Children's food, power and control: Negotiations in families with younger children in England

Rebecca O'Connell, Julia Brannen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article focuses on children's food in families and the power relations in which it is embedded. Drawing on paired interviews with parents and younger children in a qualitative sample (N = 47), and taking a case approach, the article analyses ways in which power and control are negotiated in parent-child relationships in relation to food. Types and extent of control over children's eating are described, and the importance of resources and parents' conceptions of 'the child' considered. In distinction to polarized debates about who does, or should, control children's food in families, the article notes considerable variation between families.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)87-102
Number of pages16
JournalChildhood
Volume21
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2014

Keywords

  • Agency
  • children's food
  • food practices
  • negotiation
  • power

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