Download Causes of Inequality Social Class

Causes of Inequality Social Class
Most of us are familiar with the idea of the American Dream.
Americans like to see their country as an open, classless society, where
individuals have the freedom to express themselves and speak openly about
issues that concern them.
Complementing this is the capitalist economy, which allows individuals to be
enterprising and accumulate wealth for themselves and their families.
Money, it is said, is colour blind and those who work the hardest in the USA,
no matter their colour, class or gender can make it to the top.
America therefore values social mobility. People can go up or down the
social/economic ladder – it depends on how much an individual is willing to
work to achieve his/her potential.
We can leave an analysis of how real the American Dream is to Study Theme
3C, but, undoubtedly, it is a powerful ideology in US life. Many Americans
genuinely believe in the idea of it, whether it actually exists or not.
But, is there a British Dream, or even a Scottish Dream? Do we offer all in our
society equal opportunities to make it to the top? Or is it easier for some to get
the top jobs than others? To what extent is there social mobility in the UK?
This article looks at social class as a cause of inequality.
Race and gender discrimination are dealt with in detail in other articles. That
does NOT mean that social class can be looked at in isolation from gender
and race. Women and racial minorities belong to social classes too.
The barriers that stand in the way of white working class males making it to
the top prevent black women too, perhaps more so. So, when we discuss
social class in this article we are including all people from a social class, be
they male/female, white or minority ethnic.
Inequalities between the classes
It is clear that there are great inequalities between the classes.
Income for a start. Professional occupations enjoy greater pay.
A graduate accountant can reasonably expect to earn around
£18,000 in his/her first job rising to around £45-50k after about
ten years.
Those who work for themselves in their own businesses can of
course earn considerably more if they are successful.
Professionals who work in the private sector have traditionally
earned more than those in the public sector.
Conditions of work, such as holidays, pensions and job security tend to be
worse though.
What the public sector professional loses in terms of salary, (a teacher after
10 years of work earns around £30,000) makes up for it in other ways.
Working class incomes are lower.
However, not all working class people work at minimum wage pay rates.
Bus drivers are paid considerably more and tradesmen, such as plumbers
and electricians, whose skills are in demand, can command good incomes
too.
Working class jobs, where there is a plentiful supply of labour, e.g.
supermarket check out workers, will be paid the lowest wages and are likely
to have less “perks” at work, such as paid holidays or company pension
schemes.
Housing is another area of inequality. A higher salary and job security allows
individuals to obtain a larger mortgage and buy houses in the
“best” areas.
The middle classes are more likely to inherit money and/or a
house from their parents putting them at an even greater
advantage.
In the modern day, getting a “foot on the property ladder” is
crucial in generating wealth.
Houses in “good areas” can be sold at a profit, whereas those who cannot
afford to buy a house can be left behind.
Health is arguably the greatest inequality of them all.
The fact that a working class male in the east end of Glasgow has a lower life
expectancy than a man in Iraq tells us that social class has a huge impact on
an individual’s health.
Social class is not just about money however.
It involves attitudes, values and culture.
Tony Blair used to speak, quite properly, of the importance of the “knowledge
economy”.
In an economic sense, knowledge of skills, language and opportunities are
what separates the successful from the unsuccessful.
Knowledge is power.
Education
Our attitudes, values and culture come from the education we are provided
with.
Not just at school, but at home and in our communities.
Why did Tony Blair go to such lengths to make sure his son went to a
selective school rather than the local comprehensive?
A quick glance at the school “league tables” will tell you why.
In Scotland, the top achieving schools in terms of Higher results are all in the
private sector.
Some independent schools set aside a have a small number of places for
those on a low income.
However, usually, access to these schools, which statistically speaking at
least, almost guarantee sufficient Highers to make it to university, depends on
parents ability to pay the fees, which start at around £3-4k per year.
Within the public sector, there are great differences in attainment between
schools with middle class and working class pupil populations.
This does NOT mean that schools with working class populations are not
doing a good job. Or that they cannot improve.
The opposite may well be the case as teachers and pupils have to work
harder to overcome the barriers to learning.
Many schools “defy the odds” and get better results for their pupils than others
with similar, or even better, social/economic intakes.
In 2006, St Andrew's Secondary School in Carntyne, Glasgow was awarded the
highest rating any school can receive by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of
Education (HMIE).
Congratulations St Andrew's!
(Some of St Andrew's pupils are featured in our Wealth and Health
Inequalities DVD!)
Middle class parents are more likely to have been at university themselves
and can encourage their son/daughter on how best to achieve success.
They are likely to have facilities and resources at home.
Using the league tables, published in the national press, parents
can now “shop around” for schools which have the best exam
results.
The result is that schools with high exam attainment attract more
high achievers and vice versa.
The link between education and housing is very strong.
Location, location, location, as they say.
The school catchment area of a property is one of the most defining factors in
its price.
A house which has priority access to a “good” school cost much than a house
which provides access to a lower achieving school.
What of social mobility?
Some may say that there is nothing wrong with social class inequality.
Those who work hard, play by the rules and use their skills should be paid
more.
In fact, it could even be argued that inequality is a good thing, as it offers an
incentive for people to work hard and provide quality in what they do.
It is therefore important that if there is not equality in society, there should at
least be equality of opportunity.
Maybe we cannot all be equal in terms of income but we should be given an
equal chance to get to the top.
This has always been a powerful theme in Scottish society.
Scotland has, for a long time, been proud of how its education system allows
people from less privileged backgrounds to do “better” than their parents.
However, the bad news is, a recent study by sociologists at Edinburgh
University shows that while more people as a whole work in the professions
and have become middle class, opportunities for upward social mobility are
declining.
There is now less room for social mobility – fewer professional jobs for working class
children to move into.
The report by Christina Iannelli and Lindsay Paterson surveyed 15,000 Scots
born between 1937 and 1976.
They measured social mobility by dividing them into four groups, 1937-46,
1947-56, 1957-66 and 1967-76 and comparing their jobs with those of their
parents.
They have four main conclusions;
Upward mobility, children moving into a higher social class than their parents
has declined
Downward mobility, children going into a lower social class from their parents
has increased
The increased number of middle class people since WW2 has meant it is now
harder for children from working class families to get professional jobs
While all social classes have become better off in terms of income,
possessions and overall lifestyle, the gap between the middle and working
classes has not narrowed.
Assuming that these trends continue, the inescapable truth seems to be that
children from working class backgrounds today will find it even tougher to
move up the social ladder.
Ianelli and Paterson’s findings echo similar research from the London School
of Economics which compared social mobility in eight European and North
American countries.
It concluded that the UK and the USA had the lowest levels of social mobility
and that the expansion of educational opportunities, such as increased
access to university, disproportionately benefited those from professional
backgrounds.
What is to be done?
The solutions to the lack of upward mobility depend very much on what you
believe are its causes.
There are different explanations for the decline in social mobility.
Some, on the Right, blame the abolition of selective schools and call for their
return.
They feel these schools offered excellence and an “escape route” for
ambitious working class families.
Others on the other hand, on the Left, blame the existence of private schools
and call for their abolition.
They believe that such schools “cream off” high achieving pupils and create
class inequality by offering better life chances on the basis of the ability to
pay.
Some, on the Right, blame the “nanny state”, highlighting the abuse of
incapacity benefit as an example of a “dependency culture”.
What incentive is there for those at the bottom of society to work hard when
the state will provide when you don’t work at all?
Others, on the Left, point to the decline of manufacturing
industry during the Thatcher years as the reason for downward
mobility.
They claim the well paid jobs available for working class families
in the past are no longer there.
The disappearance, along with the jobs, such as mining and ship building, of
stable working class communities has created “trainspotting” no hope ghettos
where there is a lack of ambition and confidence.
Iannelli and Paterson’s conclusions may be pessimistic, but they have not surveyed
those born after 1976.
The future is still unwritten.
Perhaps today’s working classes can seize the opportunities offered by
Government to move up the social ladder.
Globalisation and the IT revolution bring concerns but opportunities too.
Perhaps having a trade as an electrician or a plumber is more beneficial than
a media studies degree?
With a laptop and an enterprising attitude there is a big world out
there.
Student Activities
What is meant by the American dream?
In what ways does housing perpetuate class inequalities?
In what ways does educational experience create class inequalities?
What are the main conclusions of Ianelli and Paterson's study?
How would people on the Left of politics create class equality?
Why do people on the Right of politics feel class equality is impossible?
Analysis
To what extent is it possible for individuals to change their social class
circumstances?