Tally Katz-Gerro

Applying practice theory to the study of consumption: Theoretical and methodological considerations:

In the context of continuing debate in social theory and philosophy about the structure-agency problematic, recent years have seen scholars (re)turn to this theoretical complexity through so-called theories of social practices. Practice theories are a set of cultural and philosophical accounts that focus on the conditions surrounding the practical carrying out of social life. It has roots in the philosophy of Heidegger and Wittgenstein and social scientific roots in the work of early Bourdieu, early Giddens, late Foucault and Butler. Their insights have recently become fused in a composite philosophical ontology of practices developed by Theodore Schatzki (1996, 2002) and colleagues (Schatzki et al., 2001). Together with the useful theoretical mapping provided by Reckwitz (2002) – who sketches practice theory as an ideal type, drawing out its peculiarities through a contrast with theoretical narratives in the broader domain of ‘cultural theories’ – it could be argued that practice theories have come to occupy salient theoretical space across the social sciences and humanities. When Reckwitz (2002) drafted his overview, the principles of these perspectives had already made inroads in ‘science studies, gender studies and organizational studies’ (p. 257). In recent years, this has spread to include anthropology, cultural studies, design studies, environment and

Culture consumption in Sweden: The stability of gender differences

Abstract This paper explores the salience of gender in shaping culture consumption patterns in Sweden, independently of other socio-economic factors. The analyses focus on two indicators of culture consumption: highbrow leisure activities and lowbrow TV watching preferences. The findings indicate that gender differences in culture consumption are considerable and that they are stable independently of the effect of education, occupational class position, age, family status, urban status, and income. Women are more active in the sphere of highbrow culture than men, while men have higher average scores on the lowbrow consumption index. This finding stands also when looking at sub-categories in the sample. These gender differences are at odds with current explanations of differences in cultural consumption, pointing to the need for further theoretical and empirical explorations of the way gender shapes consumption in interaction with class, education, and other factors.

Cultural consumption and social stratification: Leisure activities, musical tastes, and social location

This article examines the extent to which different cultural preferences are associated with occupational class and other stratifying dimensions in contemporary American society. Building on existing research that tends to analyze leisure activities and cultural tastes separately, I construct cultural profiles that combine participation in leisure activities and tastes in music. Using this method allows me to go beyond the common highbrow/lowbrow distinction. I analyze data from the 1993 culture module of the General Social Survey and find four cultural types: highbrow, popular, outdoor nature, and youth music. I discuss the association of the four culture types with different dimensions of stratification. The findings support the conclusion that, while class indeed matters, the main determinants of cultural preferences are race, gender, education, and age.

COMPARATIVE EVIDENCE OF INEQUALITY IN CULTURAL PREFERENCES GENDER, CLASS, AND FAMILY STATUS

ABSTRACT In a recent work, Erik Olin Wright proposed using the word clender to designate the interaction term between class and gender, emphasizing that class and gender interact in generating effects that are supplemental to their independent effects. This article reports the application of Wrights suggestion to the empirical example of cultural consumption in estimating the interactive effect of class and gender on cultural consumption in five countries. The empirical application presented here also considered interactions between gender and family status. The findings revealed three interesting variants in the way clender works: (1) a disadvantaged consumption score for women of the lower classes in Italy and Sweden; (2) an advantage in cultural consumption for women of the upper classes in West Germany and the United States; (3) no cultural consumption differences between men and women of different classes in Israel. The interaction between gender and family status was also manifested in different ways in the different cases. This article adds to the literature that juxtaposes gender and class within the sociology of consumption and draws new connections between social and cultural boundaries based on an international comparison.

Higher Education: is more better? Gender Differences in Labour Market Returns to Tertiary Education in Israel

Research on the transition from post-secondary education to the labour market refers mainly to differences between academic and vocational tracks in secondary education. In this paper we analyse Israeli data focusing on the transition from different levels of post secondary degrees and from various fields of study to the labour market. We examine three labour market outcomes: employment status, occupational prestige attainment, and job match. Data are drawn from a supplement to the 1983 Israeli Census, which includes a random sample of Israels tertiary education degree holders (vocational and academic). Our central finding is that men who work in female-dominated occupations get better returns than women, and women who work in male-dominated occupations get better returns than men. We discuss several explanations of this finding.

Voracious Cultural Consumption The intertwining of gender and social status

This article contributes to the study of stratification in consumption activities by focusing on the association between ‘voracious’ leisure, gender and social status. Cultural voraciousness is a measure of the pace and pattern of leisure activities designed to complement the concept of cultural omnivorousness. We show that men are more voracious than women but that the pattern of the relationship with social status is not significantly different: individuals with higher levels of human, economic and cultural capital are more voracious than others regardless of gender. However, we find support for a reinforcement effect of gender and social status, which creates the greatest differential in voraciousness between men with the highest social status and women with the lowest, lending support to the idea that voracious cultural consumption acts as a marker of social boundaries and a sign of social exclusion.

The Rise of the Eclectic Cultural Consumer in Denmark, 1964–2004

Existing research on cultural stratification and consumption patterns rarely presents a cross-time comparative perspective and rarely goes back before the 1980s. This article employs a unique series of surveys on cultural participation collected in Denmark over the period 1964–2004 to map the historical development of three distinct cultural consumption groups (eclectic, moderate, limited) also identified in previous research. We report two major findings. First, the eclectic (or “omnivorous”) cultural consumption group existed as far back as the 1960s and has since the 1980s comprised about 10 percent of the Danish population. Second, the major stratification variables—income, education, and social class—are strong predictors of cultural eclecticism in Denmark, and the predictive power of these stratification variables appears not to have declined in any substantive way over the past 40 years.

Environmental Philanthropy: Is It Similar to Other Types of Environmental Behavior?

The authors analyze environmental philanthropy as a form of environmental behavior that has received scant attention in the literature. Environmental philanthropy refers to the giving of time and money in support of environmental issues through environmental nongovernmental organizations. The authors examine the way values, knowledge, political orientation, and a variety of sociodemographic variables are associated with environmental philanthropy and compare it with several other forms of environmental behaviors. Results from analysis of a sample of 1,565 American students indicate that environmental philanthropy is not shaped by the typical set of variables influencing environmental behavior that are reported in the literature. They conclude that the personal traits that shape environmental philanthropy should be theorized differently than other environmental behaviors.

Factors predicting proclivity and intensity to volunteer for the environment in the US and South Korea

This research compares environmental volunteering among students in South Korea and the US (n = 3612). Given differing environmental histories of these countries, we explore whether and to what extent volunteer proclivity and intensity varies, and potential factors that explain existing variation. Findings suggest that American students are more likely to volunteer for, and devote time to, environmental causes, while South Korean students differ on socio-economic correlates of such behaviour. In a global society, understanding determinants of environmental volunteer participation is critical to the management of environmental NGOs that are involved in broad-based and participatory planning, educating stakeholders and legitimising environmental advocacy.

Religion, Religiosity, and Cultural Stratification: Theoretical Links and Empirical Evidence

Purpose – Religion is an important driving force behind many lifestyle decisions. Therefore, it is surprising that research on cultural consumption and stratification has linked religion and religiosity with consumption patterns only to a limited degree. In this chapter, we outline several theoretical directions that can be used for studying the link between religion, religiosity, and cultural consumption and the consequences of this link for cultural stratification. Design/Methodology/Approach – Our empirical analysis is based on data from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), conducted in 2007 and pertaining to samples from 33 countries. Findings – We present cross-national evidence illustrating that, first, there is a positive correlation between religiosity and cultural consumption in many countries and, second, there is little evidence that religion is significantly linked to cultural consumption. Furthermore, we find that the effect of religiosity on cultural consumption is comparable to that of important socioeconomic factors such as education and socioeconomic status. We offer three possible explanations to the findings. First, that religious individuals tend to be active individuals; therefore, they go more often to religious services and they are active also in cultural participation. Second, a certain level of religiosity affects cultural consumption by setting standards for the intensity of social ties. Third, religiosity plays a central role in marking boundaries of cultural distinction. In the last part of the chapter, we delineate motivations for further research interest in the link between religion and cultural consumption and discuss possible avenues for the development of such research.