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Family and Class in a London Suburb

By (author) Peter Willmott, By (author) Michael Young

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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.