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A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group.[1] The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is important to economics and inheritance.[2]
Household models include families, blended families, shared housing, group homes, boarding houses, houses of multiple occupancy (UK), and single room occupancy (US). In feudal societies, the royal household and medieval households of the wealthy included servants and other retainers.
Government definitions
For statistical purposes in the United Kingdom, a household is defined as "one person or a group of people who have the accommodation as their only or main residence and for a group, either share at least one meal a day or share the living accommodation, that is, a living room or sitting room".[3] The introduction of legislation to control houses of multiple occupations in the UK Housing Act (2004)[4] required a tighter definition of a single household. People can be considered a household if they are related: full- or half-blood, foster, step-parent/child, in-laws (and equivalent for unmarried couples), a married couple or unmarried but "living as ..." (same- or different-sex couples).[5]
The United States Census definition also hinges on "separate living quarters": "those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building."[6] According to the U.S. census, a householder is the "person (or one of the people) in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented (maintained)"; if no person qualifies, any adult resident of a housing unit is considered a householder. The U.S. government formerly used "head of the household" and "head of the family", but those terms were replaced with "householder" in 1980.[7] In the census definition of a household, it
... includes all the persons who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied (or if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building and which have direct access from the outside of the building or through a common hall. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated persons who share living arrangements. (People not living in households are classified as living in group quarters.)[8]
On July 15, 1998, Statistics Canada said: "A household is generally defined as being composed of a person or group of persons who co-reside in, or occupy, a dwelling."[9]
Economic definition
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Although a one-income-stream economic theory simplifies modeling, it does not necessarily reflect reality. Many, if not most, households have several income-earning members. Most economic models do not equate households and traditional families, and there is not always a one-to-one relationship between households and families.
Social definitions
In social work, a household is defined similarly: a residential group in which housework is divided and performed by householders. Care may be delivered by one householder to another, depending upon their respective needs, abilities, and (perhaps) disabilities. Household composition may affect life and health expectations and outcomes for its members.[10][11] Eligibility for community services and welfare benefits may depend upon household composition.[12]
In sociology, household work strategy (a term coined by Ray Pahl in his 1984 book, Divisions of Labour)[13][14] is the division of labour among members of a household. Household work strategies vary over the life cycle as household members age, or with the economic environment; they may be imposed by one person, or be decided collectively.[15]
Feminism examines how gender roles affect the division of labour in households. In The Second Shift and The Time Bind, sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild presents evidence that in two-career couples men and women spend about equal amounts of time working; however, women spend more time on housework.[16][17] Cathy Young (another feminist writer) says that in some cases, women may prevent the equal participation of men in housework and parenting.[18]
Models
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Household models in the English-speaking world include traditional and blended families, shared housing, and group homes for people with support needs. Other models which may meet definitions of a household include boarding houses, houses in multiple occupation (UK), and single room occupancy (US).
History
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In feudal or aristocratic societies, a household may include servants or retainers who derive their income from the household's principal income.
Housing statistics
| Country | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 23.6% | 49.1% | 73.9% |
| Denmark | 39.4% | 73.1% | 85.4% |
| France | 28.0% | 48.9% | 85.2% |
| Germany | 51.9% | 71.5% | 92.3% |
| Greece | 10.4% | - | 69.3% |
| Ireland | 33.0% | 55.3% | 82.0% |
| Italy | 10.7% | 64.5% | 86.4% |
| Luxembourg | 45.7% | 69.4% | 86.2% |
| Netherlands | 30.3% | 75.5% | 95.9% |
| Portugal | 18.6% | - | 58% |
| Spain | 24.0% | 77.8% | 85.3% |
| United Kingdom | 78.3% | 90.9% | 98.0% |
| Country | Indoor WC | Bath/shower | Hot running water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 94% | 92% | 87% |
| Denmark | 97% | 94% | N/A |
| France | 94% | 93% | 95% |
| Germany | 99% | 97% | 98% |
| Greece | 85% | 85% | 84% |
| Ireland | 94% | 92% | 91% |
| Italy | 99% | 95% | 93% |
| Luxembourg | 99% | 97% | 97% |
| Netherlands | N/A | 99% | 100% |
| Portugal | 80% | N/A | N/A |
| Spain | 97% | 96% | N/A |
| UK | 99% | 100% | N/A |
| Country | Bath/shower | Indoor WC | Central heating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 73.9% | 79.0% | - |
| Denmark | 85.1% | 95.8% | 54.6% |
| France | 85.2% | 85.4% | 67.6% |
| Germany | 92.3% | 96.0% | 70.0% |
| Greece | 69.3% | 70.9% | - |
| Ireland | 82.0% | 84.5% | 39.2% |
| Italy | 86.4% | 87.7% | 56.5% |
| Luxembourg | 86.2% | 97.3% | 73.9% |
| Netherlands | 95.9% | - | 66.1% |
| Portugal | 58.0% | 58.7% | - |
| Spain | 85.3% | - | 22.5% |
| United Kingdom | 98.0% | 97.3% | - |
| Country | Area |
|---|---|
| Austria | 86 m2 (930 sq ft) |
| Belgium | 97 m2 (1,040 sq ft) |
| Bulgaria | 63 m2 (680 sq ft) |
| Canada | 89 m2 (960 sq ft) |
| Czechoslovakia | 69 m2 (740 sq ft) |
| Denmark | 122 m2 (1,310 sq ft) |
| Finland | 71 m2 (760 sq ft) |
| France | 82 m2 (880 sq ft) |
| East Germany | 60 m2 (650 sq ft) |
| West Germany | 95 m2 (1,020 sq ft) |
| Greece | 80 m2 (860 sq ft) |
| Hungary | 65 m2 (700 sq ft) |
| Ireland | 88 m2 (950 sq ft) |
| Luxembourg | 107 m2 (1,150 sq ft) |
| Netherlands | 71 m2 (760 sq ft) |
| Norway | 89 m2 (960 sq ft) |
| Poland | 58 m2 (620 sq ft) |
| Portugal | 104 m2 (1,120 sq ft) |
| Romania | 54 m2 (580 sq ft) |
| Soviet Union | 49 m2 (530 sq ft) |
| Spain | 82 m2 (880 sq ft) |
| Sweden | 109 m2 (1,170 sq ft) |
| Switzerland | 98 m2 (1,050 sq ft) |
| United Kingdom | 70 m2 (750 sq ft) |
| United States | 120 m2 (1,300 sq ft) |
| Yugoslavia | 65 m2 (700 sq ft) |
| Country | Area |
|---|---|
| Austria | 85.3 m2 (918 sq ft) |
| Belgium | 86.3 m2 (929 sq ft) |
| Denmark | 107 m2 (1,150 sq ft) |
| Finland | 74.8 m2 (805 sq ft) |
| France | 85.4 m2 (919 sq ft) |
| East Germany | 64.4 m2 (693 sq ft) |
| West Germany | 86.7 m2 (933 sq ft) |
| Greece | 79.6 m2 (857 sq ft) |
| Ireland | 88 m2 (950 sq ft) |
| Italy | 92.3 m2 (994 sq ft) |
| Luxembourg | 107 m2 (1,150 sq ft) |
| Netherlands | 98.6 m2 (1,061 sq ft) |
| Spain | 86.6 m2 (932 sq ft) |
| Sweden | 92 m2 (990 sq ft) |
| United Kingdom | 79.7 m2 (858 sq ft) |
| Country | Year | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1993 | 191 m2 (2,060 sq ft) |
| United States | 1992 | 153.2 m2 (1,649 sq ft) |
| South Korea | 1993 | 119.3 m2 (1,284 sq ft) |
| United Kingdom | 1992 | 95 m2 (1,020 sq ft) |
| Germany | 1993 | 90.8 m2 (977 sq ft) |
| Japan | 1993 | 88.6 m2 (954 sq ft) |