Abstract
M.A. (Sociology)
An increase in the number of people living alone has been observed
in various modern industrialised societies, paricularly over the
last four decades. Despite this, very little is known about
living alone, since until now very little comprehensive research
has been undertaken into the lifestyle of those living alone.
There has rather been a tendency among social scientists
particularly those working within the framework of social
integration theory - to base their researches on the assumption
that people living .alone necessarily expose themselves to social
isolation, to their own detriment. Other researchers, however,
stress the probability that those living alone compensate for
their relative isolation by maintaining more contacts outside the
household and are thus not necessarily exposed to social
isolation.
The aim of this study was to use qualitative research in an
exploratory way to collect in-depth information on the nature of
the social integration of women living alone and other related
aspects of their lives. Although the findings are therefore
limited by the type of research, a number of tendencies regarding
the lifestyles and social integration of those living alone can be
identified ..
Probably one of the most significant conclusions is that, as far
as their social integration is concerned, people living alone
cannot be treated as a homogeneous category: when, for instance,
the regularity and quality of respondents' contact with the
central figures in their lives is examined, it appears that their
integration into these centrality networks ranges from very high
to very low...