Social exclusion : theoretical background and policy implications for young families who relocate to non-metropolitan areas

The relocation of people away from major cities is one of the key contemporary demographic shifts currently underway in Australia. The reasons for this trend are unclear, although initial evidence suggests push factors such as high housing costs in the major cities, and pull factors such as the appeal of a low stress lifestyle, are major contributors to many young families’ decisions to leave metropolitan areas. Whether by choice or by compulsion, non-metropolitan relocation can have a significant impact on the life options of young families. Rather than achieving an idyllic lifestyle, many young families become increasingly vulnerable to social isolation and dislocation from key institutions of education and employment. A major social policy challenge confronts Australian governments and non-government agencies in responding to the social and economic needs of these young families.This paper explores whether the concept of social exclusion is useful for understanding the experiences of young families who relocate to non-metropolitan areas. The term ‘social exclusion’ encompasses ‘not only low material means but the inability to participate effectively in economic, social, political and cultural life’ (Green cited in Baum, Stimson, O’Connor, Mullins and Davis 1999: 4). We have focused on young families, that is families with children aged 0-8 years, because the well-being and opportunities for these children is significantly compromised by the social exclusion of their families (Travers 2001).