BEFORE PROOFREADING. One in four Australia live alone explore the reason for this growing incident of living

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1 BEFORE PROOFREADING One in four Australia live alone explore the reason for this growing incident of living alone, and consider the social, environment, health and other issues Australia society is facing a growing incident of living alone, one in four Australian lives alone. The incident is growing so fast and impacting people life as well as transforming the cohesion society into individualism. Solo living people are like to experiences a various circumstances and this essay will explore the reason of the growth of the incident and focus on various issues related to health, environment and social effecting on people living as individual. Before the industry revolution people lived together and communities and families functioned as one. Individualism had taken place in many countries around the global and changed ways of living. People are no longer living in harmony and depending to each other. The cohesiveness within families, neighbourhoods, and friends has disappeared porter (1998, p. 17). This issue largely affects western societies. If one compares Australia with other countries. It has a high incidence of people living alone. Statistic shows that, there has been a rise in this phenomenon in Australia between 1940s 2006 (Vous& Richardson (2006, p. 1). The current data indicates that twenty seven percent of Australia population live alone De Vous & Richardson (2006, p. 1). 1

2 Care Search ( par 1) suggests that there are currently two million people living independently in Australia and it believes that by 2006s the number will arise by 3.7 seven million Australians will be living alone by 2026s. This include both ages and gender range however, the highest numbers will arise within female. This shows that the incident is growing so fast. The following are some reasons why people are living alone; family s construction has changed for a period of time. Marriage and having children it is no longer as a social norm expected by society and it is currently depend on individual. This emerges people to marry very later in life not as it was expected before. The family structure had shifted from large to small, as well the young generation both male and female are economically stable; they prefer to live independently to minimise their family pressures. This means the family is no longer considered as the main economically resources De Vous & Richardson (2009, pp. 1-2). Also, there is a social circumstance which has changed the ways people used to live before such as nuclear and external family are not connect anymore as it was before and there is an increase of divorce rate. This means lack of this connectedness can lead to loneliness as well as the current number of old population as grown so fast Care Search ( Para 1) 2

3 Cultural aspect of people have also shifted, ( Book ) support his by citing that society has changed from collective to individual people have replaced their natural bond to look after another by independent living and family s members do not live together anymore. In area where life is affordable people prefer to live alone as long as they can afford it. This apprehension is mainly in young generation who prefer to dissociate from their families. Independently living has effects to people s social well being. De Vous & Richardson (2009, pp. 1-2). Therefore, living alone has negatives impact on people life porter (1998, p. 18 ) states, that human kind are social animals this means that people need each other s interaction and lack of social support and network leads to isolation. Victor, Scamber, Bond & Bowling (2000,p. 478) supports this by stating that quality life means having a social connectedness. This indicates how important people need to be dynamic to another in order to achieve have a good well being. Independently living leads to social isolation which is the main issues effecting people. Living without any forms of socialising for example : church group, social clubs, networks can leads people who live alone to feel lonely and most affected people are elders, because there might be no adequate access to social services. Lack of this social life can 3

4 leads people to engage into risk behaviours for instance heavy smoking and consuming alcohol and drugs Victor et al (200, p. 407). Porter ( 1998, p. 18 ) states that isolation leads to unhappiness selfishness and anxiety this explains how risk it is being lonely to health wellbeing. People who are experiencing social isolation are likely to live a depressive life and this can later develop into a mental illness and other forms psychological distress. Also, Hughes & Gove ( 1981, p. 51) suggests, that people suffer from mental illness disorders, they are likely to have experienced a long period living alone in the past. For example, Schizophrenia patients are mostly lonely people and have a lack of social interaction as well as this has relation to depression and suicidal people. Besides psychological effects, living alone causes physical and sentimental related diseases. Dean, Kolody, Wood and Matt( 1992, pp. 5-6 ) suggests that, unmarried men are likely to suffer emotionally and physically because, they intend to have fewer social supports and relay on women for their affection. Lidfeldt, Nebrand, Samsioe & Agarath ( 2005, pp 1-2 ) States that living alone people are likely develop a diabetes related diseases cause by the consuming and participation in harmful behaviours. Women are the most affected but also men involve in these 4

5 behaviours are at risk. The highest number of general mortality is currently found in independent living people. In additionally crime and personal security are other issues impacting on people living alone. The cohesion of neighbourhood does not exist at and it is not environmentally safe. Borooah & Carcach ( 1997, p. 365 ) states, that there is high crime rate in Australia caused by the lack societal isolation. Working culture has also forced people to become more isolated to another. Living alone people spend most of their time a way from home to socialise; this is trigger to their home safety as well as the street violence. Furthermore, living alone is not environmental friendly; because people consume a lot of energy to keep themselves busy to avoid isolation. These living alone are like to spend most the time watching television, movies keeping the radio and using a lot electronic devices. West (par 1-5). Overall, living alone incident is a current issue in the societies, these evidences presented in this essay have proved that the growth of this incident is moving so fast. The social, health and environment are the main problem experience a solo living person. Mental health well being and social isolation are the main danger to this incident as it is mentioned early in this essay that the incident is like to increase 3.7 million by 2026s. 5

6 AFTER PROOFREADING Living Alone: Social, Environmental and Health-related Issues Name of the Author Name of the Institute 6

7 Abstract Australian society is facing an increasing trend of people living alone. A recent study found that one in four Australian lives alone. The trend has grown so fast in recent times that it has started impacting people s life and the nature of the society is fast changing from a cohesive one to an individualistic one. People who live alone do so for a variety of reasons and this trend has given rise to various social, environmental and health-related issues. This essay will explore the reason for the growth of this trend and focus on various health-related, environmental and social issues affecting them. 7

8 Living Alone: Social, Environment and Health-related Issues Living alone can be a liberating experience and has found increased acceptance in the Australian society in the last 60 years. Before the onset of industrial revolution, people used to live in joint families and could be identified by their communities. These communities were self-sufficient and people never felt the need to go out for a living. With increased globalization and industrialization, the concept of living in small families and even alone gained acceptance in many countries and it changed the way people lived. People were no longer living in harmony and were not dependent on each other. The cohesiveness within families, neighbourhood, and friends has started disappearing (Porter, 1998, p. 17). As the flag bearer of industrial revolution, this issue became more prominent in Western societies. If one compares Australia with other countries, it has a high incidence of people living alone. Statistic shows that, there has been a rise in this phenomenon in Australia during the period (De Vous & Richardson, 2006, p. 1). The current data indicates that twenty seven percent of Australian population, or one in four individuals, live alone (De Vous & Richardson, 2006, p. 1). Care Search (Para 1) suggests that there are currently two million people in Australia who live alone and projects that by 2026 this figure will rise to 3.7 million. This include both ages and gender range however, the highest numbers will arise within female. This shows that the incident is growing so fast. There are numerous reasons as to why people are living alone. Family structure and values have changed a lot in the last century. Marrying and having children is no longer considered a societal norm and the choice lies entirely with the individual. People now prefer to marry in their late thirties and even forties instead of marrying earlier. The family structure has shifted from joint to nuclear families, with both female and male members increasing 8

9 becoming financially independent. So, people no longer depend on their families for financial support and prefer to live independently to avoid family pressures (De Vous & Richardson, 2009, pp. 1-2). The changing social circumstances have increased the instances of nuclear families. Since nuclear families are not connected to the external families to the extent as it was before, they don t find the emotional support during troubled times. Hence, there is an increase in divorce rate. This lack of connectedness can lead to loneliness during later years of life as the growth in old age population living alone suggests (Care Search, Para 1). Cultural aspects of people have also shifted in recent times as the nature of society has changed from collective to individual. The natural bond between family members has weakened and family members don t live together anymore. In fact, people prefer to live alone if they can afford it. This is increasingly the case with the young generation who value their independence. Living independently, though, can have effect on person s social well being (De Vous & Richardson, 2009, pp. 1-2). Living alone can have negative impact on people s life. Porter (1998, p. 18) stated that human beings are social animals and they need to interact with each other. Lack of networking and social support can lead to isolation. Victor, Scamber, Bond & Bowling (2000, p. 478) supported this by stating that quality life requires connectedness. This indicates the importance of being dynamic in order to achieve well being in humans. Independent living leads to social isolation which is the main concern affecting people. Living without any form of socializing e.g. church groups, social clubs, networks can make a person lonely. Elders are the most affected as there is lack of adequate social access. Lack of social life can lead people to engage into risky habits, for instance, heavy smoking or consumption of alcohol and drugs (Victor et al., 2000, p. 407). 9

10 Porter (1998, p. 18) stated that isolation leads to unhappiness, selfishness and anxiety. This explains how risky it can be for a healthy lifestyle. People who experience social isolation are likely to live a depressed life which can later develop into a mental illness and other forms of psychological distress. Also, Hughes & Gove (1981, p. 51) suggested that people who suffer from mental illness disorders are likely to have experienced a long period of living alone in the past. For example, Schizophrenic patients are mostly lonely people who have a lack of social interaction. The same is true for people suffering from depression and having suicidal tendency. Besides psychological effects, living alone can cause physical and mental diseases. Dean, Kolody, Wood and Matt (1992, pp. 5-6) suggested that single men are more likely to suffer emotionally and physically because they have fewer social supports and can t rely on women for affection in moments of distress. Lidfeldt, Nebrand, Samsioe & Agarath (2005, pp 1-2) stated that people living alone are likely develop diabetes related diseases which are caused by the consumption of harmful substances and participation in harmful behaviours. Both men and women are equally affected by this. Independent living people have the highest mortality rate in such diseases. Moreover, crime and personal security are other issues impacting people living alone. The individualistic nature of neighbourhood does not allow much interaction and cohesion and leads to unsafe environment. Borooah and Carcach (1997, p. 365) observed that there is a high crime rate in Australia due to increased societal isolation. Working culture has also forced people to become more isolated from one another. People living alone spend most of their time away from home to socialise e.g. at social clubs or church groups. This is a concern for their safety at home as well as the trigger for street violence. 10

11 Furthermore, living alone is not environmental friendly as people consume a lot of energy to keep themselves busy to avoid isolation. These people are likely to spend most of their time watching television, movies, listening to the radio and using a lot of other electronic devices (West, pp. 1-5). Living alone can be a liberating experience, but it can easily be a scary one too. It is a phenomenon which has gathered momentum in recent years and poses significant social, environment and health related concern. Statistics show that the problem is here to stay due to changing lifestyles and family structures. However, the issues can be partially addressed by adopting a more social lifestyle, becoming more aware of security risks, thus learning to handle them and adopting healthy habits in life. 11