Why men choose to live alone

Jan 31 2005

Tryst Williams, Western Mail

DESPITE all the hype surrounding Bridget Jones it is young men and not young women who are more likely to live the single life these days, reveals research out today.

As well as pointing out the predominance of "singleton" men living alone, the report by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) reveals that more people than ever are now living on their own.

The lives of more than 150,000 individuals across Wales and England were tracked by a team of researchers over a period of 30 years for the study. While the population has grown by just 5% during that time, the number of single-occupant households has risen by a remarkable 31%.

Malcolm Williams, who led the research, said, "All the signs are that the trend towards living alone will continue.

" But even more socially important is that once people have gone solo, they are more likely to continue to do so."

Mr Williams - a reader at the University of Plymouth - and his team found that men and women in their late teens and early 20s were equally likely to live solo.

But between the ages of 25 and 44 men were more prone to living in bachelor pads, turning on its head the recent stereotype of the young career-driven singleton woman, as exemplified in the Bridget Jones books and films and series such as Sex And The City.

Researchers suggested part of the reason for the predominance of young men living on their own was that when families broke down, men tended to live alone while women were more likely to become single parents.

A spokesman for the ESRC said, "Just how long we live alone varies according to age and sex.

" For those between 15 and 24, it is a transitory phase but after 25 the chances of doing so for longer periods increase as the years go by."

Dr Stephen Williams, a lecturer in sociology from the University of Glamorgan, was not surprised by the findings but warned the trend could have a negative impact on society.

"Most studies show people are starting to move towards living alone because society's becoming more and more what sociologists call an 'individualised society'," he said.

"There's increasing pressure on everyone to get a career, which means people are putting things back, and they may not be getting married or having a family because their career may lead to them living alone or choosing to live alone as a lifestyle choice.

"These findings are sympto-matic of the way our society is moving towards individualisation, but probably another contributory factor is the increase in divorce rates and this is why we tend to see things like Fathers4Justice, because usually men do not get custody of their children, and so if a relationship splits up they have to go and find a place of their own."

Dr Williams added, "Individualisation has a negative effect on society. It's a shift away from community values and traditional ideas, and a shift towards the individual".