The Framing of Social Class Distinctions through Family Food and Eating Practices

2011/11/01 by Wendy Wills, Kathryn Backett-Milburn, Kathryn Backett‐Milburn +2 · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Cultural Industries and Urban Development #Social and Cultural Dynamics #Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1467-954x.2011.02035.x

openalex publication_date 2011/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

Drawing on two qualitative studies which looked at diet, weight and health from a social class perspective, we use Bourdieu's theory of habitus to help explain the different food and eating practices undertaken by families with young teenagers. Whilst the families displayed considerable reflexivity when making decisions about what to eat on a daily basis, the analysis highlighted that everyday behaviours are still bounded by distinctions of taste, according to social position. The paper includes an examination of the relationships between different forms of capital and whether form or functionality is prioritised within families. We show the importance of temporal frameworks when interpreting classed food and eating practices.

Citations

• Family Habitus as the Cultural Context for Childhood
• Class, Moral Worth and Recognition
• `Making Up' the Middle-Class Child: Families, Activities and Class Dispositions
• Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age

Cited by

• Unpacking the cost of the lunchbox for Australian families: a secondary analysis

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