Britain's class problem persists despite decades of policy designed to address it.
The Mobility Data
The Social Mobility Commission finds that 51% of those in professional occupations came from higher managerial or professional families, despite that group comprising only 37% of the population.
The earnings gap between those from professional and working-class backgrounds persists even in the same occupation. A working-class graduate doing the same job earns on average 6,500 pounds less per year.
Education as the Key Mechanism
Private schools, attended by 7% of pupils, provide approximately 70% of judges and a disproportionate share of senior politicians, journalists and executives.
Within state education, selective grammar schools, oversubscribed outstanding schools in wealthy catchments, and private tutoring reproduce inequality.
What Has and Has Not Changed
Absolute mobility improved significantly from the post-war period through the 1980s as professional occupations expanded.
Relative mobility has changed very little. A child born to parents in the top income quintile is five times more likely to end up there themselves than a child from the bottom quintile.
Policy Implications
Evidence from comparable countries suggests that affordable childcare, narrowing school quality gaps, and reduced university debt loads are the most effective interventions. The UK has made progress on childcare but lags on the others.
