At Home and Out on the Street: Domestic Labour and Public Space

Abstract

In this chapter I examine two basic sites involved in the production of youth identities — the home and the street — and show how they are affected by and, in turn, influence the experiences of the young working class as they make the transition to adulthood through training schemes. The YTS, because it signals the initial move into waged work and involves the acquisition of a ‘substitute’ wage, has an important bearing on both family and public life. Similarly, what happens to young people at home and on the street are also crucial elements of an overall politics of youth.