McKee, K., Moore, T.E. orcid.org/0000-0001-5943-3378, Soaita, A. et al. (1 more author) (2017) Generation rent and the fallacy of choice. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 41 (2). pp. 318-333. ISSN 0309-1317
Abstract
‘Generation Rent’ reflects the growing phenomenon in the UK of young people living in the private rental sector for longer periods of their lives. This is a significant change given the importance of leaving home in youth transitions to adulthood. It is further critical given the rapid expansion of the private rented sector in the UK in recent decades, and the more limited rights such private tenants have. This paper draws on qualitative evidence to highlight the impact this has on young peoples’ lives, and broader patterns of social-spatial inequality. Our research highlights that whilst young people maintain long-term preferences for homeownership they nonetheless deconstructed this normalized ideal as a ‘fallacy of choice’, for it was unachievable in reality. Influenced by the work of Foucault, Bourdieu and Bauman, we emphasize how these dominant norms of housing consumption are in tension with objective reality, for their ability to become ‘responsible homeowners’ is tempered by their material resources and the local housing opportunities available to them. Nonetheless, this does not exempt them from the ‘moral distinctions’ being made in which renting is problematized and constructed as ‘flawed consumption’. These conceptual arguments advance international scholarly debates about the governance of consumption, offering a novel theoretical lens through which to examine the difficulties facing ‘Generation Rent’.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 Urban Research Publications Limited. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | consumption; governance; homeownership; private rented sector; youth |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Urban Studies & Planning (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 02 Nov 2016 09:33 |
Last Modified: | 28 Jul 2023 13:16 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/1468-2427.12445 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:106597 |