One in five moving down the social pecking order

One in five men and one in four women have experienced downward social mobility in recent years, according to a new report.

The report by the Social Mobility Commission warns that many people have found themselves moving into a vicious cycle of low pay and low self-esteem as they take on lower-paid jobs than their parents.

The research carried out for the commission by Ipsos MORI found women, notably with children, and non-graduates are more likely to move down the social pecking order and into lower paid jobs than others.

But so are children of front-line workers and those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, particularly those born outside the UK.

The report also concludes that downward mobility is lowest for children of lawyers, doctors, teachers and scientists.

In the post-war decades there was room at the top following a mushrooming of professional and managerial jobs, according to the report.

But now it warns this is no longer the case and progress is stagnant.

Those from professional classes at the top often hang on to their jobs, through networking and help from their parents.

While others, whose parents may have struggled to get into high status jobs, have shifted down.

‘While there is a lot of attention on upward social mobility, much less attention is paid to downward social mobility,’ said the chief executive of Ipsos MORI, Ben Page.

‘This new study shows that it is much more likely to affect BAME people, and children of some key workers than professionals and white people. If this continues, Britain won’t get any more equal.

‘Already the proportion of people who think there is equality of opportunity in Britain has fallen from 53% to 35% in the last 10 years. ‘The consequences of Covid-19 on top of existing trends could be stark,’ added Mr Page.

The interim co-chair of the Social Mobility Commission, Steve Cooper added: ‘Downward mobility can be an acute struggle for many and there has never been a more important time to recognise this.

‘The pandemic has highlighted the essential role played by nurses, porters, supermarket workers and carers. These workers have always been underpaid and often undervalued. Together, we need to start recognising and rewarding them more fairly.’