ABSTRACT
While there has been a long-standing interest, particularly by policy-makers, in solo-living amongst the elderly, and although it is acknowledged as one of the most important demographic trends in our society, there has been less sociological work on living alone as a more general household arrangement across the life course of individuals. This chapter provides a contextual description of the patterning of living alone amongst working age people in England and Wales between 1971 and 2001.
