Helena Pimlott-Wilson

I am a social and cultural geographer with interests in the ‘Geographies of Children, Youth and Families’ and work and employment.

My recent work brings together these themes investigating the school-to-work ambitions and family life aspirations of young people drawn from socio-economically diverse areas. Funded by the British Academy, this work explores the emotion burdens young people anticipate as they endeavour to achieve a successful future in the context of an individualising political milieu of aspiration and economic uncertainty. The research also looks at the combined effects gender ideology, local labour markets and family employment history have on young peoples’ attitudes to work-life balance for both themselves and their parents.

I am also interested in the geographies of education and learning, examining how neoliberal education policy is implemented, experienced, accepted and resisted by educators and diverse subjects of education. Through a focus on primary education, this research is concerned with the localised implementation of neoliberal policy, the growth of enrichment activities and the interplay between parenting education and local moral geographies of mothering.

My research interests also encompass: (i) international higher education and the mobility of UK and Kazakh students; (ii) children’s experiences of parental employment and gender roles; (iii) Forest Schools and their role in mainstream education; (iv) family raves, sub-cultural identities and parenting practices.