What does “living alone” mean? exploring the practices of solo-living

Abstract

The article sheds critical light on recent studies that associate living alone with various medical, psychological, and social vulnerabilities. The growing focus on the negative aspects of living alone goes parallel to its treatment as a structural trait (e.g. a “household status”) with predictable outcomes. On the basis of in-depth interviews with solo-living individuals from diverse sociological backgrounds, a different conceptualization of solo-living as a practice that can take multiple forms is proposed. The authors propose the concept of “practices of living alone” to highlight the strategies solo-living individuals employ to overcome the vulnerabilities in their lives and to sustain their independence, depending on their resources and cultural context. The authors conclude by suggesting that a reconceptualization that takes the multi-faceted and dynamic nature of solo-living seriously can open new venues of research as well as change our ways of thinking about the politics and ethics of solo-living.