Geographies and Biographies of Living Alone

Abstract

This chapter draws on census and large-scale survey data¹ to explore the geography of living alone. We start by looking across countries at trends in the proportions of one-person households.² Attention is also given to the biographical context of living alone. This includes drawing on a range of literature considering living alone in relation to other life course transitions and using trend data on first marriage, first child-birth as well as data on fertility rates and the proportion of women who remain childless.