Young Working-class Men Without Jobs : Reimagining Work and Masculinity in Postindustrial Sweden

• This chapter discusses the narratives of young working-class men, living in a small town in Sweden that is located outside the regions with economic growth. As in many other European countries, the rate of unemployment among Swedish youth is disproportionally high. Since working-class masculinity has traditionally been closely connected to wage labor and to the ability to provide for oneself, as well as being the breadwinner of the family, the lack of resources associated with unemployment implies a need to redefine one’s own self-understanding. Masculinity and its relational implications must be re-evaluated and, hence, reimagined. The young men’s narratives presented in here reflect social and cultural changes that have taken place on a structural level related to the labor market, the educational system and the changed conditions for the formation of social identities in a postindustrial society. First this chapter describes the character and prevalence of youth unemployment in a Swedish context. It then discusses the implications for a marginalized masculinity, based on an empirical interview-study with young unemployed men.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Annan humaniora -- Kulturstudier (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Other Humanities -- Cultural Studies (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Annan humaniora -- Etnologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Other Humanities -- Ethnology (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Genusstudier (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Gender Studies (hsv//eng)

Keyword

masculinity

working-class

young men

neoliberalism

unemployment

social identity

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kap (subject category)