The Meaning of Homeownership

The notion of a property-owning democracy has exerted considerable influence on contemporary British politics. Much of the political and theoretical debate has focussed on the social divisions between owners and renters. This paper explores the connections between mass home ownership and the relations of production. It is argued that meanings, attitudes, and material interests are highly varied between different types of owner occupation and that basic class divisions are being reshaped, rather than fundamentally transformed, by the restructuring of housing tenures.