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'Making up' the middle-class child: Families, activities and class dispositions

Vincent, C; Ball, SJ; (2007) 'Making up' the middle-class child: Families, activities and class dispositions. Sociology , 41 (6) pp. 1061-1077. 10.1177/0038038507082315. Green open access

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Abstract

In this article we draw on data collected from a recent qualitative project to highlight the enthusiasm of middle-class parents for enrolling their under fives in 'enrichment' activities (extra-curricular creative and sporting classes). We seek to identify the part activities play in parental strategies for class reproduction. We first consider the broader issue of children and consumption, drawing out the way in which consumption and leisure activities are highly classed, and focusing on notions of taste and distinction. Then, using examples from the data, we emphasize the sense of urgency and responsibility parents felt concerning their child's development and the classed and gendered involvement of parents. We conclude that enrichment activities are one response to the anxiety and sense of responsibility experienced by middle-class parents as they attempt to 'make up' a middle-class child in a social context where reproduction appears uncertain. Copyright © 2007 BSA Publications Ltd®.

Type: Article
Title: 'Making up' the middle-class child: Families, activities and class dispositions
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1177/0038038507082315
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Education, Practice and Society
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1481529
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