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The Transformation of Parents’ Values and Aspirations for Their Children: A Retrospective Qualitative Longitudinal Analysis of Changing Cultural Configurations

Author

Listed:
  • Jane Gray

    (Maynooth University, Ireland)

  • Ruth Geraghty

    (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Ireland)

Abstract

This article contributes to new scholarship on family change as bricolage and institutional layering. Focusing on the classic topic of parental values and aspirations for their children, we used a retrospective qualitative longitudinal analysis to trace the evolution of four overlapping cultural configurations across the 20th century: (1) standing back and not interfering, (2) cultivating achievement, (3) encouraging positive relationships, and (4) promoting happiness and self-fulfilment. We show that there was a directional change in the emphases and inflections placed on these configurations, and in the moral ambivalence that parents displayed as they reconciled them in their narratives. Meanings centred on autonomy and cultivation were layered onto relatedness across changing social contexts. Engaging with recent debates on the value of qualitative interviews, our analysis demonstrates how qualitative longitudinal research can provide rigorous analysis of long-term cultural change.

Suggested Citation

  • Jane Gray & Ruth Geraghty, 2023. "The Transformation of Parents’ Values and Aspirations for Their Children: A Retrospective Qualitative Longitudinal Analysis of Changing Cultural Configurations," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 28(4), pages 1088-1109, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:28:y:2023:i:4:p:1088-1109
    DOI: 10.1177/13607804221137600
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