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Social Forces Shaping Life Chances and Life Choices

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Weight of Modernity
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Abstract

Chapter 9 is divided into two parts. First, we summarise the findings from previous chapters and then report on three additional socio-cultural trends which repeatedly appeared when the three generations were reflecting on their respective food and physical activity practices, namely: the rise of health consciousness; child-centred family practices; and the attenuation of habits and the embrace of cultural change. After describing these additional socio-cultural trends, we turn to our second research aim: to identify the social forces which provide the socio-cultural trends with their potency. This part of the chapter uses material from three sources—our interviews, social policy, and social and economic histories—to ask whether there is evidence of fundamental social forces shaping the life chances, and hence life choices, of whole cohorts.

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Banwell, C., Broom, D., Davies, A., Dixon, J. (2012). Social Forces Shaping Life Chances and Life Choices. In: Weight of Modernity. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8957-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8957-1_9

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