Published: February 5, 1989
Section: SUNDAY MAGAZINE
Page#: 11SM

The shrinking household

By Bob Ehlert; Staff Writer

Although the changes in the makeup of the American household over the past 100 years have been slow, they are nonetheless profound.

A century ago 20 percent of us could be found residing in the homes of our relatives rather than our own. An additional 25 percent were living with non-relatives in rented rooms or with families to which they provided service.

Very few of us chose to live alone.

During the life span of 19th-century Americans, almost everyone, at some point, lived with an extended family member, an employer or in a boarding house. Only 5 percent lived by themselves.

Today, 100 years later, we appear to be much more independent.

Only 6 percent of American households now include extended kin. The proportions of families with boarders is less than that. The percentage of people living alone, however, has risen from 5 to 25 percent.

Obviously something happened to the composition of the American household over the past century. There has been a gradual shift from extended-family situations to the classic format of the nuclear family-Mom, Dad and the kids.

Today there are new variations: married couples without children, single-parent households, unmarried couples who live together.

While theories abound as to the causes of all of this change-many believe that industrialization and the Social Security system have influenced the makeup of households-very rarely have these theories been put to the test of factual historical scrutiny.

And that is where Steven Ruggles, a University of Minnesota history professor, comes in. For years now he and colleagues have been poring over public use samples-statistics derived from decades of census information collected by the federal government. It's a data job, but somebody has got to do it.

Fortunately Ruggles, who describes himself as a historical demographer and a social historian, is fascinated by the task. Unfortunately for some social scientists, Ruggles' research has been disproving some of their theories.

Not long ago most of the theorists believed that the shift from extended to nuclear family began in response to the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. From studies such as Ruggles', we now know differently.

Few people lived in extended families before the 19th century, he said. And as more heads of households turned to factory work, the number of extended families living together actually tripled.

In order to find the real reasons for the decline of the extended family, Ruggles believes historians must first pinpoint when the change occurred.

Among other goals, Ruggles hopes to determine the effect that pensions and Social Security have had on household structure. It is believed that the availability of this income has encouraged the elderly to seek out independent living situations.

Some of Ruggles' other findings:

· Even though there has been a shift from extended to nuclear families, the frequency of the nuclear family is in decline. The reason: people are more independent because of different attitudes and financial stability.

· However, frequency of extended families may be on the increase in the next century. Population survey information available since the 1980 census indicates a small jump in the number of extended families. Ruggles believes the 1990 census data may show even more.

· Only a small percentage of people over 65 live in nursing homes.

· So-called fragmentary households (married couples without children, unmarried couples, single-parent households and persons living alone) are increasing.

· More than 25 percent of all households are now led by single parents.

· Welfare hasn't significantly affected family structure, although Social Security has. Ruggles said that is because many more people benefit from Social Security over a longer period of time than those who receive welfare.

· Widowhood is down, divorce up.

There is still much to be gleaned from studying past census data, Ruggles said. In fact there are decades and decades and decades to be tapped. He has just applied for a grant that would enable him to scrutinize the 1880s. There are lots of things he'd like to know.

"We don't know when people got married. When they started working. How long they stayed in school. When they retired. When they left home, stuff like that," he said. "And we don't know how those things interact with how they lived their day-to-day lives."

Ruggles believes there are policy implications in such knowledge.

"What I'm doing is testing and building social theory," he said. "If we can ever figure out how society works, that might help us plan for the future."

Bob Ehlert is a staff writer for Sunday Magazine.