Older woman living together in one house is a growing trend that boomer women aged 50 and above are choosing to opt for.
Currently, about four million women aged 50 and above share a home with at least one other woman of the same age.
One out of three ‘boomers’ will live their later years alone and without a spouse, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research. But sharing a home has emotional benefits, feeling of safety and allows ‘friendship and social engagement.’
Marianne Kilkenny, 63, lives with three other woman aged 48 to 69. They each split the cost of rent, ranging around $550 a month. Kilkenny pays $900 each month because she lives in the ‘in-law’ apartment with its own separate kitchen.
The women hold a weekly meeting and share a dinner with each other at least once a week. Basic house rules are set to keep order in the house and to keep a level of respect for the other tenants.
One time, Kilkenny’s housemates left a birthday card outside her door for her 62nd birthday. “Feeling cared about is worth going through some of the conflict that will occur.”
However, sharing a home with more than one person might not be a vision of paradise all the time.
When sharing a home with others, privacy is no longer easy to come by. According to experts, addressing conflicts before or directly after the move in is the best step so that future issues don’t occur.
“Living with anyone has trade-offs, but I’m willing to make little trade-offs and have a little less freedom,” said Louise Machinist, who lives in shared housing with two other women.
Jane Wells is stopping by the Gary and Shannon show to talk about boomer women and why they don’t want live alone and choose to share housing.
See the full story on AARP.org.