Local social polarization: a case study of Hartlepool

• Published in: International journal of urban and regional research 1987-09, Vol.11 (3), p.331-350
• Main Author: Morris, L. D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case study; Employment; England; Males; Spatial Behavior; Unemployment
• ISSN: 0309-1317; 1468-2427
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2427.1987.tb00053.x

The social & spatial-clustering aspects of employment & unemployment are studied using the example of Hartlepool, England, with attention to labor market conditions, recent work histories, patterns of residence, & future prospects. Explored is the notion of social polarization, or segregation of households of workers from those of the unemployed. Data from interviews with married men (N = 20 employed & 20 unemployed, all below age 60) from 4 different electoral wards of Hartlepool in 1984 indicate a trend of informal recruitment to employment, wherein social contact with employed friends & family increases the probability of finding work. When housing options decline as a result of unemployment, clusters of the long-term unemployed become established, decreasing the opportunity for work-based contacts. It is therefore argued that such spatial clustering is the result of an interaction between age, labor market experience, & situation in the housing market. Spatial clustering in the local social structure affects not only access to work & the development of support networks, but also attitudes toward work. 28 References. Modified HA