HABITUS AND MONEY: THE INSCRIBING OF ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS IN EVERYDAY LIFESTYLES A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL STUDIES ON THE AUTONOMY OF HABITUS BEYOND FINANCIAL RESOURCES

This article examines the relationship between habitus and economic capital on the basis of a systematic review of empirical studies from the years 2000 to 2025. Based on Pierre Bourdieu's theory of capital, the question of the extent to which economic resources shape habitualized practices or whether habitus has an independent power of action is examined. A review of around 60 relevant studies – including ethnographic case studies, quantitative surveys and mixed-methods approaches – reveals an ambivalent picture: On the one hand, financial resources act as a structuring condition of educational decisions, consumption styles and social mobility opportunities. On the other hand, dispositions are emerging that are anchored transgenerationally and resistant to short-term economic fluctuations. Especially in the area of cultural practices and educational paths, differences come to light that cannot be explained by income levels alone. Biographies of advancement also illustrate that economic success does not automatically go hand in hand with a change in habitus, but often leads to tensions in the sense of a "habitus clivé". Theoretically, it can be concluded that habitus and money have a relational relationship: economic capital opens up room for manoeuvre, while habitus determines the way in which it is appropriated. In practice, this implies that material transfers alone are not sufficient to reduce social inequalities as long as habitual structures remain untouched. The article therefore argues for greater consideration of habitualized dispositions in educational and social policy and outlines research perspectives that focus in particular on digital fields and transnational contexts.