Families Pass Money and Opportunities Down: Adolescent Constructions of Social Class

Abstract

Poverty is a prevalent issue addressed by social workers and other helping professionals. When working to engage citizens in anti-poverty efforts, it is necessary to understand how people conceptualize social class. In this qualitative study, the grounded theory method is utilized to understand how adolescents describe and define social class. Adolescents view family of origin socioeconomic status, higher education opportunities, and social mobility as key factors that shape individual socioeconomic status.

KEYWORDS:

• Poverty
• adolescence
• grounded theory

Notes

*Gender identity was not noted in three interviews.