Families and Poverty

Mary Daly is Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford. Among the fields in which she has published widely are parenting, poverty, care, gender, family and labour market policies. Grace Kelly has been a researcher at Queen’s University Belfast since 1999. Her main interests and expertise relate to issues of social need and poverty.

• Introduction;Introducing the respondents; Family life through an economic lens; The construction, possibilities and limits of family in conditions of poverty and low income; Parents and their children;Wider family relationships and support;Social networks and local engagement;Representing self and family;The policy context and implications of the findings;Conclusion.

"As well as becoming a social policy classic, this book should also be compulsory reading for politicians and policymakers." Social Policy & Administration "A most original reflection on the impact of poverty and austerity on families - theoretically driven and empirically grounded. Wonderful work." Professor Jonathan Bradshaw, University of York "This theoretical framework is welcome because it anchors the book and differentiates it from many of the recent texts on austerity." Jon Warren, Disability and Society "A solid contribution to the international scholarship on families in poverty [that continues] important conversations about how low-income families cope as social services are slashed and restructured" Journal of Children and Poverty "This is both a compelling empirical account of how families live with poverty and a thoughtful theoretical analysis of the relationship between family and poverty." Professor Jane Millar, University of Bath "Its emphasis upon relationships and human interaction gives policy makers richer evidence...around concepts of social, material and economic wellbeing." Journal of Social Policy "This work provides a rare and nuanced insight into the several levels at which the 'sense' of family may enable families on low incomes to survive or 'get by'." Professor Hartley Dean, London School of Economics "This rich study offers important insights into the role of family in the hard work of managing poverty in both private and public spheres" Baroness Ruth Lister, Loughborough University