My brother’s keeper: masculinities, social mobility and the role of familial care for working-class men

Abstract

Research on social mobility continues to foreground the role of familial relationships. Studies of students who are first-in-family to attend university have often highlighted the intensity of familial obligations. Drawing on longitudinal research with upwardly mobile young men from working-class (and working-poor) backgrounds, this article presents three case studies focused on their relationship with their brothers who were on different, less upwardly mobile pathways. We understand gender to be discursively constructed and relationally negotiated through various interactions and the roles individuals come to embody. Research into caring masculinities foregrounds the various ways men are no longer disconnected from traditional feminine practices, particularly those concentrated on caring for others. We draw on the words of three upwardly working-class young men regarding how they perceived their relationship with their younger brothers, focusing specifically on the subjectivities they present as protector, supporter and familial caregiver.