Kitchen-table society : a case study of the family life and friendships of young working-class mothers in urban Norway

Through two years of anthropological fieldwork in the suburbs of Bergen, Norway's second largest city, the author has listened carefully to the conversations of young working class women. In this intimate study, she examines how the lives of these women are shaped, what dignity and self-respect means to them, and how they define their identities as women. She discusses such topics as the rising rate of divorce, women's culture, and how these women play a crucial role in creating and maintaining a cultural life style for their families.