Qualitative secondary analysis in austere times: ethical, professional and methodological considerations

Recent debates in qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) have sought to move beyond polarising arguments in order to develop more nuanced perspectives on the epistemological, analytical and practical opportunities and challenges associated with its methods. This is generally to be welcomed, although there are also signs of unhelpful primary/secondary divisions finding new forms of expression. Focusing on definitional issues and wider contexts of QSA helps to explain the possible sources of ongoing tensions while affording tentative insights into potential opportunities and synergies across the primary/secondary spectrum. Building on work undertaken within the Timescapes Qualitative Longitudinal study, the article also highlights some under-examined costs and risks that may come along with new opportunities created by secondary analysis. Issues of over-privileging secondary analysis claims, making and the timing of qualitative secondary analysis are foregrounded as requiring further consideration if researchers are to take seriously lingering suspicions and fears about qualitative secondary analysis and not dismiss them as simply reactionary or self-serving

The spectre of the wheezy dad: Masculinity, fatherhood and ageing

This article explores concerns about, and experiences of, ageing amongst men during the early years of fatherhood. Despite acknowledgement of the interconnectivities between age and gender, accounts of ageing masculinity have been relatively overlooked, particularly in relation to younger and middle-aged men’s perceptions of ageing. However, some evidence suggests that despite a general trend towards increasing longevity, anxiety about ageing is occurring at ever younger ages. Drawing on data from a qualitative longitudinal study, this issue is considered here through a parenting lens in light of the wider social trend towards delayed fatherhood. The article focuses on the experiences of men aged 29–54 whose accounts indicate widespread concern about ageing, regardless of their actual chronological age. The analysis foregrounds how these concerns are linked to the continuing association between fathering and physical activity, which highlights the need to consider the implications of advanced paternal age for father–child relationships

"Why aren't you at work?": negotiating economic models of fathering identity

Much has been made of the apparent trend toward men's greater involvement in fatherhood, suggesting moves toward more egalitarian couple relationships characterised by greater role-sharing. Yet alongside this it has also been argued that the breadwinner/provider role remains central to men's fatherhood identity and continues to be underlined by current policy. That providing apparently remains a central aspect of successful fatherhood subsequently raises potential challenges for men who experience unemployment. Presenting illustrative case study data from a qualitative longitudinal study, we explore how changes in occupational trajectories away from models of full-time working outside of the home hold implications for men's sense of competence or vulnerability, and how provider and involved carer positions are intertwined in men's fatherhood identities

The right time for fatherhood? a temporal study of men's transition to parenthood

The participants' detailed accounts demonstrate how age and timing decisions can have a significant impact on the lived experience of fatherhood. The apparent continuation of a standardised trajectory for parenthood and the challenges of deviating from this have particular implications for individualisation and life course theories. The thesis provides a detailed exploration of the way in which men negotiate the timing of fatherhood, thus making a significant contribution to the literature on men's fertility decision-making

The centrality of social capital: concepts of community in the era of the Big Society

Current political agendas are focussed on empowering communities through localism and devolution, as well as encouraging civic activism, suggesting that strong communities are central to the solution for mending ‘broken Britain’. However, little has been made of the theoretical concepts which are used to underpin this approach. This paper stems from a small scoping study exploring a number of theoretical concepts related to community, noting the historical context of the development of concepts and changes in their popularity. The paper delineates several of the concepts which are currently popular, exploring their connections to one another. The review highlights the continuing centrality of social capital to discussions of healthy, connected communities

Why mundane energy use matters: Energy biographies, attachment and identity

In recent years, debates about energy justice have become increasingly prominent. However, the question of what is at stake in claims about energy justice or injustice is a complex one. Signifying more than simply the fair distribution of quantities of energy, energy justice also implies issues of procedural justice (participation) and recognition (acknowledgement of diverse values constitutive of ways of life). It is argued that this requires an acknowledgement of why energy use matters in everyday life. Data from the Energy Biographies project at Cardiff University is used to explore connections between the relational texture of everyday life and the ethical significance of energy. In particular, it is demonstrated that embodiment, attachment and narrative are features of sense-making that contribute significantly to everyday understandings of the ethical meanings of different ways of using energy. Using multimodal and biographical qualitative social science allows these implicit forms of evaluation to become more tangible, along with the relationships between them. Conceiving of energy consumers as subjects with biographies, with attachments, and as engaged bodily in energy consumption can open up, it is suggested, different ways of enacting the procedural and recognition aspects of energy justice

I’m not a tree hugger, I’m just like you’: changing perceptions of sustainable lifestyles

For many in the Western world there is increasing recognition of the fundamentally unsustainable nature of the everyday actions and modes of consumption that form part of normal life. Some individuals attempt to challenge current ways of consuming and living in order to address these underlying issues. However, these efforts often continue to be positioned as unusual or unconventional, meaning that adopting sustainable lifestyles may be subject to wider negative perceptions. At the same time, some forms of action toward sustainable ways of living are becoming increasingly normalised as more people make moves toward sustainable consumption. Drawing on data from the qualitative longitudinal Energy Biographies project, we consider the experiences of those who describe their efforts to live sustainably, the relationship between sustainability and normality, and what the implications of this might be in a context of fundamental trends toward unsustainable social systems