France

Abstract

The study adds to our understanding of the changing nature of living alone and emphasises its geographical significance; there are variations within each country and while there are many similarities between the two countries, they also continue to show contrasts.

London Calling : The Middle Classes and the Re-making of Inner London

“…This is probably accounted for by the numbers of relatively wealthy young people living in property bought for them by relatives or trust funds (similar to the so-called 'trustafarians' who have figured prominently in the gentrification of Notting Hill in recent years). The high number of single households in Docklands fits with our previous description of this as an area focused around work needs with little collective ambience (Hall, Ogden et al 1997;Ogden and Hall 1998). The area with the highest number of same-sex partner households, by a large margin, is Brixton where this makes up 11 per cent of households compared to an average of 4 per cent.…”

The second demographic transition, new household forms and the urban population of France during the 1990s

“…Previous work by the present authors (Hall et al . 1997 1999) threw light on various aspects of these trends for France and the UK, especially the rise of one‐person households during the 1980s.…”

Sociodemographic analysis of an accelerated transition: the rise of solo living in Spain

“…To be sure, both the trends and sociodemographic patterns displayed in this work invite to conclude that Spain is partaking vividly of the growing variety of residential forms which characterized all European societies since the 1980s (Fokkema and Libefbroer 2008). It could be said that the growth of OPHs in this country over recent decades shares the same factors as have been described for Western societies as a whole (Hall et al 1997). These factors act with varying intensity over the course of the adult life cycle: growing number of elderly people, whose life expectancy and, more importantly, physical and financial autonomy allow them to live alone (especially in the case of women); growing number of separations and divorces (which lead, particularly for older adults and men, to the formation of OPHs); growing number of people who choose residential independence without associating it with marriage or cohabitation (especially young adults and men).…”