ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the impact of parental employment and unemployment on outcomes for children and young people. It discusses the key findings of the research. Over recent decades there have been dramatic changes in the employment patterns of men and women, with particularly significant increases in employment rates among mothers. Using forms of capital approach, and data from the British household panel survey (BHPS) this research has explored the impact of parental employment and unemployment on the educational and emotional well-being of children and young people. Using the theoretical framework of Bourdieu, parental employment patterns can be understood to impact upon children's outcomes in several ways: through the effect on household income and socio-economic circumstances (economic capital); through the provision of a role model, and cultural norms and expectations (cultural capital); and through family relationships and interaction (social capital). Childcare policies also have an important part to play in children's well-being.
