Family and Class in a London Suburb

Peter Willmott, Michael Young

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English

Routledge
01 August 2025

Social issues & processes; Social classes; Sociology: family & relationships

Series: Routledge Library Editions: Family

Originally published in 1960, the authors of Family and Kinship in East London then made an intensive study of a middle-class dormitory suburb. Here families were more often on their own than in the East End, but, despite the differences between the districts, there were some similarities. The bond between mother and married daughter was almost as strong in the suburb as in the city. Most old people, too, were cared for in both places by their children and other relatives, though the authors show how serious were the special problems of the aged in this suburban setting.

The enquiry examined the influence of social class upon community life. This is reviewed in relation to club and church membership and to friendship patterns, and the behaviour of middle and working-class people to each other is discussed. Class tensions, and their effect on the otherwise friendly and neighbourly atmosphere that the authors found in the suburb, provide the main theme of the final chapters.

By: Peter Willmott, Michael Young
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781032534329
ISBN 10: 103253432X
Series: Routledge Library Editions: Family
Pages: 188
Publication Date: 01 August 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction 1. Profile of a Suburb 2. House-Centred Couples 3. Generations Apart 4. Are the Parents Deserted? 5. Growing Old Without Children 6. Mothers and Daughters 7. Class and Family Visiting 8. The Organization of Sociability 9. The Pattern of Friendship 10. The Tensions of Social Class 11. In Conclusion – Life in a Suburb. Appendices: Methods of Sampling; Interviewers’ Instructions and Interview Schedule; Effects of Social Mobility; Additional Tables; Tests of Statistical Significance; List of References. Index.

Peter Willmott and Michael Young

Reviews for Family and Class in a London Suburb

Review for the original 1960 publication: ""The bones of hard-won statistics are astutely given flesh and life by some colourful case-histories … it owes as much to the indigenous tradition of Charles Booth as to Middletown and is suffused with a not wholly disguised humanism which in itself contributes to interested writing and therefore interesting reading."" – The Times Literary Supplement