Marion Kloep

Peripheral Visions? A Cross-cultural Study of Rural Youths' Views on Migration

This study sets out to investigate anticipatory views concerning out-migration amongst rural youth. Utilising three age-group samples from rural Norway, Scotland and Sweden, young people were classified as prospective stayers, leavers or returners. Both qualitative and quantitative data show that stayers see themselves as most contented with rurality. Leavers are most negative to rural living. Returners, though also critical about rural living, are highly positive towards social relations in their communities. Furthermore, national and gender differences are evident. These varying adolescent constructions of rurality are discussed in relation to possible national policies.

Youth, Lifestyles and Society A Class Issue?

This article sets out to consider the role of social class on present-day adolescents development by briefly examining adolescents `lifestyles in western industrial societies. The article goes on to consider empirical evidence about possible social class influences on various aspects of adolescent socialization in Sweden, Germany and Britain within Abel and McQueens theoretical framework of `resources, `orientations and `behaviours. In particular the article highlights findings from a large-scale and comprehensive study of adolescents lifestyle development. Results show that lifestyle socialization in adolescence is still social class based, though allowing for transitional variations within social class boundaries. The analysis and interpretation suggest that despite opportunities for individual taste and choice to operate in present-day western cultures, elements of social class differentiate among various lifestyles across the teenage years and are especially powerful and pervasive in relation to Abel and McQueens dimensions of `resources (i.e. life chances) and behaviours (i.e. `life conduct).