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Universities still dominated by middle class
Ed Harris03.02.09
WHITE middle-class families continue to dominate places at leading universities, new research indicates today.
Findings that children from the richest households are far more likely to study at university come despite millions of pounds spent encouraging children from poorer and moderately well-off backgrounds to apply.
The study found that children from the richest two per cent of households were more than four times more likely to study at high-ranking universities such as Bristol and Warwick than children from average neighbourhoods.
They were twice as likely as the average child in Britain to go to university at all, according to research from market analyst firm Caci.
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats claimed the study published in The Guardian was evidence that the Government had failed to improve social mobility.
A total of 17 universities across Britain gave Caci 1,000 random postcodes of first year undergraduates.
Caci found that children from the most affluent quarter of families accounted for 55 per cent of students at the top universities. The figure for the poorest quarter was 6.3 per cent.
Reader views (13)
"My wife is Ukrainian but her grammar and pronunciation is much better than many of the native born I meet when in the UK."
- John W, hamilton canada
Very true John. Rapidly following a generation unable to read, write and add up, is a generation unable to speak. I was recently involved in a selection process for some employees, and found quite a number of the younger applicants were unable to make themselves understood at all.
- Naomi Sajeri, Manchester
Maybe because these people study and work hard on earning their degrees?
- Paddy Mac, Kilburn, London UK
What about working class people taking pride in doing lower-level jobs that everybody needs: plumbers, caterers, the service industries...
Rollo, London.
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Well Rollo,....Where to begin?
I am a time served Artisan, and in addition I consider myself to be reasonably academic in various directions!
As for the term "Working Class", anyone whom has to provide a service, academic, physical or otherwise to earn a salary/wage etc is by definition, working class!
Even the so called "Professions" need to turn up now and again to earn a living!
On my part, I am glad that I have a number of skills that provides me with an excellent living!
Even now that I am retired, I still do the odd bit that I find of interest and a challenge!
I did/do get great pleasure in creating things, for which the so called "Middle Class" pay an arm and a leg for, as they themselves I have discovered over the years, are accidents waiting to happen when they have a screwdriver or other such implement in their hands.(I mean no offence here)!
Plus, my own home/objects is/are kept in excellent repair, and I do not have to rely on a hit and miss/bodged job by someone else!
I retired at 52,with an excellent monthly income & a diverse savings port folio.
"Middle Class"? University"? I leave it for you to decide!
GERONIMO.
- GERONIMO, LONDON MIDDLESEX
Darwin called this natural selection. A bunch of PC social engineers are not going to change thousands of years of nature.
- Tom, Watford (UK)
Lets face it - if it wasnt for the middle class of britain, this country would go to the dogs.
- Raminder Bhalla, Northolt
Absolutely no surprise Labour ploicy on higher education has failed. Like all their policies, they're mis-guided & confused. At the same time as declaring a 'target' (as if targets achieve anything) that 50% of school-leavers should go on to University, they introduce Top-up fees which discourage the less-wealthy from applying. In reality, there's only one political party that has a real vested interest in maintaining the class system in the UK - LABOUR (whether you call it "NEW" or not). Labour's core vote is the less-wealthy, so why would they want them to 'achieve' through education, and strive to improve themselves. They WANT/HAVE to keep the less-wealthy exactly where they are. Only Labour politicians can aspire to wealth & improvement.
- Malcolm, London
My wife is Ukrainian but her grammar and pronunciation is much better than many of the native born I meet when in the UK.
- John W, hamilton canada
What's all this fuss about social mobility? Why on earth would we need social mobility? Perhaps - and I mean no offence here - working class people are not MEANT to go to University. What about working class people taking pride in doing lower-level jobs that everybody needs: plumbers, caterers, the service industries...
Why are a lot of these jobs taken by foreigners when they could be taken by indigenous working class people?
Why is it that when I go to Starbucks all the staff are non-British and then you see British kids hanging around doing nothing on housing estates?
- Rollo, London
Bright people have bright kids. They grow up and attract bright people, who have bright kids. The circle perpetuates itself.
Much to the annoyance of social engineers who just dont understand human nature.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
It's amazing how much the situation described here parallels that of the US. Even though the US has been attempting to address class differences in its universities for over six decades, much longer than the UK, it still hasn't found the right solution.
- Don Heller, London, UK/University Park, PA, USA
17 universities and 1,000 postcodes? There are over 70,000 full time undergraduate students in the UK (not including post grads and part timers). The data pool is far too low for any definite conclusions to be drawn - its only 1.4% of the total student population. How can this to be translated into a hard facts news story?
- Mikki, London
Its not a surprise is it? Most children of the working class are so proud of their origins that they make a point of appearing stupid. What can schools do with people who even struggle to speak their mother tongue correctly? When I was at university I found that many working class students were unable to write and argue their case in any sort of coherent fashion. Of course I am generalizing and certainly do not intend to offend the statistically exceptional. Every social/racial group has those...
- Mark, London, UK
What else would you expect in a society that has a very strong entrenched class system and makes students pay for university education.
- Mick, London, England
