Browsing by Author "Mikkola, Vera"

Social exclusion is a serious issue both on a societal and an individualized level. The purpose of this thesis is to look into the concept of social exclusion and further explore what factors can put children and young people in danger of becoming socially excluded. Additionally, reasons behind the accumulation of disadvantagedness are studied. Social exclusion as a concept has been researched in abundance over the past few decades, and it has been a recurring topic in politics. The questions of my thesis are the following: What is social exclusion? What factors put children and youths at risk of becoming socially excluded? What causes the accumulation of disadvantagedness? A diverse selection of research papers, reports and books were used as material for this literature review. I researched a variety of domestic theses and other material to find answers to my thesis questions. Based on this literature review it would seem that social exclusion is a pivotal societal and individualized issue that lacks the unequivocal definition. Research suggests that one is at higher risk of social exclusion in their life is in a position of upheaval. Research suggests that the following factors may increase the risk of an individual becoming socially excluded: being in a state of upheaval in one’s life, being an immigrant, doing poorly in school, and having parents who are socially excluded. According to research, disadvantagedness is linked to one’s labour market position, the industry of one’s job, low income, level of education, age, gender, state of health and domestic background. However, the findings of said research are inconclusive on the reasons behind the accumulation of disadvantagedness.