Class privilege still entrenched in Britain as social mobility stagnates, says Social Mobility Commission report
|
Inequality is now entrenched in Britain from birth to work and the
Government needs to take urgent action to help close the privilege
gap, the Social Mobility Commission says today. Its sixth
comprehensive State of The Nation report looking at early
childhood, schools, universities, further education and work
reveals that social mobility has been stagnant for the last four
years. Extensive analysis of new ONS data shows the wide gap in
school attainment and income between the...Request free trial
Inequality is now entrenched in Britain from birth to work and the Government needs to take urgent action to help close the privilege gap, the Social Mobility Commission says today. Its sixth comprehensive State of The Nation report looking at early childhood, schools, universities, further education and work reveals that social mobility has been stagnant for the last four years. Extensive analysis of new ONS data shows the wide gap in school attainment and income between the rich and the poor has barely shifted. Being born privileged still means you usually remain privileged. The better off are nearly 80 per cent more likely to end up in professional jobs than those from a working-class background. Even when people from a disadvantaged background land a professional job, they earn 17 per cent less than their privileged colleagues. “Our first state of the Nation report since our new 12 commissioners were appointed last year shows that social mobility has stagnated over the last four years at virtually all life stages,” said Dame Martina Milburn, chair of the Commission. “Being born privileged means you are likelyto remain privileged. But being born disadvantaged means you may have to overcome a series of barriers to ensure you and your children are not stuck in the same trap.” Those from more affluent backgrounds are 70 per cent more likely to move region than from working class backgrounds and three times more likely to move to London. Once in the work place disadvantaged workers get the least training and are more likely to earn less than the voluntary living wage than others. “Our research suggests that being able to move regions is a key factor in being able to accessprofessional jobs. Clearly moving out is too often necessary to move up,” said Dame Martina. “At a time when our country needs to be highly productive and able to carve out a new role in a shifting political and economic landscape we must find a way to maximise the talent of all our citizens, especially those that start the furthest behind.” To help address this inequality the Commission calls on the Government to:
fulfilling and the choice to stay where they grew up rather than moving away.” Early Years (Chapter 2) The report shows that the most disadvantaged families are least likely to be aware of or benefit from the offer of 30 hours free child care. At present the offer is only given for three and four year- olds when one parent works for 16 hours or more a week, but the middle classes benefit most. The Commission calls on the Government to extend the offer to all those parents working eight hours per week as a first step to ensuring it reaches more low- income families. It also reveals that much of the childcare workforce is poorly paid and under-skilled. A shocking 45 per cent of child care workers are on benefits or tax credits. “Extending the current 30 hours of free childcare to those who earn the equivalent of eight hours rather than 16 hours per week will help those who need it most,” said Farrah Storr, SMC Commissioner and Editor-in-chief of Elle magazine. Schools, Further Education and Universities (chapters 3,4,5) Disadvantaged pupils start school years behind their peers in terms of attainment but they can catch up with good schooling. However, the latest figures show a 14-percentage point gap at aged 11 rising to a 22.5 percentage gap at 19. Twice the number of disadvantaged 16 to18 year olds are in further education than in school sixth forms but funding has fallen by 12 per cent since 2011-12. The Commission calls for a significant increase in funding for all 16 to19 year olds and a special student premium for the disadvantaged. Increasing numbers of students from disadvantaged families are entering university but they are more likely to drop out before they graduate. Five years after graduating students who were eligible for free school meals were paid 11.5 per cent less than their peers. “Further education provides alternative life chances for all 16 plus age groups,” said Alastair daCosta, SMC commissioner and chair of the Capital City College Group “Consistent budget cuts have made it more difficult to provide opportunities for everyone. But as 75 per cent of disadvantaged 16 to19 year-olds choose vocational education, the cuts represent a class- based segregation of the school system.” Skills and Living Wage (Chapter 6) Forty-nine percent of the poorest adults have received no training since leaving school, compared to 20 per cent of the richest. Automation is also predicted to disproportionately impact low skilled workers whose jobs are most at risk of being automated. People from working class backgrounds are much more likely to be paid below the voluntary living wage than those from more advantaged backgrounds (27 per cent versus 17 per cent). We recommend that government departments become accredited voluntary living wage employers to include contracted staff. Katherine Chapman, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, said “We know there is cross- party and widespread public support for the real* Living Wage, but there are still cleaners, caterers and security staff, working in vital public sector jobs, who are struggling to get by. It’stime for our major public institutions to lead by example.” *voluntary Other Key Findings
|