Living Alone ― Globalization, Identity and Belonging

In Northern Europe almost half of households consist of one person. Rates of living alone are lower in the Global South but the trend is still on the increase. Prevalent first among the elderly, living alone then becomes common at ages associated with partners and children. Fears about the end of family and community combine with stereotypes, the 'sad and lonely' or 'selfish singles', in popular depictions. This groundbreaking and highly original study brings evidence to the core debates about contemporary social change in the context of globalization, exploring individualization and social connection, the future of family formation, consumption and identities, the relevance of place - rural or urban - in mobile worlds, sexuality, belonging and 'community', living arrangements and sustainability. This book presents a systematic sociological analysis of the growing trend of solo living across the globe, while also drawing on the voices of working-age men and women living in urban and rural areas in the UK.

Lynn Jamieson is Professor of Families and Relationships at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and is a founding director of the interdisciplinary consortium, Centre for Research on Families and Relationships. Her publications include a second edition of Intimacy: Personal Relationships in Modern Societies.

Roona Simpson is Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, UK. Her publications include Contemporary Spinsterhood in Britain: Gender, Partnership Status and Social Change and Researching Families and Relationships: Reflections on Process (co-edited with Lynn Jamieson and Ruth Lewis).