This article draws on the accounts of mothers of primary school children in Britain in order to explore the influence of social class in women's lives. It examines psycho-sociological class processes and their formative impact on female subjectivity through a focus on data from a study of mothers' involvement in their children's schooling. These processes become very apparent when mothers talk about their children's schooling, revealing emotive intimacies of class that impact on both their attitudes and their actions. The article concludes that we need to develop approaches in which psychological and sociological understandings are woven together to reveal the complex strands that make up class in contemporary society.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Allatt, Patricia
(1996) `Consuming Schooling: Commodity, Gift and Systems of Exchange', pp. 163-182 in Stephen Edgell, Kevin Hethington and Alan Warde (eds) Consumption Matters. London: Sage.
2.
Bhavnani, Kum-Kum
(1993) `Tracing the Contours: Feminist Research and Feminist Objectivity', Women's Studies International Forum16(2): 95-104.
3.
Blackbum, Robert M.
and Prandy, Kenneth (1997) `The Reproduction of Social Inequality', Sociology31(3): 491-510.
4.
Blackman, Lisa M.
(1996) `The Dangerous Classes: Retelling the Psychiatric Story', in Valerie Walkerdine (ed.) Feminism & Psychology: Special Issue on Social Class6(3): 361-379.
5.
Bostock, J.
(1997) `Clinical Psychology: Research/Practice. Knowing Our Place: Understanding Women's Experience and Causes of Distress', Feminism & Psychology7(2): 239-247.
6.
Bourdieu, Pierre
(1987), `What Makes a Social Class? On the Theoretical and Practical Existence of Groups', The Berkeley Journal of Sociology32(1): 1-17.
7.
Bourdieu, Pierre
(1988) Homo Academicus. Cambridge: Polity Press.
8.
Bourdieu, Pierre
(1990) The Logic of Practice. Cambridge: Polity Press.
9.
Bratlinger, Ellen
, Majd-Jabbari, Massoueth and Guskin, Samuel L. (1996) `Self-Interest and Liberal Educational Discourse: How Ideology Works for Middle-Class Mothers', American Educational Research Journal33(3): 571-597.
10.
Calhoun, Carl
(1995) Critical Social Theory. Oxford: Blackwell.
11.
Chrisler, J.C.
and Howard, D., eds (1992) New Directions in Feminist Psychology: Practice, Theory and Research. New York: Springer.
12.
Connell, R.W.
, Ashenden, D.J., Kessler, S. and Dowsett, G.W. (1982) Making the Difference. Sydney: George Allen & Unwin.
13.
Frankenberg, Ruth
(1993) The Social Construction of Whiteness: White Women, Race Matters. London: Routledge.
14.
Franklin, S.
, Lury, C. and Stacey, J. (1991) `Feminism and Cultural Studies: Pasts, Presents and Futures', in P. Scannell, P. Schlesinger and C. Sparks (eds) Culture and Power: Media, Culture & Society Reader. London: Sage.
15.
Fraser, Nancy
(1992) `The Uses and Abuses of French Discourse Theories for Feminist Politics', in Mike Featherstone (ed.) Cultural Theory and Cultural Change. London: Sage.
16.
Gewirtz, S.
, Ball S.J. and Bowe, R. (1995) Markets, Choice and Equity in Education. Buckingham: Open University Press.
17.
Glaser, B.
and Strauss, A. (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies of Qualitative Research. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson.
18.
Goffman, E.
(1968) Stigma: Notes on the Management of a Spoilt Identity. London: Pelican Books.
19.
Goldthorpe, J.H.
(1983) `Women and Class Analysis', Sociology17(4): 465-488.
20.
Goldthorpe, J.H.
and Marshall, J. (1992) `The Promising Future of Class Analysis: A Response to Recent Critique', Sociology26(3): 381-400.
21.
Hatton, Elizabeth J.
(1985) `Equality, Class and Power: A Case Study', British Journal of Sociology of Education6(3): 255-272.
22.
Hey, Valerie
(1996) '"A Game of Two Halves" - A Critique of Some Complicities: Between Hegemonic and Counter-hegemonic Discourses Concerning Marketisation and Education', Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education17(3): 351-362.
23.
Hey, Valerie
(1997) `Northern Accent and Sourthern Comfort: Subjectivity and Social Class', pp. 140-151 in Pat Mahony and Christine Zmroczek (eds) Class Matters: Working Class Women's Perspectives on Social Class. London: Taylor & Francis.
24.
Holland, Janet
and Ramazanoglu, Caroline (1994) `Coming to Conclusions: Power and Interpretation in Researching Young Women's Sexuality', pp. 125-148 in M. Maynard and J. Purvis (eds) Researching Women's Lives from a Feminist Perspective. London: Taylor & Francis.
25.
Jordan, Bill
, Redley, Marcus and Simon, James (1994) Putting the Family First: Identities, Decisions, Citizenship. London: UCL Press.
26.
Joyce, Patrick
, ed. (1995) Class. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
27.
Lawlor, Stephanie
(1997) '"Getting Out and Getting Away": Women's Narratives of Class Mobility', paper presented at Transformations Conference, Lancaster University, July.
28.
Lee, David J.
and Turner, Bryan S. (1996) Conflicts about Class: Debating Inequality in Late Industrialism. London: Longman.
29.
Lockwood, D.
(1986) `Class, Status and Gender', in R. Crompton and M. Mann (eds) Gender and Stratification. Cambridge: Polity Press.
30.
Luttrell, Wendy
(1997) Schoolsmart and Motherwise: Working-Class Women's Identity and Schooling. London: Routledge.
31.
Lynch, Kathleen
(forthcoming) `Social Class Inequality and Education: The Importance of Equality of Condition for Promoting Equality in Education', British Journal of Sociology of Education.
32.
McRobbie, Angie
(1978) `Working Class Girls and the Culture of Femininity', in Women's Studies Group (ed.) Women Take Issue: Aspects of Women's Subordination. London: Hutchinson.
33.
Mahony, Pat
and Zmroczek, Christine, eds (1997) Class Matters: Working Class Women's Perspectives on Social Class. London: Taylor & Francis.
34.
Marshall, Gordon
(1997) Repositioning Class: Social Inequality in Industrial Societies. London: Sage.
35.
Miller, J.
(1990) Seductions: Studies in Reading and Culture. London: Virago.
36.
Morley, Louise
(1997) `A Class of One's Own: Women, Social Class and the Academy', pp. 109-122 in Pat Mahony and Christine Zmroczek (eds) Class Matters: Working Class Women's Perspectives on Social Class. London: Taylor & Francis.
37.
Muller, W.
and Karle, W. (1993) `Social Selection in Educational Systems', European Sociological Review9(1): 1-23.
38.
Pahl, R.E.
(1989) `Is the Emperor Naked? Some Comments on the Adequacy of Sociological Theory in Urban and Regional Research', International Journal of Urban and Regional Research13: 709-720.
39.
Pakulski, Jan
and Waters, Malcolm (1996) `The Reshaping and Dissolution of Social Class in Advanced Society', Theory and Society25: 667-691.
40.
Phoenix, Ann
and Tizard, Barbara (1996) `Thinking through Class: The Place of Social Class in the Lives of Young Londoners', Feminism & Psychology6(3): 427-442.
41.
Reay, Diane
(1995a) `A Silent Majority: Mothers in Parental Involvement', in R. Edwards and J. Ribbens (eds) Women in Families and Households: Qualitative Research. Women's Studies International Forum Special Issue18(3): 337-348.
42.
Reay, Diane
(1995b). `Using Habitus to Look at "Race" and Class in Primary School Classrooms', pp. 115-132 in M. Griffiths and B. Troyna (eds) Anti-racism, Culture and Social Justice in Education. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books.
43.
Reay, Diane
(1995c) '"They Employ Cleaners to Do That": Habitus in the Primary Classroom', British Journal of Sociology of Education16(3): 353-371.
44.
Reay, Diane
(1996) `Insider Perspectives or Stealing the Words out of Women's Mouths: Interpretation in the Research Process', Feminist Review: Speaking Out: Researching and Representing Women53: 55-71.
45.
Reay, Diane
(1998a) `Classifying Feminist Research: Making Links between Social Class and Psychology', Feminism and Psychology8(2): 155-171.
46.
Reay, Diane
(1998b) Class Work: Mothers' Involvement in their Children's Schooling. London: University College Press.
47.
Reay, Diane
and Ball, Stephen, J. (1997) '"Spoilt for Choice": The Working Classes and Education Markets', Oxford Review of Education23(1): 89-101.
48.
Reay, Diane
and Mirza, Heidi (1997) `Uncovering Genealogies of the Margins: Black Supplementary Schooling', British Journal of Sociology of Education18(4): 477-499.
49.
Savage, Mike
and Egerton, Muriel (1997) `Social Mobility, Individual Ability and the Inheritance of Class Inequality', Sociology31(4): 645-672.
50.
Sennett, R.
and Cobb, J. (1972) The Hidden Injuries of Class. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
51.
Shavit, Y.
and Blossfeld, H-P. (1993) Persistent Inequality: Changing Educational Achievement in Thirteen Countries. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
52.
Shavit, Y.
and Blossfeld, H-P. (1996) `Equalising Educational Opportunity: Do Gender and Class Compete?', in R. Erikson and J.O. Jonsson (eds) Can Education be Equalised?: The Swedish Case in Comparative Contrast. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
53.
Skeggs, B.
(1997) Formations of Class and Gender. London: Sage.
54.
Steedman, Carolyn
(1986) Landscape for a Good Woman: A Story of Two Lives. London: Virago.
55.
Stratton, Jon
(1985) `Youth subcultures and their Cultural Contexts', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology21(2): 214-231.
56.
Strauss, A.
and Corbin, J. (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. London: Sage.
Walkerdine, Valerie
(1996) `Subjectivity and Social Class: New Directions for Feminist Psychology', Feminism & Psychology6(3): 355-360.
59.
Walkerdine, Valerie
(1997) Daddy's Girl: Young Girls and Popular Culture. London: Macmillan Press.
60.
Walkerdine, Valerie
and Lucey, Helen (1989) Democracy in the Kitchen: Regulating Mothers and Socialising Daughters. London: Virago.
61.
Williams, Raymond
(1989) `Resources of Hope', in R. Gable (ed.) Resources of Hope. London: Verso.
62.
Willis, Paul
(1977) Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs. London: Gower.
63.
Woollett, A.
and Phoenix, A. (1997) `Developmental/Educational Psychology: Research/Practice. Deconstructing Development Psychology Accounts of Mothering', Feminism & Psychology7(2): 275-282.
