UCL Press Release (08.10.2019)
The UK Government’s current approach to tackling inequality should urgently address the multiple levels of disadvantage that some people face, according to a new UCL report.
Structurally Unsound finds that women, working class, ethnic minority and disabled groups often face multiple disadvantages affecting their educational outcomes, employment prospects, home ownership, health and life expectancy.
The report highlights lessons learned and provides recommendations for policymakers and researchers to adopt when approaching structural inequalities.
Within this, it notes that there is a clear need for the voices of those experiencing inequality to be included in policy – changing society by changing who designs our policies. Although the proportion of Civil Service applicants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds doubled between 2015 and 2018 (from 8 per cent to 16 per cent), the makeup of Civil Service employees remains predominantly white, drawn from middle and upper class backgrounds and privately educated.
The report notes that minority groups in particular face multiple disadvantage. Figures show that significant employment gaps exist for working class, BAME and disabled adults.
Notably, while the proportion of BAME adults in work has increased in the last decade, it still lags the rate recorded by the white population by 10.6 percentage points. BAME people are also on average six percentage points more likely to be underemployed than their white counterparts. While black male graduates can expect to earn 17% less than white male graduates, after accounting for background and job.
To understand this disparity, the researchers say there is a growing need to obtain qualitative data and for businesses, government and the public sector to consider reporting on race and socio-economic background of employees.
In addition, the report highlights that where you live in the UK has a significant impact on your life chances. These issues are heavily intertwined with disparities in infrastructure across the UK and investment in both hard infrastructure, such as roads and rails, and soft infrastructure, such as schools and libraries.
The report finds that while there is significant data around the nature of inequalities, key evidence gaps remain. This affects understanding of how structural inequalities are experienced across regions and ethnicities, and by class, age, sexual orientation and gender identity. The report therefore sets out ways in which research and policy design can be driven forward in a way that addresses the complex, nuanced, structural nature of inequalities in the UK today.
Dr Olivia Stevenson, Head of Public Policy at UCL, and report author said:
“The UK has a deep-set and entrenched level of structural inequality and the UK Government has a powerful role to play in addressing this.
“Current instruments being used in government to measure inequality are not ambitious enough. We have a patchwork of policy, rather than a comprehensive fabric for policy delivery.
“Instead of merely focusing on compliance, they must consider issues of multiple disadvantage and come up with a bold new strategy, working collaboratively across government departments and with businesses and the public sector.”
Matthew Whittaker, Deputy Chief Executive of Resolution Foundation, and Co-Chair of Exploring Inequalities project said:
“While Britain has taken great strides in tackling many social inequalities in recent decades, these inequalities still persist. It is still too often the case that someone’s gender, race, class or disability results in a pay and job penalty, and lower living standards as a result.
“In order to tackle the UK’s structural inequalities we first need to have a better understanding of the complex lived experience of inequality. That evidence base is crucial for the development of good policy making.”
The Exploring Inequalities project is a collaboration between UCL’s Grand Challenge of Justice and Equality, UCL Public Policy, and the Resolution Foundation, funded by UCL’s Knowledge Exchange Fund (HEIF).The research was carried out between January to October 2019 and brought together a broad range of experts from academia, business, the charity sector, NGOs, and government, to discuss current evidence on inequalities and seek out gaps in collective knowledge.
Siobhan Morris, Exploring Inequalities project lead and report author, comments:
“Structural inequalities emerge before birth and accumulate throughout an individual’s life. To understand the nature of inequality and its effects over the life-course, we need to adopt an intersectional perspective to identify and plug gaps in understanding.
“Research and policy should be developed with and not on the individuals that experience disadvantage. Securing change in society can only be achieved by changing who designs our policies.
“In addition, with a rapidly changing society, analysts and researchers should be considering how best to ‘future-proof’ data collection to allow access to continuous, comparable data that can track and measure progress in tackling inequalities over time.”
Notes to editors
For more information or to speak to the researchers involved, please contact:
Natasha Downes, UCL Media Relations. T: +44 (0) 20 3108 3844 / +44 (0) 7990 675 947, E: n.downes@ucl.ac.uk
Siobhan Morris, UCL Grand Challenges, E: siobhan.morris@ucl.ac.uk
About Exploring Inequalities
Exploring Inequalities combines research and evidence on inequality in the UK, to drive informed and joined-up policy making. The project provides a multi-disciplinary exploration of the nature of – and intersections between – different types of structural inequality in the UK.
By bringing together a broad range of experts from academia, NGOs, government and elsewhere, the review cuts across standard research and policy boundaries to synthesise and deepen understanding of the issue.
Critically, the work seeks out gaps in our collective knowledge in order to facilitate better policy making at all levels of government. The study addresses multiple and inter-related inequalities across four key policy areas: education and training; employment; health; and housing.
The project is a collaboration between UCL’s Grand Challenge of Justice and Equality, UCL Public Policy, and the Resolution Foundation, funded by UCL’s Knowledge Exchange Fund (HEIF). More information: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/ucls-six-grand-challenges/justice-and-equality/exploring-inequalities
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UCL is a diverse community with the freedom to challenge and think differently.
Our community of more than 41,500 students from 150 countries and over 12,500 staff pursues academic excellence, breaks boundaries and makes a positive impact on real world problems.
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We have a progressive and integrated approach to our teaching and research – championing innovation, creativity and cross-disciplinary working. We teach our students how to think, not what to think, and see them as partners, collaborators and contributors.
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About the Resolution Foundation
The Resolution Foundation is an independent think-tank focused on improving living standards for those on low to middle incomes.