Have the baby boomers stolen their children’s future? Intergenerational inequalities and relationships in the UK

Abstract

There is growing concern that ‘progress’ is stalling, with younger generations worse off than their parents. Part of the explanation given is that the ‘baby boomers’ have benefitted from previous policies and circumstances and are now voting to maintain their privileged position relative to others. This seminar contributes to this debate and also considers whether or not baby boomers are ‘giving something back’ to the children within their families. It therefore focuses on financial gifts within families in order to explore the nature of inter-generational relationships in 21st Century British families. The paper draws on mixed methods research with qualitative interviews with 42 members of 15 families and survey research with 2,000 members of the general public, funded by the Leverhulme Trust. The research was carried out with Ricky Joseph and Louise Overton at the University of Birmingham.

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Biography

Karen Rowlingson is Professor of Social Policy in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work (University of Birmingham), Director of Research for the College of Social Sciences, and Deputy Director of the Centre on Household Assets and Savings Management (CHASM).

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