Young, Free and Single? Twenty-somethings and Household Change

by Heath, Sue; Cleaver, Elizabeth

• ISBN13: 9781403901248
• ISBN10: 1403901244
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-03
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

In the context of the ongoing de-standardization of young people's lives, this book explores changing patterns of household formation amongst contemporary 20-somethings and the implications of these changes for the ways in which they relate to friends, parents and partners. The book points to the growing polarization between the experiences of graduates and non-graduates, and highlights changing expectations and attitudes towards intimacy and "settling down" amongst these groups.

Author Biography

Sue Heath is a Lecturer in Sociology at University of Southampton.

Elizabeth Cleaver is a Senior Research Officer at the National Foundation for Educational Research.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	viii
1 The Destandardisation of Household Formation	1	(10)
2 Domesticity, Household Formation and Youth Research	11	(16)
3 Risk, Individualisation and the Single Life	27	(27)
4 Living in and Leaving the Parental Home	54	(19)
5 Student Housing and Households	73	(16)
6 Shared Housing, Grown-up Style	89	(20)
7 Solo Living: Who Wants to Live Alone?	109	(16)
8 Friends and Family	125	(19)
9 Negotiating Current and Future Partnerships	144	(17)
10 Redefining Home?	161	(19)
11 Conclusion: Twenty-somethings and Household Change	180	(14)
Appendix 1: The Young Adults and Shared Household Living Project	194	(7)
Appendix 2: Household Profiles	201	(8)
Bibliography	209	(14)
Index	223