Female working class youth culture in a work situation

Abstract

This thesis, which examines female working class youth culture in work, was prompted not only by the lack of studies of female youth but also the limited range of locations where youth had been studied,two major weaknesses in the sociology of youth culture. Previous empirical and theoretical research had focussed almost exclusively, either explicitly or implicitly, on male youth. Studies had been conducted in either schools where youth was in a subordinate position to adults, or leisure spheres, where adults were usually absent.In contrast, in this study among semi-skilled workers, youth and adults had similar tasks and similar status.The research was carried out amongst women and girls in two contrasting locations, a ceramics factory and the computer input department of a mail order company, over a period of six months. A flexible research design, using participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire was adopted.The activities and responses of the workers reflected a culture which,though it could be described as youthful, was not confined to the young girls; it was a feminine, rather than an age based culture.Yet, in both companies, management in expectation of disruptions by young workers, had developed containing strategies. Though all existing theories of youth culture postulate differences between youth and adult responses, they do not always consider the circumstances under which such differences occur. Hence, since it appears to be different from other locations, work as a critical case for the testing of youth culture is discussed in the final section of this thesis. The discussion is concluded with a consideration of the extent to which youth culture is a response to the class, age and gender position of young people in contemporary society.