ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book concerns these effects, and applies forms of capital approach to understanding the impact of parental employment and unemployment on the educational and emotional well-being of children and young people. It presents an overview of the policy, theoretical and historical background. The book explains how the research was carried out, providing details of the data sources and samples of young people used in the project. It examines the support for links between mental or emotional well-being, and parental employment patterns, together with personal, familial and other factors, to include family structure, parents' educational qualifications and own emotional well-being, and young people's age and gender. The book explores that parental employment patterns do have an impact on young people's outcomes, through the impact on family socio-economic circumstances, and the provision of a role model and cultural norms and expectations.
