The meaning of ‘home’ in contemporary english culture

Abstract This paper develops an earlier and more speculative article on the meaning of the home by drawing on material generated in a recent household survey in three English towns. It first considers the frequently repeated view that men experience home as haven while women experience it more negatively as a place of work and entrapment. No evidence is found to support this view, for although they divide domestic work unevenly between them, men and women seem to express very similar sentiments about their homes. Next the paper looks at the significance of age and shows that home becomes more important to people as they grow older. Thirdly, it considers the significance of tenure. Here it is found that home ownership does not 'privatise' people in terms of their life styles (as critics have often imagined), but it does create the basis for a stronger sense of 'ontological security' than is found among tenants. Finally, the paper shows very little difference in the cultural meaning of the home in different parts of the country. It is concluded that, although survey evidence like this is limited in its scope and validity, the findings do indicate that we should reconsider some of the myths which have often been taken for granted in the literature on home ownership.