Understanding downward social mobility
|
1 in 5 people experience downward mobility in their lives, with
some moving into a vicious cycle of low pay and low self-esteem, a
new Social Mobility Commission report has found. The research
carried out for the Commission by Ipsos MORI shows how unfairly
that downward movement is shared. Women, notably with children, and
non-graduates are more likely to move down than others. But so are
children of front-line workers and those from Black, Asian and
Minority Ethnic (BAME)...Request free
trial
1 in 5 people experience downward mobility in their lives, with some moving into a vicious cycle of low pay and low self-esteem, a new Social Mobility Commission report has found. The research carried out for the Commission by Ipsos MORI shows how unfairly that downward movement is shared. Women, notably with children, and non-graduates are more likely to move down than others. But so are children of front-line workers and those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, particularly those born outside the UK. While most policy experts look at ways of helping people move up occupational groups to become more socially mobile, many ignore the fact that to do so others have to move down. In the post-war decades there was room at the top following a mushrooming of professional and managerial jobs. But this is no longer the case and progress is stagnant. Those from professional classes at the top often hang on to their jobs, through networking and help from their parents. While others, whose parents may have struggled to get into high status jobs, have shifted down. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has already made us re-evaluate and give higher recognition to key workers such as nurses, porters, cleaners and shop workers and the Commission believes they should also be better rewarded. The Commission calls for a new debate to ensure fairer recognition for a broader range of occupations. The report Changing gears: understanding downward mobility, is the first to look in depth at the reasons behind downward mobility and the impact it has. It defines those who are downwardly mobile as those who have dropped at least one occupational class below their parents. It also looks at the difference between voluntary and involuntary downward mobility. The first reason, by choice, could be to improve work life balance or explore a more interesting career. However, others are forced to move down because they don’t have the right qualifications, they lose their jobs, or their circumstances change. This in-depth qualitative research looks at the impact on both these groups. Some felt content to shift down a gear. Others felt undervalued and had lost their sense of purpose. Steven Cooper, interim co-chair of the Social Mobility Commission said:
Key findings
The Commission does not make direct recommendations but wants to open up the debate about downward mobility and reassess what ‘up’ and ‘down’ look like. For example, the data shows that many children of front line workers have moved ‘down’ an occupation group partly because occupations such as nursing, the police and the military are now much more likely to be graduate-led than in the past. The Commission argues that those who do not choose to be downwardly mobile need support and recognition for the work they do. Sometimes this will be higher pay, but it will also be about greater use of apprenticeships, extra training in the right skills and better career progression. The Commission has already drawn up an employers’ toolkit to help employers attract and recruit a higher proportion of workers from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Professor Lindsey Macmillan (Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, UCL) said:
Ben Page, Chief Executive, Ipsos MORI said:
The study uses three occupational groupings:
Notes to editorsThe Social Mobility Commission is an independent advisory non-departmental public body established under the Life Chances Act 2010 as modified by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. It has a duty to assess progress in improving social mobility in the UK and to promote social mobility in England. The Commission board comprises:
Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute brings together methodological and public policy experts dedicated to developing and conducting customised research for clients in the government and public sector to help them make better, evidence-based decisions. The research was carried out with Dr Luke Sibieta (Sibieta Economics of Education) and Professor Lindsey Macmillan from the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, UCL Quantitative analysis by Professor Lindsey Macmillan and Dr Luke Sibieta based on secondary analysis of major social surveys. Data were taken from:
|