Differentiation in Housing Careers: The Case of Pakistanis in the UK

Abstract

The paper focuses on intra-ethnic differentiation, rather than inter-ethnic differentiation, which has been a characteristic concern of research on minority ethnic housing. Pakistani housing disadvantage in the UK is complex, in that housing disadvantage is part of a wider pattern. Responding to the tendency in housing research to consider housing issues in a wider context, this paper argues that ethnicity, gender, locality and class have been shown by international researchers to be key factors of intra-ethnic differentiation. The operation of these factors is explored qualitatively using empirical data on housing careers of UK Pakistanis. The discussion demonstrates that these housing careers are markedly differentiated by ethnicity, gender, locality and class, which affect peoples' housing decisions and strategies in various ways. The paper concludes that more effective explanations of persistent housing disadvantage, which can inform more effective policy, are produced by a holistic perspective on housing careers, which explores intra-ethnic differentiation.