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Chapter 1 The Human Need for Housing
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
consists of several generations of a family, such as
children, parents, and grandparents. Variations can
include aunts, uncles, or cousins as well as their
children. A second type of extended family consists
of members from the same generation, such as
brothers, sisters, and cousins.
The smallest household is a single-person
household, which consists of one person living alone in
a dwelling. That person may be someone who has never
married or whose marriage has ended because of the
loss of a spouse through death, desertion, or divorce.
Throughout this text, you will see how an
individual’s household affects housing decisions.
In turn, you will also learn how the decisions you
make concerning housing affect your household and
possibly the households of clients.
Life Cycles
Life cycles are another way to view your housing
needs. A life cycle is a series of stages through which
an individual or family passes during its lifetime. In each
stage, there are new opportunities and new challenges
to face. You develop new needs and values and prioritize
them according to what is most important to you. These
changes relate to your housing.
Individual Life Cycle
Each person follows a pattern of development,
or an individual life cycle. It is divided according to
age groups into the following four stages with each
stage divided into substages:
• Infancy. The two substages of infancy include
newborn (birth to one month old) and infant (one
month to one year old).
• Childhood. The childhood stage has three substages:
early (one to six years old), middle (six to eight years
old), and late childhood (nine to 12 years old).
• Youth. The youth stage has four substages including
preteen, early teen, middle teen, and late teen.
• Adulthood. Young, mature, and aging adult are
the substages of adulthood.
Family Life Cycle
Just as you have a place in an individual life
cycle, your family has its place in the family life cycle.
A family life cycle has six stages (Figure 1.16). One
or more substages may exist within each stage.
• Beginning stage. This is the early period of
a marriage when a couple is without children
(Figure 1.17). The husband and wife make
adjustments to married life and to each other.
• Childbearing stage. This is the time when a family
is growing. It includes the childbearing periods and
the years of caring for preschoolers. Depending on
the household lifestyle and working arrangements,
the family may need child care. If so, the design of
the early childhood environment should meet the
developmental needs of the child.
Petinov Sergey Mihilovich/Shutterstock.com
Figure 1.17 These newlyweds are entering the
beginning stage of their own family’s life cycle.
A
B
C
D
E
F
Family Life Cycle
A. Beginning stage: Married couple without children
B. Childbearing stage: Couple with child(ren) up to 2½
years old; couple with child(ren) 2½ to 6 years old
C. Parenting stage: Couple with child(ren) 6 to 13
years old
D. Launching stage: Couple with child(ren) leaving
home; couple with child(ren) living away from home
E. Midyears stage: Couple before retirement, but after all
children left home.
F. Aging stage: Couple during retirement until death
of both spouses
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 1.16 The family life cycle includes both stages
and substages.