Social Forces Shaping Life Chances and Life Choices

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.