Stories of family in working‐class graduates’ early careers

How do young graduates view the role of immediate families in influencing/supporting them as they start their working lives and how do those reflections affect how they think of themselves as graduates? Social, political and economic changes have led to many young people being dependent on family fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British educational research journal 2021-02, Vol.47 (1), p.85-104
Main Authors: Christie, Fiona, Burke, Ciaran
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Appreciation
Bourdieu, Pierre (1930-2002)
Career Development
Careers
College Graduates
College students
Families & family life
Family Influence
Family resources
Family Role
Foreign Countries
Graduate students
Graduates
Inequality
Occupations
Peers
Politics
Positionality
Qualitative research
Reflexivity
Resources
Salience
Self Concept
Social classes
Social Support Groups
Socioeconomic Background
Teachers
Working Class
Young Adults
Youth
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Summary:How do young graduates view the role of immediate families in influencing/supporting them as they start their working lives and how do those reflections affect how they think of themselves as graduates? Social, political and economic changes have led to many young people being dependent on family for longer, but how does this play out in their reflections? This article addresses these questions by reporting upon findings from qualitative research with 14 young people from working‐class backgrounds, who were part of a larger study of recent graduates. Figured Worlds theory illuminates data, with a consideration of the role that family plays in the ‘space of authoring’ and understanding of ‘positionality’. Findings capture vivid stories of the enabling but also limiting role of family. In our analysis of data, we borrow the words ‘salience’ from Holland and her co‐authors and ‘distinction’ from Bourdieu, which help capture different depictions of family. Both articulations of ‘salience’ and a search for ‘distinction’ emerge in how graduates’ stories respond to family. We argue for a greater appreciation of the differing family resources of working‐class graduates, and reject an emphasis on what they may lack, compared to their peers, which has tended to be the case in some media and policy commentary. There are implications for educators to foster student reflexivity about family sensitively, and to be aware of how family backgrounds may influence graduate career paths and students’ awareness of wider inequalities.
ISSN:0141-1926
1469-3518
DOI:10.1002/berj.3689