Housing Histories and Fragmented Middle-class Careers: The Case of Marginal Professionals in London Council Housing

Abstract

This paper contributes towards understanding the dynamics of employment and housing among the middle classes with reference to a study of ‘marginal professionals’ living in London council housing. Using employment and housing history data drawn from interviews with professionals who rented flats from Camden Council in inner London, it is argued that they constitute an economically marginal part of the new middle class, that section of the middle classes typically associated with inner-city gentrification. The professionals in council housing were a mixture of self-employed artists and public sector welfare and educational employees, and the occupational career paths of this mainly female group tended to take fragmented forms. The paper also demonstrates the relevance of political and social values for understanding the location of these professionals within the London housing market. It is suggested that although the presence of the middle classes among council tenants in inner London boroughs such as Camden is likely to decline, the socio-economic and demographic factors underpinning the creation of marginal professionals are likely to persist.

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