New Ways of Living |
INTRODUCTION
For a long time, one kind of living arrangement was very common: husband, wife, and kids (and no one else) – all under the same roof. Now households that look like that are in the minority. So what are the many ways we live when we are not living as a nuclear family in a place of its own?
As part of a new book project, I want to learn about lots of people’s experiences with different ways of living. PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT YOURS. Here's what you will be asked if you continue this survey:
• The first question asks you to describe your living situation in your own words. (There are some examples below.) That’s the most important question and the only required question.
• If you are willing to continue, the next questions ask about various aspects of your living arrangements.
• I want to hear from people of all sorts of backgrounds, so the last questions are about demographics. Again, feel free to skip any questions you would prefer not to answer.
There are so many ways of living other than in a separate house with married parents and their kids. HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES:
• The two people in a married couple each maintains a home of their own – not because of job requirements, but because they each want to have their own place.
• Two friends or two siblings share a home or condo; each has their own private space (such as a master bedroom and study) and some shared space (maybe the kitchen and living room).
• A single mother and her kids live with a grandmother – perhaps on separate floors of the same home.
• In a two-story home, a couple or family lives on one floor, and a friend lives on the other.
• A group of retirees (some singles, some couples, some adults and their grown children) moves into a co-housing community. Each has their own house, and all of the houses are part of the same community with shared outdoor space and a place where community members can gather.
• A number of people with something in common (maybe they are all artists or home-schoolers or single parents) live in the same neighborhood or the same building.
• A single person lives alone. Maybe they live in their own home that they moved to on their own. Or maybe a friend or family member lives in the same neighborhood or co-op.
As part of a new book project, I want to learn about lots of people’s experiences with different ways of living. PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT YOURS. Here's what you will be asked if you continue this survey:
• The first question asks you to describe your living situation in your own words. (There are some examples below.) That’s the most important question and the only required question.
• If you are willing to continue, the next questions ask about various aspects of your living arrangements.
• I want to hear from people of all sorts of backgrounds, so the last questions are about demographics. Again, feel free to skip any questions you would prefer not to answer.
There are so many ways of living other than in a separate house with married parents and their kids. HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES:
• The two people in a married couple each maintains a home of their own – not because of job requirements, but because they each want to have their own place.
• Two friends or two siblings share a home or condo; each has their own private space (such as a master bedroom and study) and some shared space (maybe the kitchen and living room).
• A single mother and her kids live with a grandmother – perhaps on separate floors of the same home.
• In a two-story home, a couple or family lives on one floor, and a friend lives on the other.
• A group of retirees (some singles, some couples, some adults and their grown children) moves into a co-housing community. Each has their own house, and all of the houses are part of the same community with shared outdoor space and a place where community members can gather.
• A number of people with something in common (maybe they are all artists or home-schoolers or single parents) live in the same neighborhood or the same building.
• A single person lives alone. Maybe they live in their own home that they moved to on their own. Or maybe a friend or family member lives in the same neighborhood or co-op.