Globalization, place and the life course: Local economies and middle-class transition to adulthood in two Israeli cities

Abstract

This study explores the ramifications of local economic differences on entering adulthood in the context of globalization. The effect of globalization on patterns of entering adulthood is usually perceived as filtered by particularities at the national level and as differentiated mainly by class. However, economic differentiation within the same country at the regional and municipal level is mostly overlooked. To address this gap, the authors compare the achievement of first homeownership among middle-class households in two Israeli cities differing in the concentration of economic sectors and in housing prices. Utilizing in-depth interviews ( n = 60 [cases]; n = 106 [interviewees]), the study shows how unstable forms of employment and exponentially rising housing prices in one city, and stable employment accompanied by still affordable housing costs in the other, support non-traditional and traditional patterns of entering adulthood respectively. The authors then analyse the Israeli census to confirm different patterns of entering adulthood among educated residents of the two cities. Thus, the study demonstrates how local economies shape different patterns of entering adulthood within the same country and among members of a similar class, suggesting that the relationship between globalization, class and the life course is also mediated by place.