This study employs Bourdieu’s theory of practice and in particular the concepts “habitus”, “taste”, “distinction”, to analyze the views and the practices of middle-class parents in relation to the extra-curricular activities of their children. Researchers have addressed this issue mainly in terms of quantitative research. This study focuses on the qualitative analysis of 8 parents’ semi-structured interviews.
The parenting styles and strategies have been studied as a starting point of the cultural peculiarity that distinguishes the social classes and is mainly reflected in the theory of Bourdieu. Parental engagement is linked to Bourdieu’s theory and specifically to the notions of “taste” and “distinction”.
Bourdieu’s suspicion over the general belief that individual choice is treated as purely personal is proved to be well founded in the current daily routine of the middle-class family. The choice of particular extracurricular activities is thus analyzed as a feature of social distinction.