Social Mobility in the UK as Series Issue and is Necessary to Improve the Situation
Social mobility is essential for a fairer society and the individual's life comfort. Equal access to education and professional jobs is necessary for improving the movement of families within social strata in a society. In the United Kingdom, social mobility has stalled since 1980, which consequence that the country ranks near the bottom between OECD countries for social mobility income. Continued reduction in job opportunities and the high unemployment rate among migrants leads to severe social mobility issues in the UK, although noticeable improvement in education mobility.
Job opportunities creation has decreased since 1980, affecting the reduction in skilled jobs with wealthier salaries and increased difficulties for disadvantaged families to get a professional career. The lower creation of workplaces than in previous decades causes considerable difficulties in getting to the higher social classes or improving living standards. Furthermore, the research revealed that between 1976 and 2000, the probability of getting a well-paid job in the professional sector was six times higher if a parent had a professional job too. This rapid increase of parents salaries influences on future children's salaries and is a vital issue for further improvement in social mobility. Recent research has shown that the situation for working mothers has improved over the last few years. However, women still have difficulties returning to previous employment or positions after maternity leave. They are often forced to take part-time hours or less-paid positions in the company.
Another reason to consider social mobility in the United Kingdom as a series issue is the high unemployment rate among migrants. According to Li, migrants are more likely to be unemployed than British people. First-generation migrants are at the most significant risk of not moving within social strata in society. Moreover, difficulties in getting a well-paid job could also be seen for second-generation immigrants. As the language barrier could explain why first-generation migrants might be at risk of unemployment, it is still unidentified why their kids who finished British schools have still double the unemployment rate compared to British people. Research suggests that suddenly, backroad still has a significant role during the recruitment process.
Hoverer, some people argued that social mobility in the United Kingdom is not a severe issue. It has been seen a significant improvement in educational mobility and the educational attainment gap over the past decades. Between 2011 and 2012, GSCE results improved the effect of more students over 19 getting a higher education. The improvement could be especially seen in London schools. It is also seen (13%) increase between 1970-2012 in acceptance to elite universities like Cambridge or Oxford for students from low-income families, minorities, and women. Although there is an improvement in Russell Groups universities' access, advantaged students are still more likely to get the place (Owens et al., 2017)
To conclude, the continued decrease in job opportunities among professional sectors and the high unemployment rate among immigrants harm social mobility in the United Kingdom. However, it has been seen improvement in educational mobility over the last decades. Although noticeable improvements in the attainment gap have been noticed, students from wealthier families are still more likely to get a place in elite universities than disadvantaged students. This essay has shown that social mobility in the United Kingdom should be considered a series issue and is necessary to improve the situation.
