How do we smash the class ceiling?

Beyond Today

BBC

News

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 August 2019

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Improving social mobility has been a key pledge of successive governments with politicians promising to create a meritocracy in Britain. However, research shows time and time again that the best-paid and most influential jobs still go to those from privileged backgrounds while the working classes aren’t getting ahead… even if they’re better candidates for the position. So, why is class the last big barrier to getting a top job? In this episode we speak to broadcaster Amol Rajan about his documentary following working-class graduates attempting to break into elite professions, and his own experience of going from a south London state school to being the BBC’s media editor. Dr Sam Friedman explains why it pays to be privileged in the workplace and tries to find a solution to Britain’s class problem. Producers: Lucy Hancock and Alicia Burrell. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: Philly Beaumont.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts.
0:06.6	Hello, I'm Tina Dehealy.
0:08.4	Welcome to Beyond Today from BBC Radio 4, The Space to ask one big question about one big story.
0:17.0	Today we're asking, how do you smash the class ceiling?
0:27.0	Ask most people and they would tell you they want to live in a fairer society.
0:38.0	Politicians are always making promises about their commitment to social mobility.
0:44.0	I want to unleash in this country a new wave of rising social mobility
0:48.5	across our country.
0:50.0	It's not where you come from that counts, it's where you're going. It's where you're going.
0:53.0	For a truly meritocratic Britain
0:55.0	that puts the interests of ordinary working-class people first.
0:59.0	But what exactly is a meritocracy
1:02.0	when it comes to social mobility. Why do young people, especially young
1:07.1	people from poorer backgrounds, face worse prospects today than their parents and grandparents generation.
1:14.0	And have we been realistic about how easy it is for working class people
1:18.0	to break into the most prestigious and well-paid jobs?
1:22.0	We're going to talk to someone who's studied what happens and
1:26.0	basically how privileged people always end up in those jobs, the best jobs.
1:31.6	So in Eton, something that they explicitly teach their boys is something called
1:38.0	Oiling.
1:39.0	Oiling.
1:40.0	Oiling.
	...

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