Page 202 - White Lives The Interplay of 'Race', Class, and Gender in Everyday Life

Appendix 2 195
Do issues of race, gender and class come up with your children?
In what ways?
Do your children ever talk about differences of class, race and gender?
Do you talk to your children about any of them?
Does it affect how you choose toys, books, etc. for them?
Do they have friends across differences of race, class and gender?
Are friends who they meet in school different from those they meet
through you?

How did you (or will you) go about choosing a school for your children?
What were you looking for?
What criteria did you use?
How did you find out information about the different schools in the
area?
What are the schools (primary and secondary) like in the area?

Does your child go to after-school activities? (or to a nursery or
playgroup)?

Do you often have your children’s friends round to play?
How are these arrangements made?

How would you describe your nationality?
Is there a reason you said English and not British (or vice versa)?
Do you think that the nature of being British or English has changed
since you were a child?
Do you have a sense of bringing up your children as English or British?

Second interviews
In the second interview, I would begin by briefly summarising some of the
things that we discussed in the first interview and asking the interviewee if
they had thought about the interview since, had anything to add or any re-
flections on it. I would then say that I was seeking in this second interview to
look at aspects of their life that were less to do with children, perhaps to fill
in some of the gaps in terms of finding out about life before children. I would
then ask them to talk about any significant ‘turning points’ in their lives.
The interviews would generally flow from here, with interviewees selecting
what areas to talk about. I would try and ensure that the interviews covered
the following areas: leaving home, education and working life. I would also
prompt them to consider whether questions of class, ‘race’ or gender had
arisen in different parts of their lives.