The framing of social class distinctions through family food and eating practices

Wendy J. Wills, Mei-Li Roberts, Kathryn Backett-Milburn, Julia Lawton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

120 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Drawing on two qualitative studies which looked at diet, weight and health from a social class perspective, we use Bourdieu's theory of habitus to help explain the different food and eating practices undertaken by families with young teenagers. Whilst the families displayed considerable reflexivity when making decisions about what to eat on a daily basis, the analysis highlighted that everyday behaviours are still bounded by distinctions of taste, according to social position. The paper includes an examination of the relationships between different forms of capital and whether form or functionality is prioritised within families. We show the importance of temporal frameworks when interpreting classed food and eating practices.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)725-740
JournalThe Sociological Review
Volume59
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

Keywords

  • social class
  • eating practices
  • food
  • family

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The framing of social class distinctions through family food and eating practices'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this