By WSJ Staff
From The Juggle’s Rachel Emma Silverman:
As the housing market and economy continue to flounder, families are turning to an option that was out of vogue during the McMansion age: having siblings share rooms.
Globally, and historically, private bedrooms for siblings have been the exception, rather than the rule. Most children around the world share bedrooms with their siblings, and sometimes with their parents. But in the U.S., houses have grown larger in recent years, while family sizes have remained roughly steady at around 2 kids. In 1991, the average American home had 1,672 square feet and 53 percent had three or more bedrooms, according to the Washington Post, citing Census data. By 2007, it had grown to 1,789 square feet, and more than 60 percent had three or more bedrooms.
But the trend toward each child having their own domain may be changing due to economic constraints. Growing families are getting priced out bigger homes, or are having trouble selling their existing places, so they’re making do. In Manhattan, for instance, more families are cramming into one-bedroom apartments. From 2000 to 2006, there was a 31% jump in the number of white families and a 19% increase in African-American families with one or more children under the age of 6 living in one-bedroom apartments, reports the New York Times, using an analysis of Manhattan census data.
Continue reading at The Juggle
Cheers
Marc
From The Juggle’s Rachel Emma Silverman:
As the housing market and economy continue to flounder, families are turning to an option that was out of vogue during the McMansion age: having siblings share rooms.
Globally, and historically, private bedrooms for siblings have been the exception, rather than the rule. Most children around the world share bedrooms with their siblings, and sometimes with their parents. But in the U.S., houses have grown larger in recent years, while family sizes have remained roughly steady at around 2 kids. In 1991, the average American home had 1,672 square feet and 53 percent had three or more bedrooms, according to the Washington Post, citing Census data. By 2007, it had grown to 1,789 square feet, and more than 60 percent had three or more bedrooms.
But the trend toward each child having their own domain may be changing due to economic constraints. Growing families are getting priced out bigger homes, or are having trouble selling their existing places, so they’re making do. In Manhattan, for instance, more families are cramming into one-bedroom apartments. From 2000 to 2006, there was a 31% jump in the number of white families and a 19% increase in African-American families with one or more children under the age of 6 living in one-bedroom apartments, reports the New York Times, using an analysis of Manhattan census data.
Continue reading at The Juggle
Cheers
Marc