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In this groundbreaking study, Linda Cusworth explores the impact of parental employment or unemployment, on the educational and emotional well-being of their children. Using theoretical apparatus from Bourdieu and data from the youth survey of the British Household Panel Study, the research in this book analyzes the impact of parental employment on those born between 1978 and 1990. This study is unique in going beyond the educational achievement and later patterns of employment of the young people studied to look at the whole of children's lives, including their attitudes and aspirations, relationships and emotional well-being. The changed norms of maternal employment and the substantial increase in lone parenthood over the last few decades make this an especially important study both for academics in social and public policy and sociology, and for policy makers.
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The Impact of Parental Employment
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The Impact of Parental Employment
Young People, Well-Being and Educational Achievement
Linda Cusworth University of York, UK
© Linda Cusworth 2009 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Linda Cusworth has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. Published by Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company Wey Court East Suite 420 Union Road 101 Cherry Street Farnham Burlington Surrey, GU9 7PT VT 05401-4405 England USA www.ashgate.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Cusworth, Linda. The impact of parental employment : young people, well-being and educational achievement. -- (Studies in cash & care) 1. Parental influences--Great Britain. 2. Children of working parents--Great Britain--Psychology. 3. Children of unemployed parents--Great Britain--Psychology. 4. Child development--Social aspects--Great Britain. 5. Academic achievement--Social aspects--Great Britain I. Title II. Series 305.2'31-dc22 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cusworth, Linda. The impact of parental employment : young people, well-being and educational achievement / by Linda Cusworth. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7546-7559-4 (hbk.) -- ISBN 978-0-7546-9813-5 1. Children of working parents--Psychological aspects. 2. Work and family--Psychological aspects. 3. Unemployment--Psychological aspects. 4. Children--Psychological aspects. 5. Academic achievement. I. Title. HQ777.6.C87 2009 155.9'240941--dc22 ISBN 9780754675594 (hbk) ISBN 9780754698135 (ebk.V)
2009019242
Contents List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations 1
Introduction
2 Parental Employment and Children’s Outcomes 3
vii ix xiii xv 1 7
Methodology
37
4 Emotional Well-being
57
5 Educational Well-being: Behaviour and Attitudes
103
6 Educational Well-being: Attainment and Progression
153
7 Conclusions
191
Bibliography
199
Appendix A Appendix B
231 235
Index
Constructing the Samples Parental Employment in the BHPS
239
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List of Figures 2.1 Economic activity rates of men and women, 1901–2001 2.2 Female economic activity rates by age-group, 1911–2001 2.3 Distribution of employment across households, 1975–2003
8 9 12
4.1 Model of emotional well-being 4.2 A graph to show the distribution of scores on the happiness