What kind of system is the one that accumulates colossal fortunes by the mass-scale closure of workplaces while forcing millions of people to ghettos, unhealthy living conditions, wretched housing estates, schools operating in car parks, stand-courses, hopeless little jobs and racial police harassment?

The article reviews the sociological theories of postindustrial societies, and attempts to find the categories that describe and reproduce the new inequalities. It tries to explain why and how the conditions of socialization, the integration into the professional world and the individual trajectories have changed in the new structure. The prolonged period of adolescence brings about not only a re-evaluation of the role of family, family education and disciplining but also other forms of the reproduction of social inequalities. Academic titles and degrees are becoming more and more important that give an advantage in the flexible labor market besides the academic-cultural prestige.

The study gives an empirical analysis of the formation of political orientations and sets of values of the youth in Hungary after the change of regime, and it seeks an answer to the question how we can explain the popularity of the political right amongst young people. The authors examine to what extent the trends and value orientations characteristic of the postindustrial societies can be observed in Hungary and to what extent they continue to be shaped by the hegemonic narratives of the state socialist past. Party preference does not necessarily imply commitment to a set of values amongst the youth; the parliamentary left can improve its position in this age group if it is able to formulate an alternative that gives concrete answers to the challenges of modern society (globalization, national identity, problems of employment).

Imre Kabai: Social stratification and life events. The Hungarian youth in the postindustrial age,
Új Mandátum Könyvkiadó, Budapest, 2005.