By Anindita Mukhopadhyay
Since the beginning of civilisation, humans have always established themselves in densely populated areas, giving rise to clustered communities and the concept of society. However, during the past half-century, increasingly large numbers of people, at all ages and in all places, are choosing to live alone. Up until the late last century, most people chose to marry young till death did them apart. If death arrived early, then people would get remarried in haste or moved in with their kids, or vice versa. Now, there are later marriages and early divorces, with people choosing to remain single for years or decades.
Current societal demographics
These recent trends have entirely reversed the societal demographics. Early this decade, the market research firm Euromonitor International reported a startling demographic transition. The number of people living in one-person households globally is skyrocketing, rising from 153 million in the 90s to 277 million in 2011, almost an 80% increase. In the UK, 34% of households are solo dwellings, while in the US, the increase is at 27%. In the Western countries, one-person households are now the single most common household type, more prevalent than living with a partner or parents. This trend is echoed across the globe with Brazil, China, and India showing the fastest growth in one-person households.
Eric Klinenberg, Professor of Sociology at New York University and author of ‘Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone’, exemplifies the ubiquity of the phenomenon. “For young professionals, who are delaying marriage into their late 20s or 30s and taking even longer to have children, it’s a way to achieve adulthood. They see getting a place of their own as a mark of distinction, separating them from peers who live with roommates or family. For middle-aged people, living alone has real value immediately after a divorce or a breakup, when they want time and space to build a new life. Older people often start living alone after the death of their spouse. They’re not exactly choosing to go solo, but they prefer it to their other options – including the one their predecessors felt obliged to do: moving in with their children.”
Households and families in India are being transformed by globalisation and societal liberalisation. This, along with the trend of young people moving to urban areas in search of new opportunities, is reshaping living arrangements. However, such changes have not radically altered the Indian social system due to the key values of kinship, marriage, and the family systems of Indian society that continue to influence household structure. A 2015 research article published in Demographic Research, ‘One-person households in India’ by Premchand Dommaraju places the increase in India at 9.04 million one-person households in 2011 from 6.8 million according to the 2001 census. This reflects a 0.1% increase in such households along with an overall propensity towards the nuclear family setup.
Driving factors
This rising trend of solo living is the result of a combination of factors, stemming from widespread economic liberalisation and pervasiveness of mass media to transformations in the social sphere. Growing urbanisation, higher education, and increasing participation in the formal labour sector paves the way for the emergence of new family structures. In addition, changes in attitude and aspirations, coupled with the weakening of parental influence may promote alternative living arrangements. Klinenberg explains, “the main reason people live alone today is because they can afford it. Generations ago, few people had the means to go solo. Families formed to pool resources, which they used to feed, shelter and protect each other. But two things – the welfare state and the market economy – combined to generate unprecedented levels of personal security.”
Another social factor that facilitates solo living is the rising status of women. The past century has witnessed women finally taking control of their own lives and bodies and stepping into the paid labour market. Subsequently, the age of marriage has begun rising, as women no longer need a husband to make ends meet. Accordingly, the divorce rates have shown an increase, depicting women’s refusal to suffer in abusive or unsatisfying relationships. Today, remaining single is now becoming an increasingly common and acceptable choice, without the earlier associated stigma. Moreover, living alone concurs with many of our most sacred modern values—freedom, privacy and the capacity to socialise on our own terms, which is appealing to millions of people around the world.
Societal impacts
Most people assume singletons are lonely and depressed individuals who prefer to live in isolation. However, living alone is not equivalent to being alone. In fact, singletons are more likely to spend more time with friends and neighbours, participating in social activities and volunteering at NGOs. However, solo living is usually an expensive choice, in addition to the obvious lack of a familial support system and safety concerns.
The 2011 census indicates that almost 15 million elderly Indians live all alone, of which three-fourths are aged women. Living alone is especially tough on the elderly population, as they require a strong support system with sufficient medical aid at hand. Additionally, the aged are particularly vulnerable to attempted burglaries and other petty crimes. Often, such singleton senior citizens cut themselves off from family and society as a whole and become reclusive. In such cases, when in need of medical aid, they are unable to call for help. This has resulted in several incidents wherein their death has gone unnoticed for days. However, there are certain benefits to solo living, as Devajyoti Deka of the Alan M. Voorhees Transport Centre at Rutgers states, “when it comes to housing and travel preferences, solos tend to live more sustainable lifestyles. The more sustainable people move into cities, the more sustainable those cities are likely to become.”
As Klinenberg asserts, “Social isolation is worrisome, and so is loneliness. But, living alone need not be. In fact, we can see it as a sign of accomplishment, because it requires affluence, social security, freedom of women, and cultural tolerance! It’s hard to go solo in a poor nation or neighbourhood; in contrast, it’s now ubiquitous in the world’s most developed and open societies.” In fact, he draws the conclusion “it’s our interdependence that makes our independence possible. Since we are more social and connected today, singletons find it easy to live on their own.”
Featured Image Source: Pixabay
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