Summaries
In this part of the study guide we will summarise each of the texts included in your exam assignment so that you get a complete perspective on the topic that you have to analyse and discuss - social mobility in Britain.
Many “Treadmill Families Who Are Running Harder But Standing Still” - Social Mobility
Author: Sky News
Genre: Video report
Year of Publication: 2016
The text is a video news report by Sky News, published in 2016.
The video presents some of the findings of the latest national report on social mobility in Britain. The report suggests that Britain is becoming more socially divided. According to the chief of the commission that conducted the report, this development is caused by an unfair educational system, the labour market dynamic, and unaffordable housing. The report suggests that people’s social mobility is also influenced by the region where they are born.
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My social mobility journey feels more like an exhausting, endless quest
Author: Poppy Noor (The Guardian)
Genre: Article
Year of Publication: 2016
The text is an opinion article written by Poppy Noor and published in the newspaper The Guardian in 2016.
The writer presents her own experience with social mobility, in light of recent statistics which show a decrease in social mobility in Britain. The writer is one of the lucky few who comes from the working-class and the free meal schools system who enrolled at a top university, at Cambridge. However, now that she has graduated she needs to work as a waitress because her parents cannot support her financially.
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Middle-income families, young and poor being 'left behind economically', government warned
Author: Andrew Grice (The Independent)
Genre: Article
Year of Publication: 2016
The text is a newspaper article from The Independent, published in 2016 and written by Andrew Grice.
The article discusses the 2016 State of the Nation Report, a study done by the Social Mobility Commission. The report shows that Britain is facing a growing social mobility crisis that not only affects the working class, but also the lower middle class. The commission described these categories of people as treadmill families—people who work increasingly hard but do not advance on the socio-economic scale. The gaps in social mobility are not only among classes but also among urban and rural areas.
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Social Mobility in West Somerset
Author: BBC One - Sunday Politics West
Genre: Video report
Year of Publication: 2016
The video was broadcast on BBC One, during the show Sunday Politics West, in 2016.
The video presents the findings of a report on regional social mobility. The anchor informs the audience that the report claims that children in London have the highest chance of improving their lives. Those living in West Somerset have the lowest.
A correspondent investigates the findings in West Somerset. The video presents David Baker, a middle-aged man who is the owner of an ice cream company and whose economic position has improved compared to that of his parents who were farmers.
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Statistics from State of the Nation 2016
Author: The Guardian
Genre: Statistics
Year of Publication: 2016
The text includes various graphics and statistics regarding social mobility in Great Britain, compiled and published by the newspaper The Guardian.
The first statistic reveals that less than 1% of those who left school between 2010 and 2014 and who were in free school meals (FSM) enrolled at the top UK universities, Oxford and Cambridge. The graphic also shows that about 25% of students who received free meals in school pursued higher studies, compared to 40% students that did not receive free school meals. The graph also points out that more students who did not receive free school meals enrolled at universities in the Russell Group or at Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge).
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