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Young Working Class Men in Transition uses a unique blend of concepts from the sociologies of youth and masculinity combined with Bourdieusian social theory to investigate British young working-class men's transition to adulthood. Indeed, utilising data from biographical interviews as well as an ethnographic observation of social media activity, this volume provides novel insights by following young men across a seven-year time period. Against the grain of prominent popular discourses that position young working-class men as in 'crisis' or as adhering to negative forms of traditional masculinity, this book consequently documents subtle yet positive shifts in the performance of masculinity among this generation.
Underpinned by a commitment to a much more expansive array of emotionality than has previously been revealed in such studies, young men are shown to be engaged in school, open to so called 'women's work' in the service sector, and committed to relatively egalitarian divisions of labour in the family home. Despite this, class inequalities inflect their transition to adulthood with the 'toxicity' of neoliberalism - rather than toxic masculinity - being core to this reality.
Problematising how working-class masculinity is often represented, Young Working Class Men in Transition both demonstrates and challenges the portrayal of working class masculinity as a repository of homophobia, sexism and anti-feminine acting. It will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as youth studies, masculinity studies, gender studies, sociology of education and sociology of work.
List of contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
Chapter 1
Youth Transitions, Young Men and Social Change
Introduction
Youth transitions and social change
Outline of the book
Chapter 2
Dominant representations of working-class masculinity: the so-called ‘crisis of masculinity’ and the academic response
Introduction
The so-called ‘crisis of masculinity’: A prominent, problematic, durable
discourse
Not exactly a ‘crisis’: Sociology’s reflections on changes, challenges and continuities to masculinity in new times
Changing circumstances, changing working-class masculinity?
A relatively singular account of masculinity across variations in place
and space
Conclusion
Chapter 3
Making sense of men: outlining a framework for the study of contemporary masculinities
Introduction
Social Constructionism vs Post-Structuralism: a genuinely entrenched
binary?
Connell’s theory of Hegemonic Masculinity
Critiques of Hegemonic Masculinity Theory
The constraints of HMT’s deterministic outlook
Theorising change: Anderson’s Inclusive Masculinity Theory
Anderson’s concept of homohysteria
Critiques of IMT
Making the most of Mannheim’s legacy: masculinities and the sociology
of generations
Bringing in Bourdieu: a fuller account of the social actor
Conclusion
Chapter 4
The study context and methods
Introduction
The research sites
Accessing the sample
The research process
Chapter 5
Looking back and looking forward at age 18-24: educational histories and aspirations
Introduction
Underachieving and disengaged boys?
School days: Just an ‘in-betweener’
‘Ordinariness’ and alienated instrumentalism
Post-16 ‘choices’
Critical moments in post-16 education engagement and drop out
Higher education: Awareness, aspirations, ambitions
Conclusion
Chapter 6
Young working class men navigating the precarious world of work: identity in and out of the labour market
Introduction
Embracing service work: the new normal for young working-class men
Working-class young men’s working lives
Sources of identity beyond the sphere of employment
Conclusion
Chapter 7
Contemporary Working-class Masculinities and the Domestic Sphere: the diminishing significance of ‘the man of the house’
Introduction
Domesticity, Gender Roles and Social Class
Attitudes and imagined futures at age 18-24
Walking the walk, not just talking the talk: Gender dynamics in the home,
seven years later
Conclusion
Chapter 8
Emotional disclosure online and offline: changes and continuities in forms of intimate expression among working-class men
Introduction
Emotion in abundance: an unexpected observation?
Sharing emotional content in research interviews
Emotion-laden activity on Facebook
‘It’s just between mates’: Making sense of misogyny and homosexually
themed language
Conclusion
Chapter 9
Conclusion: Changing the tune, but not changing the record: Working-class masculinity in transition
Introduction
Myth busting: the key findings
The transformed working class habitus
Practical implications
About the author
Steven Roberts is an Associate Professor in Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Australia
Summary
Young Working Class Men in Transition uses a unique blend of concepts from the sociologies of youth and masculinity combined with Bourdieusian social theory to investigate British young working-class men’s transition to adulthood.
