
The Class Ceiling
Why it Pays to be Privileged
- 224 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
The Class Ceiling
Why it Pays to be Privileged
About this book
Politicians continually tell us that anyone can get ahead. But is that really true? This important, best-selling book takes readers behind the closed doors of elite employers to reveal how class affects who gets to the top.
Friedman and Laurison show that a powerful 'class pay gap' exists in Britain's elite occupations. Even when those from working-class backgrounds make it into prestigious jobs, they earn, on average, 16% less than colleagues from privileged backgrounds. But why is this the case? Drawing on 175 interviews across four case studies – television, accountancy, architecture, and acting – they explore the complex barriers facing the upwardly mobile.
This is a rich, ambitious book that demands we take seriously not just the glass but also the class ceiling.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of figures and tables
- Acknowledgements
- Note on language usage
- Introduction
- ONE: Getting in
- TWO: Getting on
- THREE: Untangling the class pay gap
- FOUR: Inside elite firms
- FIVE: The Bank of Mum and Dad
- SIX: A helping hand
- SEVEN: Fitting in
- EIGHT: View from the top
- NINE: Self-elimination
- TEN: Class ceilings: A new approach to social mobility
- ELEVEN: Conclusion
- Epilogue: 10 ways to break the class ceiling
- Methodological appendix
- Notes
- References