Sandström G, Namatovu F, Ineland J, Larsson D, Ng N, Stattin M. The Persistence of High Levels of Living Alone Among Adults with Disabilities in Sweden, 1993-2011.
Popul Res Policy Rev 2021;
40:163-85. [PMID:
34720277 DOI:
10.1007/s11113-020-09570-2]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
This study investigates how the probability to live alone has developed among working age individuals with and without disabilities in Sweden during the period 1993-2011 when extensive political reforms to improve the integration of disabled individuals in society were implemented. The results show that individuals with disabilities are approximately twice as likely to be living alone when compared to individuals without disabilities. People with disabilities were also more likely to report low life satisfaction, and this was especially true among individuals with disabilities living alone. Men and women with disabilities also tend to experience longer periods of living as a one-person household than non-disabled people. Over time we find no indications of reduced differences in family outcomes between disabled and non-disabled individuals but rather evidence to the contrary. These differences are interpreted as being the result of the disadvantage disabled individual's experience in the partner market and that people with disabilities are less successful in forming partnerships that can lead to cohabitation and family formation. The results thus show how disabled individuals still face societal barriers that limit their possibilities to find and sustain relationships that result in stable cohabitation despite increased efforts to improve their inclusion in Swedish society.
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