Solo living in the mirror of foreign socio-economic studies

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to characterize the phenomenon of solo living through the prism of foreign studies from the standpoint of economic and sociological approaches, revealing its interdisciplinarity and multidirection. Solo living is a worldwide trend that is observed throughout the Western world and extends to non–Western countries. The use of an interdisciplinary approach allows us to give a comprehensive idea of the phenomenon under study. At the first stage of the study, more than 100 scientific publications for the period 2000–2022 relevant to the topic were analyzed, on the basis of which the author was able to identify three relevant research approaches to the study of the phenomenon of solo living — economic, sociological and psychological. At the second stage of the study, 26 scientific papers of socio-economic orientation were selected, which are the basis for a qualitative analysis of the foreign socio-economic representation of solo living. Taking into account the specifics of a single lifestyle within the framework of an economic approach is relevant for the justification of state policy in the field of real estate, urban planning, tourism and leisure. This demographic trend has a noticeable impact on society, because in many respects singles behave differently than other segments of the population. The significant representation of solo living is compared with traditional households and social practices. This phenomenon develops, changing social reality and ideas about relationships, affects the specifics of urban planning and economics. The sociological approach to this topic focuses on the absence of established cultural models and the ambivalence of solo living, and also describes the discrimination of solo living, which is investigated through stereotypes to them and the relationship “work — personal life”. There are gender differences in the attitude to solo living, so, single men who are building a career are evaluated positively, women — negatively. Solo living is present in all social strata, and can be considered as a strategy for coping with the challenges of society, creating a living space for recreation.