ABSTRACT
It is widely acknowledged that established relationships are undergoing major change and that the pace of change is quicker than at any time in history. Not very long ago many working-class youths in South Wales and the North-East could confidently (if unenthusiastically) expect to follow their fathers into the collieries. Those jobs, already reduced in the 1960s and 1970s, totally disappeared during the late 1980s. Now occupations, where they are to be found, are either state-created ‘govvies’ or in areas such as tourism, retailing and personal care. No one really believes we can return to the old certainties.
