Household
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Scaply|Scaply]] to last version by UnitedStatesian (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
{{otheruses4|an economic grouping|the author|Geoffrey Household }}
The '''household''' is the basic unit of analysis in many [[microeconomic]] and [[government]] models. The term refers to all individuals who live in the same [[dwelling]].
Most [[economic]] models do not address whether the members of a household are a [[family]] in the traditional sense. Government and policy discussions often treat the terms ''household'' and ''family'' as synonymous, especially in [[Western world|western]] societies where the [[nuclear family]] has become the most common family structure. In reality, there is not always a one-to-one relationship between households and families.
==Government definitions==
For statistical purposes in the [[United Kingdom]], a household is defined as "one person or a group of people who have the accommodation as their only or main residence and for a group, either share at least one [[meal]] a day or share the living accommodation, that is, a [[living room]] or sitting room" [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_social/FRS_Tech01-02.pdf National Statistics].
The [[United States Census]] definition similarly turns on "separate living quarters", i.e. "those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building" [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_71061.htm]. A ''householder'' in the U.S. census is the "person (or one of the people) in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented (maintained);" if no person qualifies, any adult resident of a housing unit is a householder. The U.S. government formerly used the term '''head of the household''' and '''head of the family''' to describe householders; beginning in 1980, these terms were officially dropped from the census and replaced with ''householder''. <ref>[http://www.census.gov/population/www/cps/cpsdef.html U.S. Census: Current Population Survey - Definitions and Explanations]</ref>
The official definition from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_71061.htm is clearer:
"A household includes all the persons who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied (or if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building and which have direct access from the outside of the building or through a common hall. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated persons who share living arrangements. (People not living in households are classified as living in group quarters.)"
==Economic theories==
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Most economic theories assume there is only one [[income]] stream to a household; this a useful simplification for modeling, but does not necessarily reflect reality. Many households now include multiple income-earning members.
==Historical households==
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In [[feudalism|feudal]] or [[aristocracy|aristocratic]] societies, a household may include [[servant (domestic)|servant]]s or retainers, whether or not they are explicitly so named. Their roles may blur the line between a family member and an employee. In such cases, they ultimately derive their income from the household's principal income.
==References==
<references/>
== See also ==
{{Wiktionarypar|household}}
*[[Household income in the United States]]
*[[household consumption expenditures]]
*[[household final consumption expenditure]]
*[[Medieval household]]
*[[Royal Household]], the institutions that run the monarchy
[[Category:Household behavior and family economics]]
[[Category:Demography]]
[[de:Privathaushalt]]
[[fr:Ménage]]
[[it:Nucleo familiare]]
[[hu:Háztartás]]
[[nl:Huishouden]]
[[ja:世帯]]
[[pl:Gospodarstwo domowe]]
[[ru:Домашнее хозяйство]]
[[uk:Домашнє господарство]]