housing studies association annual conference york, 15 th -17 th april 2014

HOUSING STUDIES ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL CONFERENCEYORK, 15TH-17TH APRIL 2014

Elena Mattioli

Young people and social inequalities: Young people and social inequalities: a case study of youth housing pathways in a case study of youth housing pathways in

BolognaBologna

Visiting Ph.D. Student, University of Leeds, School of Sociology and Social Policy – [email protected]

Ph.D. Student, University of Bologna, School of Political Science, Department of Sociology and Business Law – [email protected]



Structure of the presentation:

1.1. Presentation of the research objectPresentation of the research object

2.2. Brief description of the theoretical framework of the research Brief description of the theoretical framework of the research

3.3. Description of the research design and methodology Description of the research design and methodology

4.4. Early findingsEarly findings



1.1. Research objectivesResearch objectives

• What is the research about and why?

• Some data (Eurostat, year 2012):

- Estimated average age of young people leaving the parental household:

- In ITA: M 30.9 years old and F 28.6 years old Vs. UK - M 24.7 and F 23.0

- Share of young people living with their parents

- Young people aged 20-24: ITA 91.2% Vs. UK 56.2%

- Young people aged 25-29: ITA 63% Vs. UK 19.7%(source: Eurostat, http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=yth_demo_030&lang=en and

http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=yth_demo_050&lang=en)

→ Crucial role of intergenerational support

→ Need to understand how families of certain social class (i.e. working class) support the transition to independent living of their adult children



2. Theoretical framework of the research 2. Theoretical framework of the research

Intersectional approach (Hill Collins 2000, Crenshaw 1989)

To emphasize the difference between various inequalities and their non equivalence

To highlight particular local mechanisms to reduce inequality

Last but not least: an attempt to overcome the risk of ‘content specialization’



3. Research design and methodology 3. Research design and methodology

3.1 Research questions3.1 Research questions

• How do working class families support young people’s transition toward independent living and what is their role in their housing transition?

• What negotiation occurs between different cultural horizons, which different generations (working class parents and their sons/daughters) have?

• Which factors shape housing transitions of working class young people?

• What representations of independent living do working class young people have?

• Which practices of independent living are acted by working class young people?

3.2 Methodology and methods3.2 Methodology and methods

• Qualitative longitudinal methodology

• Biographical interviews (Bertoux 1999)



3.3 Case study selection3.3 Case study selection

• Case study (cf. case study method, Yin 2009) in Bologna (city and its urban belt);

• Choice based on its dimension (middle-sized urban centre), high presence of small-middle size manufacturing industries and, as a consequence, of working class people;

• Extended to municipalities in the urban belt, in consideration of high rates of commuting for labour, and the specificity of the housing market in Bologna (‘escape’ since the early '80s from the centre to the periphery due to the high cost of housing both for rent and for sale).

• Work in progress: the possibility of including a second case study, to be carried out in Leeds (UK), is currently under evaluation.



3.4 Sampling procedure3.4 Sampling procedure

• Purposeful sampling procedure (Patton 2002)

• Sample of working class parents and their young-adult children (25-39 years old), who have somehow already taken their pathways towards independent living, resident in the Municipality of Bologna or in the following municipalities of the urban belt (Anzola, Calderara di Reno, Castelmaggiore, Granarolo Castenaso, San Lazzaro, Pianoro, Sasso Marconi, Reno, Zola Predosa)

• Planned 20 family cases: 20 interviews to young people (10 male and 10 female), as well as to their family (parents or referring adults),

• Also bear in mind: saturation → it could lead to a different amount of interviews (Mason 2010).



3.4.1 How to define “working class”? 3.4.1 How to define “working class”? •Different traditions and approaches (cf., for example, Cobalti and Schizzerotto 1994, EGP- Erikson, Goldthorpe and Portocarero classification scheme) •In empirical research with a small sample size, it isn't reasonable and possible to adopt a "fine-grained" categories’ differentiation (Lareau 2003, 260)

Operational definition adopted in this research:

•those living in household in which neither parents is employed in a position that either entails substantial managerial authority or centrally draws on highly complex, educationally certified (college-level) skills;

•those living in household in which at least one parent in employed in a position that has a little or no managerial authority and does not draw on highly complex, educationally certified skills.



3.5 Themes and dimensions of the interview3.5 Themes and dimensions of the interview

Data (questions in interview) Related dimensions

Living arrangements whilst at parents’ home (privacy, freedom, duties)Relationship with the parents/siblings – relationship with the adult children while at home and after leaving home Consequences of the presence of siblingsSupport given/received during the process of leaving home and after (what kind of support, who gave it, evaluation and opinions about support received or not received) [questions n. 5-7, 13,20-27]

ASupport, role of family and other

actors

Opinion and views on renting/homeownership in general and in the family case Opinion and views about the ideal accomodation arrangements Opinion and views about the meaning of being independentOpinion and views about the meaning of being adultOpinion and views about the meaning of home and its relevance in one’s own lifeReflections upon differences with the previous generations[questions n. 14-16, 33-36, 40, 44]

BCultural and generational dimensions



3.5 Themes and dimensions of the interview 3.5 Themes and dimensions of the interview Data (questions in interview) Related dimensions

Reasons for leaving home Reasons for renting or owning his/her current accommodationFamily background (socio-economic characteristics) and family housing history as emerges in its complex from the interview[questions n. 8, 14, 41 and various narrations and in the interview]

CFactors affecting

housing transitions (motivation, etc)

Opinions, views and feelings about leaving home and current living accommodationOpinion and views about the meaning of being independentOpinion and views about the meaning of being adultOpinion and views about the meaning of home and its relevance in one’s own lifeReflections upon differences with the previous generations[questions n. 4,9,11, 33-36, 40] Stages of the process of leaving homeLiving arrangements at the current living accommodation (privacy, freedom, duties)Budget and expenses to deal with in the current accommodationProblems to face and strategies to cope with[questions n. 1-3, 10, 12, 28-32]

D1Representation of independent living

D2Practices of

independent living



4. Early findings: family’s role and ways to support independent living4. Early findings: family’s role and ways to support independent living

- specific and creative “micro-economy system” within each household and across generations

- “struggle” to buy a house for the adult child or children (in this case, economic resources are distributed equally). This can be done directly (buying the house) or indirectly (taking mortgages on parents’ shoulder, selling other goods or properties, etc).

- Parents’ support (during leaving home process):

Material: in form of economic support both direct (money to buy furniture, etc) and indirect (giving as present new furniture, or/and old furniture present at the parents’ home)

Non material: suggestions and advice in house management, etc, especially when resources were scarce and they couldn’t afford to buy a house

- …and after: preparation of food supply, bills payment, cleaning, baby-sitting (or dog/cat sitting!)

- When buying a house, parents tend to invest money in properties near their resident area (same neighbourhood when not same house!)

“ well…. 13 years ago already… they bought a very little flat so that….once self-sufficient I could have gone living alone….very little indeed, but…they very cunning! They said, we buy it near us so she

stay near…she goes away, nut stays near!” [family case 3, daughter, aged 29, living alone in owned home]



4. Independent living, adulthood and the meaning of home. 4. Independent living, adulthood and the meaning of home. Cultural negotiation Cultural negotiation between parents and adult childrenbetween parents and adult children

- “Being independent” means living on one’s own, “having a roof over someone’s head”, either renting or home owning….BUT homeownership is a common dream, everybody’s goal

→normalisation of homeownership (McKee 2012, 854)

- Being adult = be responsible and wise. Living alone can enhance the individual growth in this sense, and still represents a rite of passage, a “turning point” to adulthood

- Home means nest, protection, harbour, central key of their lives. Especially for youth, it represents something of their own → statement and acknowledgement of their personal identity (in case they “have to step back” to parents home, feeling as frustration, depression, insecurity emerge → reduction and negation of the personal identity)

“I don’t’ feel free to express myself! (…) I don’t feel anymore …..to be honest as I am living now I don’t feel to be myself anymore. I’m changed (…) I feel unfulfilled, demoralized, a little bit of everything.. I feel down”

[family case 2, son, aged 31, living with his partner and their daughter by the partner’s mother’ home]

- Living on one’s own is also a way to discover oneself, and the meanings of home evolve together with individual needs: from mere “dormitory”, just to sleep, to space for aggregation and socializing, to “little domestic hearth” [family case 1, son, aged 31, living alone in parents owned home and paying a symbolic rent to them]

- Youth highlight a strong tie with the family; it’s difficult to think leaving parents and go far away (especially when parents bought them the house, but also in renting decision and choices family ties still play an important role)

→complex family and strong ties (Santorelli and Cottone 2009)



ReferencesReferences

Bourdieu, P., (2001), La distinzione, il Mulino, Bologna.Bertaux, D., (1999), Racconti di vita: la prospettiva etnosociologica, Milano, Franco Angeli. Choo, H.Y., Ferree, M.M., (2010), Practicing Intersectionality in Sociological Research: A Critical Analysis of Inclusions,

Interactions, and Institutions in the Study of Inequalities, in «Sociological Theory», vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 129-149.Cobalti, A., Schizzerotto A., (1994), La mobilità sociale in Italia, Bologna, Il mulino.Collins, P.H., (2000), Black feminist thought, New York, Routledge. Crenshaw, K., (1989), Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: a black feminist critique of antidiscrimination

doctrine, feminist theory, and antiracist politcs, University of Chicago Legal Forum, n. 139.Crenshaw, K., (1991), Mapping the margins: intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of colour, in

«Stanford Law Review», vol. 43, no. 6, pp. 1241-1299.Davis, K., (2008), Intersectionality as a buzzword: A sociology of science perspective on what makes a feminist theory

successful, in «Feminist Theory», vol. 9, no.1, pp. 67-85. Erikson, R., Goldthorpe, J.H., (1992), The constant flux, Oxford, ClarendonLareau, A., (2003), Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race and Family Life, Berkeley, CA, University of California Press.Mason, M.(2010). Sample Size and Saturation in PhD Studies Using Qualitative Interviews, in «Forum Qualitative

Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research», 11(3).McCall, L., (2005), The complexity of intersectionality, in « Signs», vol. 30, no.3, pp. 1771-1800.McKee, K., (2012) Young People, Homeownership and Future Welfare, in «Housing Studies», 27:6, 853-862 Patton, M. Q., (2002), Qualitative evalutation and research methods, Sage, London. Santorelli, E. and Cottone, F. (2009), Leaving home, family support and intergenerational ties in Italy: some

regional differences, in «Demographic Research», vol 21, article 1, pp 1–22.

Yin R.K., (2009), Case Study Research: Design and Methods, SAGE, California.



Thank you for your attention!Thank you for your attention!

For any suggestions, questions, and further details, please get in touch

[email protected]

[email protected]

housing studies association annual conference york, 15 th -17 th april 2014

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