Growing Up in Poor Neighbourhoods

Abstract

Drawing upon qualitative, longitudinal research with "socially excluded" young adults from some of England"s poorest neighbourhoods, the paper explores how locallyembedded, social networks become part of the process whereby poverty and class inequalities are reproduced. Networks of family and friends, rooted in severely deindustrialised locales, supported young people as they carved out transitions to adulthood in adverse circumstances. Examples are given in respect of informants" highly localised housing careers and their longer-term experience of "poor work".Paradoxically, though, whilst local networks helped in coping with the problems of growing up in poor neighbourhoods and generated a sense of inclusion, the sort of social capital embedded in them served simultaneously to close down opportunities and to limit the possibilities of escaping the conditions of social exclusion. Overall, and contrary to some recent youth sociology, the paper stresses the continuing importance of class and place in shaping youth transitions.

The changing determinants of UK young adults´ living arrangements

“…The extent to which emergent adulthood is a legitimate concept across all sections of society has been rigorously debated (Arnett 2007;Bynner 2005;Hendry and Kloep 2007). Some contend that young adults are more accurately experiencing "structured individualization" (Côté and Bynner 2008;Furlong and Cartmel 2007) with opportunities and pathways to adulthood still strongly influenced by young people's original location in the social structure, despite a greater sense of individual autonomy (MacDonald et al 2005;Roberts 2009;Schoon 2007;Yates et al 2010).…”

Living with the parents: the purpose of young graduates’ return to the parental home in England

“…Participants also tended to display a 'cosmopolitan habitus' (Allen and Hollingworth 2013, 508) -a confident aspiration with regard to their careers, and an embracing of the dynamic opportunities which London might offer. In working class localities young adults may exhibit a 'stickiness' or attachment to local area and family ties which restricts mobility (Allen and Hollingworth 2013, 502;MacDonald et al 2005). No such stickiness was visible among these middle class graduates; there was frequently a strong preference to move on, in particular if home locations were some distance from London.…”

“…Such a window is subject to the limitations of participants' field of view. Structures such as social class may be hidden to those whom they affect (MacDonald et al 2005). Increasing emphasis on young adults' individual agency may, further, create an illusion of autonomy which obscures the continuing effect of socio-economic structures (Furlong and Cartmel 2007).…”

A Review of Residential Segregation and Its Consequences in Nigeria

“…High residential turnover and the increased concentration of poverty resulted in housing disinvestment and deteriorated physical conditions, a reduction in the capacity of formal and informal institutions to maintain public order. It also leads to a decline in the ability of informal networks to circulate information (e.g., about employment opportunities and health resources) and to promote healthy behaviours and positive life choices (Anderson et al, 2003;Ellen &Turner, 1997;MacDonald et al, 2005;Greenstein, Sabatini & Smolka, 2000;Bayer, McMillan & Reuben, 2001;Edwards, 1970;and Surge, 2008). While Leeuw et al (2007) posited that racial discrimination and segregation in public housing affects women to a greater degree than men.…”