‘What about the boys?’: Regendered Local Labour Markets and the Recomposition of Working Class Masculinities

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
This paper arises out of our recent work investigating the construction of masculinities. During the research, the issue of the interplay between masculine subjectivities and social destinies became a major concern. This paper seeks to complement parallel studies being conducted with young women on the fashioning of feminine identities. It is suggested here that changing masculine subject positions need to be located within the interrelated nexus of the restratification of state schooling, the restructuring of local labour markets, the development of diverse family forms, recent media representations of masculinities and the resulting reconstitution of working class young people. The primary focus of this paper is to argue the case for bringing together recent relevant literatures around these issues. This will enable us to develop theory‐led empirical research that explores the processes involved in young working class men's new transitions into becoming adults, within the context of training regimes, waged labour, family life and wider consumption patterns. Insodoing, such work may serve to challenge the sociological retreat from social class as a key conceptual and empirical category in our understanding of current changes.