The Living Situation of Single Persons

Abstract

After World War II, as the idea of the “modern family” spread, most young people got married, and staying single was seen as an exceptional phenomenon institutionally and in terms of custom, with no models that treated them. But after the 1980s, the number of unmarried and divorced people increased. As a result, the increase in middle-aged single people has recently come to be seen as a problem. The life situations of middle-aged single people are varied in nature. Over half live with their parents. Their economic situations also vary, but the income of single people living with their parents is relatively low; only their parents’ support permits them to lead reasonable lives. As for their emotional life, there is a trend for singles without partners to satisfy their need for intimacy externally. In the future, many singles living with their parents will become aged. After the death of their parents, they will suffer from serious problems in their economic and emotional lives.