Getting Ahead In The UK Has Never Been Harder
Social mobility is a joke
The Institute for Fiscal Studies found that Moving up the social ladder in Britain has become harder than at any other point in more than half a century.
This is something which I sensed 15 years ago and is one of the reasons why I left the country in the first place.
Low wages, high inflation, political instability - It seems that Millenials and Gen Z might have cause for complaint after all.
The contradiction of our time is that there’s never been a better time to be alive, and yet it’s never been harder to find your way.
It’s often very frustrating to hear that we are living in the golden age. The golden age of opportunity, freedom and prosperity.
Never before has there been more opportunity than at this moment in time and yet does infinite opportunity really translate into infinite wealth or infinite happiness or infinite health? Well No. Obviously It doesn’t. In fact for the majority it is the exact opposite .
More opportunity, more choices, more paths to take just leads to more indecision and more life dis-satisfaction.
Social mobility in the UK is at an alltime low. Wages have stagnated, the economy is not growing and the UK is divided. And I mean literary divided.
So much so that actually the easiest way to increase your salary is just to do whatever it is that you already do but do it in London. Of course this ends up increasing your expenses and so it’s a bit of a catch 22 but I don’t know of any other European country where there is such a huge disparity in prosperity between the capital city and the rest of the country.
And this is not just me having a rant more and more studies are coming out detailing that social mobility is increasingly out of reach. In fact the sociologist Erzsebet Bukodi from the university of Oxford calls it “the dark side of the Golden Age of Mobility”
If you are not born into wealth then good luck climbing up the social ladder.
But why is this the case and is it really worse in the UK than anywhere else?
Well yes. It seems that it is. A report by Goldman Sachs found that the UK has lower social mobility compared with all major EU countries. That’s pretty damning.
This report did not offer any conclusive reasons as to why this is but interestingly the relationship between parental income and that of their children follows a J curve where the poorest and richest tend to see the least movement with those in the middle finding it a lot easier to move up and improve their life situation.
A shocking 46% of UK adults believe that where you end up in life is largely due to your background and who your parents were. 46%?! That is highly alarming and whether this is the actual reality is rrelevant. The fact that so many people believe it is makes it true.
If almost half the population believe that they can’t do anything to change their situation won’t this just lead to nihilistic inertia?? I mean let’s be honest it’s not the best mindset to have regardless of the reality of the situation.
The Class System In The UK
I think this topic is of particular interest in the UK because of the historical class systems that have existed for centuries. There’s always been a strong distinction between old money and new money and just having money is not enough to enter into certain layers of society in the UK. Much of it is based on family inheritance - not just wealth but also occupations.
I grew up in the English countryside. If you’re not familiar with it public footpaths are a big thing in the UK. Yes we like out hiking almost as much as the Germans do. There are many footpaths all over the place some of the them very well demarcated others not so much.
I used to go for a lot of walks as a child with my parents and still do when I visit. We would have regular run ins with the local lord of the manor…yes there are still many old English Estates in the english countryside some of them owned by lords, or Dukes, others by rich bankers who have some sort of distant relation to the old aristocracy.
This particular lord in question was the latter….meaning he was not really a lord at all but anyway. He would accuse us of trespassing because the footpath led across his land. He’d often be on his horse or out with the dogs. My mother used to get livid as it was these kind of interactions which made class division so crystal clear.
The fabric of our society has so many strands that it makes it near impossible to disentangle all the potential factors that could influence your status.
One potential issue is that most studies have only examined two generations – parents and children – whereas your class may depend on many more branches of the family tree.
One study found that a child is two-and-a-half times as likely to have a professional or managerial job, if their grandparents were of a higher class.
It could be that the grandparents pay for education, help with child care, or offer a network of contacts that could boost their grandchild’s work opportunities.
So although social mobility has always been historically difficult why is it especially acute at the moment in the UK?
Well all the reports which I read were unanimous in their conclusions that the most significant recent factor has been the pandemic. Covid was the great divider. The repercussions of the pandemic are increased inequality and the stark reality that social mobility is now harder than it ever has been.
The lockdowns were particularly long and strict in the UK they just seemed to go on forever (I think at least 6 weeks longer than in Germany) and Many businesses just couldn’t survive this. This has hurt the poor more than anyone else and so forced more people to the tail end of that J curve.
So is this just all predetermined heritage or can we do anything to improve our situation at an individual level?
Well it’s a mess and I have no idea what to do about the people at the extremes of this J curve but if you’re somewhere in the middle there’s a lot that lies within you’re own control.
Change Your Environment
One of the reasons that our parents and grandparents have such an effect on us is not just genetic. It is the environment that we are exposed to. The type of education we receive, the people we meet, the expectations that are placed on us.
A different environment requires different skills and abilities.
Humans can adapt amazingly quickly. If you move to a foreign country where no one speaks your language you will find yourself picking up the language pretty quickly. Because it’s necessary for survival.
Changing your external environment is the most effective way to start changing yourself and your situation. Move to a different part of the country or do what I did and leave the country altogether.
Especially if you are just finishing college or university and the only thing you can find are unpaid internships. Going abroad for a year or two is the best way to gain some life experience and you might end up finding that you can build a better life for yourself there than in the UK.
And for those who say it’s unpatriotic and selfish to leave. Yeah I mean there is that argument to be made. So by all means stay and do what you can to improve the inequality that’s admirable.
However with 46% of Brits believing that success depends on parents and heritage it seems like patriotism is dead and that a cynical inertia is creeping into the culture. And I don’t really know how to fix that - if you have any suggestions feel free to reply to this email.
Moving abroad Is great for people in their 20’s and 30’s but it’s not for everyone. The down sides of moving away are that you loose your social connections and community…it might have been what was holding you back from achieving your potential but it might also be what is holding you together.
Don’t get me wrong moving abroad is not easy - it’s very challenging and there’s no guarantee of success. It will however, give you some interesting experiences and memories which no one and nothing can take away from you.
Education
Some people have turned their backs on the whole idea of social mobility through traditional means and have forged their own path.
One of the great things about the UK is the freedom that exists. It is not as socially rigid as many of the northern european countries. You have more freedom to do your own thing without social disapproval or judgment.
If you do not agree with the education system or curriculum in the UK then you can home educate your kids, or try an alternative form of education.
Something which my parents exposed me to.
This is huge! Education is the most important factor when it comes to social mobility and inequality and this is a significant edge that people living in the UK have.
Home schooling is actually illegal in many other countries, it’s not an option in Germany for example and so if you are willing to go against the grain you are more likely to achieve different outcomes
What is clear is that following the traditional path of 12 years of state education to get a mundane job which is just enough to cover the bills is not working.
To get different results you have to try different paths, paths which lead into the unknown.
And so especially early on in life in your 20’s and 30’s when presented with options it is always a good idea to lean into the alternative seemingly risky thing.
Although the situation is not good it’s important to remind yourself that you are just one decision away from completely changing your life.
If you are living in the UK. I would love to hear what your experience is like living there. What do you like it? Are you thinking of moving let me know.
Life is an experiment one which we are all trying to figure out
Things Of Interest This Week
Articles on the current situation in the UK
UK Social Mobility — A Tough Climb - Goldman Sachs
UK social mobility at its worst in over 50 years - The Guardian
How important is social class in Britain today? - BBC
Song
Dune Soundtrack - Leaving Calidan by Hans Zimmer
This film is the most cinematic that I have ever seen. Part of the reason for that is the music. Hans Zimmer never disappoints.
Series
I’ve started watching Succession. It’s a series covering the life of a Media Mogul and his family (the inspiration is the Murdoch dynasty). HBO just has the best series. This one doesn’t disappoint as it goes incredibly deep into character development and human psychology. The best thing is that it leaves a lot for the viewer to piece together and try to work out why these people behave in the way that they do.