More U.S. Men Are Living Alone

[Dragon]

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/08/ ... g-alone-2/

More American men are living on their own these days–possibly due to an increase in divorce rates in recent decades and the fact that the children of divorced couples usually live with their mothers.

The share of one-person households in the U.S. maintained by men ages 15 to 64 rose to 34% in 2012, up from 23% in 1970, according to a Census report on the status of families released Tuesday. For women of the same age, this figure actually dropped slightly, to 30% in 2012 from 31% in 1970.

The findings may reflect, in part, the sharp increase in divorce rates in the U.S. throughout the 1970s, Census said. The dominant living arrangement for children following their parents’ divorce is custody by mothers.

“Men more often than women live alone following divorce,â€￾ the Census report notes.

The U.S. divorce rate, which can be measured several ways, has been falling but remains well above its early-1970s level. There were about 877,000 divorces and annulments in 2011, down from 944,000 in 2000, even though the U.S. population grew substantially, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The rise of men living alone probably isn’t just about divorce. More men likely are living alone because they’re delaying marriage, or maybe they’re in better health in their older years.

“Over the last half-century, the trend in the U.S. has been toward smaller households, fewer family and married-couple households with children, and more people living alone,â€￾ Census researcher Jonathan Vespa said. “Many of these trends reflect … older adults who can live in their own home for longer.â€￾

The share of one-person households maintained by men ages 65 to 74 was 5.5% in 2012–pretty much near the 5.6% level from 1970. Over the same 40-year period, the situation for women is much different: The share of one-person households of women of the same age has fallen precipitously–from nearly 20% in 1970 to 10% in 2012.

[polya]