ABSTRACT
Young people in different parts of Europe face different kinds of ‘structure’ in terms of institutionalised traditions in education and training systems and also in terms of labour markets. Different familial and cultural expectations impinge upon them and the degree of agency or scope for progressive individualisation may differ. There seems to be a growing agreement among social scientists that the modernising processes of the western world have not led to a higher degree of social equality, but may instead lead to a further ‘encrustment’ of the social structure of industrial societies. Reliable orientations which were formerly provided through participation in collectivities with commonly shared perspectives now tend to be replaced by interpretations derived from self-reflection based on only temporary and preliminary knowledge. Social background plays an important part in contemporary transitions and represents a continuing aspect of social structure.
