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As Gen X and Boomers Age, They Confront Living Alone
随着X世代和婴儿潮一代年龄增长，他们面临着独居问题
More older Americans are living by themselves than ever before.
美国独居老人的数量比以往任何时候都多。
That shift presents issues on housing, health care and personal finance.
这种转变带来了住房、医疗保健和个人财务方面的问题。
Jay Miles has lived his 52 years without marriage or children, which has suited his creative ambitions as a videographer in Connecticut and, he said, his mix of “independence and stubbornness.”
杰伊·迈尔斯52年来一直没有结婚生子，这便于他作为康涅狄格州的一名摄影师去实现自己的创作抱负，他说，这也与他“既独立又固执”的个性相称。
But he worries about who will take care of him as he gets older.
但他开始担心，随着年龄增长，谁来照顾他。
Donna Selman, a 55-year old college professor in Illinois, is mostly grateful to be single, she said, because her mother and aunts never had the financial and emotional autonomy that she enjoys.
55岁的唐娜·塞尔曼是伊利诺伊州的一名大学教授，她说她很庆幸自己是单身，因为她的母亲和阿姨们从未像她那样拥有经济和情感上的自主权。
Mary Felder, 65, raised her children, now grown, in her rowhouse in Philadelphia.
65岁的玛丽·费尔德在费城的联排别墅里抚养她的子女，现在他们已经长大成人了。
Her home has plenty of space for one person, but upkeep is expensive on the century-old house.
她的房子一人居住绰绰有余，但要维护这座百年老宅费用不低。
Ms. Felder, Mr. Miles and Ms. Selman are members of one of the country’s fastest-growing demographic groups: people 50 and older who live alone.
费尔德、迈尔斯和塞尔曼是美国增长最快的人口群体之一：50岁及以上的独居者。
In 1960, just 13 percent of American households had a single occupant.
1960年，一人独居的美国家庭只占13%。
But that figure has risen steadily, and today it is approaching 30 percent.
但这一数字一直在稳步上升，如今已接近30%。
For households headed by someone 50 or older, that figure is 36 percent.
对于户主为50岁或以上的家庭，这一数字为36%。
Nearly 26 million Americans 50 or older now live alone, up from 15 million in 2000.
50岁或以上的独居老人数量现在接近2600万，而在2000年，这一数字为1500万。
Older people have always been more likely than others to live by themselves, and now that age group — baby boomers and Gen Xers — makes up a bigger share of the population than at any time in the nation’s history.
老年人一直比其他人更有可能独自生活，现今这个年龄段的人——婴儿潮一代和X世代——在人口中所占比例超过美国以往任何时期。
The trend has also been driven by deep changes in attitudes surrounding gender and marriage.
对于性别和婚姻的深刻态度转变也推动了这一趋势。
People 50-plus today are more likely than earlier generations to be divorced, separated or never married.
现在，50岁以上的人比前几代人更有可能经历离婚、分居或从未结婚。
Women in this category have had opportunities for professional advancement, homeownership and financial independence that were all but out of reach for previous generations of older women.
这类女性享有的职业晋升、拥有住房和经济独立的机会，对于前几代老年女性而言是几乎无法企及的。
More than 60 percent of older adults living by themselves are female.
独居的老年人中，超过60%是女性。
“There is this huge, kind of explosive social and demographic change happening,” said Markus Schafer, a sociologist at Baylor University who studies older populations.
贝勒大学研究老年人口的社会学家马库斯·谢弗说：“一种巨大的、几乎是爆炸性的社会和人口结构变化正在发生。”
In interviews, many older adults said they feel positively about their lives.
在采访中，许多老年人表示，他们对自己的生活感到积极乐观。
But while many people in their 50s and 60s thrive living solo, research is unequivocal that people aging alone experience worse physical and mental health outcomes and shorter life spans.
尽管许多50多岁和60多岁的人独自生活得很好，但研究明确表明，独自面对衰老的人身心健康状况更糟糕，寿命也更短。
And even with an active social and family life, people in this group are generally more lonely than those who live with others, according to Dr. Schafer’s research.
根据谢弗的研究，即使有活跃的社交和家庭生活，这一群体中的人通常也比那些与他人生活在一起的人更加孤独。
