Determinants of Household Headship

This paper examines the factors which determine whether or not married couples or unmarried adults head their own households. It also discusses causes of the rise in headship rates since 1940. Shifts in age composition, location, race, and marital status have not contributed to the rise, but increased incomes, especially from pensions and welfare, have. In 1970, many of the 1.6 per cent of married couples without their own households were poor or young, but a considerable fraction of this group could certainly have afforded their own homes had they wanted to. Among the unmarried, age and marital status are the most important determinants of household headship. Once other factors are held constant, unmarried headship is not affected by race. However, having children to care for is quite important, especially for young women. Headship rates also vary by sex, location, and earnings level.