The Meaning of Housing offers a fresh new approach to the study of housing. Most current approaches tend to ignore or downplay the perceptions and attitudes of individuals in the production and consumption of housing. Although drawing on British experiences, the methodology and theoretical framework used are applicable to the study of housing in any national context. This book explores the meaning that housing has for individuals and households by examining 'housing pathways'. Housing pathways refer to the varying household forms that individuals experience and the housing routes that they take over time. The book argues that housing has increasingly become a means to an end rather than an end in itself. The end is personal fulfillment and the main task of housing research is to elucidate the links. In this pursuit, the concepts of identity and lifestyle are key.