The image shows a map of the world with six countries highlighted: the US, Brazil, the UK, Germany, Sweden and India. Clicking on each country opens a panel describing two households in that country. The descriptions are as follows:
Peter, New York, US: Peter, 52, was born and raised in New York. He’s single and lives in a rent-stabilised apartment in the Lower East Side, Manhattan. He also takes care of his older uncle who shares the apartment with him. Peter used to work at the port, but is now working from time to time for a transportation company, following training to get his commercial driver’s license. He was married 15 years ago, but divorced after getting in trouble with the law. He has no children.
Jennifer and Joseph, New York, US: Joseph and Jennifer are both in their 30s. They live in East Village, Manhattan. Joseph was born in Connecticut and Jennifer comes from New Jersey. Joseph works as a Risk, Compliance, and Anti-Fraud professional at Deutsche Bank in the city, and Jennifer works in Business Management/Re-engineering at Citi Bank. They are not married and have been living together for almost 10 years. Jennifer has two daughters and Joseph has one son. They both studied business and finance at University and have spent much of their career in banking.
Sonya and Hector, Redhill, England: Sonya and Hector live near Redhill in Surrey and they have two young children. Hector works for a software company and Sonya works in the voluntary sector. Their family life is very important to them, and they’re always off on new adventures together.
Maureen, Southend-on-Sea, England: Maureen lives in Southend-on-Sea. She is in her seventies and retired (from a career in public health services). She is a widow, and has two grown-up children who have families of their own. She’s a keen gardener and is very active.
Heather and Lawrence, Luleå, Sweden: Heather and Lawrence are in their mid-40s and live in Luleå. They are married and have a 12-year-old son. Lawrence is a Business Developer/Senior Researcher at Swerea [a Swedish research group for industrial renewal and sustainable growth]. Heather is a Project Manager at the Career Centre of Luleå’s University of Technology. They are both from Canada, but have been living in Luleå for the past decade.
Yassra, Luleå, Sweden: Yassra is a single mother in her mid-40s, with a 13-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. She lives in Luleå and is currently unemployed, having previously worked as a waitress in a café. She is originally from Malaysia where she was a former reporter and political activist. She has lived in Sweden for the past 15 years.
Christian, Berlin, Germany: Christian is single and lives in Berlin. He has a disability. He does some photography and graphic design work.
Pia and Isabel, Berlin, Germany: Isabel and Pia are a couple in their 30s. They live together in Berlin, and they both work in advertising agencies.
Rosângela and Edson, São Paulo, Brazil: Edson and his wife Rosângela are in their early 60s and are both retired. They live by themselves, since their daughters are adults and have moved out. Edson and Rosângela used to work in state-owned banks. They live in Jundiaí, a medium-sized city in the state of São Paulo.
Aline, São Paulo, Brazil: Aline is 27. She broke up with her boyfriend (the father of her daughter, Noemi, who is 9). Aline and Noemi live with Aline’s parents and brother in a poor neighbourhood called São Mateus, in São Paulo city. Aline works as a cleaner at a big, multinational publishing company, and is undertaking a nursing course.
Rohith, Bangalore, India: Rohith lives in Bangalore. He is 35-years-old, married and has one child. Rohith is a businessman in the real estate sector, while his wife, Shilpa, is a HR Manager.
D L Mahesha, Bangalore, India: D L Mahesha is in his 40s. He lives in Bangalore with his wife and two children. He and his wife are both government employees.
Underneath the world map are two tabs: one saying ‘Why rent or buy?’; and the second ‘Typical tenure in each country’. Clicking on the label starts a video where the households talk about this topic.