Thanks to Steve Rooney for putting me onto the very excellent Class Ceiling website. The site is run by Sam Friedman, Daniel Laurison and Ian McDonald and funded by the ESRC and London School of Economics. It basically documents the enduring importance of class as a way of understanding British society.
The site is full of stories and statistics that make this point. Here are just a few to get you riled up.
- In higher managerial and professional occupations people from working-class backgrounds earn on average 16% less than those from privileged backgrounds. This amounts to an average of £6,800. This grows if you look at more elite professions such as finance and medicine.
- Although only a third of the population come from professional backgrounds they make up 73% of doctors, 62% of lawyers and 58% of academics.
This body of research is really valuable for discussions about social mobility and social equity.
Enjoy looking into it and channel your sense of outrage!
Adventures in Career Development 