HOUSEHOLD STRUCTURE AND FAMILY INCOME
| Published date | 01 February 1955 |
| Author | T. Brennan |
| Date | 01 February 1955 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9485.1955.tb00726.x |
HOUSEHOLD STRUCTURE
AND
FAMILY
INCOME
THE
differences that exist
in
the proportion
of
earners
to
dependants
in
private households have always been recognised as being of great
importance both
to
the economic well-being of the family and
to
economic and social policy. The aim of this note is
lo
set
out
some
of the data available on the structure
of
private households and
to
comment briefly on their significance.
Behind most discussions
of
wages. housing and the social services
there is commonly
a
model
of
the typical family
or
household as
consisting
of
father, mother and young children. and dependent upon
the father’s earnings. Although most people would admit that such a
niodel cannot be applied rigidly
it
is nevertheless used.
It
is
doubtful,
however, whether the model is even near enough
to
the truth
to
provide a basis for realistic discussion.
The 1951 Census showed
in
Great Britain an occupied population
of 21-3m. At the same date the number of private households was
14.48m..
so
that there were nearly
1.5
earners per household.
Of
the 14.48111. households. only
6.78rn.
(49 per cent.) had only one
earner; of these.
3.3m.
had no children under
16;
about
100,OOO
of
those with children had no other adult besides
the
earner, and
approximately the same number had more than two adults. In other
words, at
most
only about 3-2m.
or
22
per cent. of all households were
composed of
two
adults and young children with one adult earning.
The model holds, therefore. for less than one household
in
four. The
number
of
one-earner households with some dependents including
children was 3-48m.
If
we
look
at the same figures from the point of view of the wage-
earner, the figure of
1.5
earners per household suggests that perhaps
two-thirds
of
earners might be in the
’
responsible
’
position
of
head
of household and one-third
in
the less responsible position of lodger.
son, daughter living
at
home, and
so
on. The Census figures, however,
are capable of more detailed analysis.
Of
14.48111. households. 2.03~1. have no earners at all. The differ-
ence, 12.45m.. can be taken
as
representing the earning heads
of
house-
holds
in
the total occupied population of 21-3m. These will be referred
to
as
primary earners.
Some
of
these primary earners live
in
households where everybody
is working and where there are therefore no dependants. Since the
discussion here is concerned with dependants
and
relative responsi-
bility, primary earners in this group ought
to
be counted as having
no
more responsibility than lodgers. etc.
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