Just how easy is it to improve your position in society?

Just how easy is it to improve your position in society?

Abraham Lincoln once said: “in life, everyone should be able to improve their condition”. This means that the best society is one where people can improve their social and economic standards and have a real chance to realize their true potential. But just how easy is it for poor, disadvantaged people to rise to the top of society?

A number of recent reports appear to show that it is not very easy at all. Many developed societies in the world are rather static. In other words, it is very difficult for poor people to improve their position. The children of poor parents tend to grow up to be poor parents too. At the same time, wealthy, educated parents have children who grow up to be wealthy and educated.

The Unites States is a country which has always encouraged people to improve their condition in society. But surprisingly, the United States is one of the most static of the developed societies. In America, it is therefore very difficult for poor people to find important jobs and become wealthy. In an article in the New York Times, David Brooks writes: “In America we still have a meritocracy. The most qualified people get the best jobs. But at the same time, we have a very static society. At the top end of society, we have a well-educated upper middle class. These people live in areas with good schools. Their children go to the best universities. When they grow up they get good jobs. Their children also go to good schools and get good jobs. So the cycle repeats itself all over again.”

The situation in Britain is similar. It is true that in the post-war period of the 1950s, there was a lot of mobility. The children of poor families often succeeded in getting skilled or professional jobs. In turn, their children were more highly educated and also had good jobs. But since the 1970s, society in Britain has become more static. Various governments have tried to make British society more mobile, but they have not succeeded. Still today, the children of poor, uneducated people grow up to be poor and uneducated. At the same time, children in wealthy families grow up to be well educated and have the best jobs.

It seems that family background is still very important in influencing a young person’s chances of success. Wealthy, educated people have many advantages. For example, wealthy people often have a lot of useful contacts that can help their children find work. Contacts are very important in helping people find work. Often, people need work experience to find a good job. The first step for a young person is to be offered a work placement. Often these work placements are not advertised so only people who have the right contacts can get them.

The education system also influences social mobility. The children of wealthy parents often go to expensive private schools. These children have a much better chance of going to the best universities and to get the best jobs. It is a fact of British life that about 90% of the top people in politics, the law, the armed forces and business all went to private schools, and most of them went to either Oxford or Cambridge University.

It is a good thing if people can improve their position in society. It is good in a moral sense as well as a practical sense. In a moral sense, a mobile society is a fair one. Everybody has the same chance of getting a better position. Also, in a mobile society, the most important jobs should be done by the best people. For these reasons, most governments try to promote mobility in a society. However, in the last 30 years, no government in Britain has succeeded in making the country a more mobile one.

Experts agree that there is no easy solution to the problem. Education is very important, of course. A child’s early education is especially important. This is why the British government would like to increase the availability of nursery education and to improve teaching standards in nursery schools. Education after the age of 16 is also important. When young people leave school at 16 without qualifications, it is very hard for them to find interesting, well-paid work.

One proposal to improve education is to pay good teachers more money. But this idea is not popular with most teachers because they do not like the idea that people who do the same job should get different rates of pay. Another proposal is to improve careers advice to young people in school. In this way, they will better understand the opportunities that exist and the qualification that are needed.

Family background remains very important in influencing a young person’s chances of improvement. Families that encourage learning and help their children at school give their children a better chance of success. But the problem is that too many families do not understand the importance of education. Children in these families miss big opportunities to develop and grow as individuals.

It is not easy to find ways of helping families encourage their children to learn and to have ambitions for success. Some people have suggested that parents should attend lessons on how to be good parents. But a lot of people don’t agree with this idea. They say that the government should not interfere in private family life.

Certainly, it is good to live in a society that allows people to improve their position, but it is not so easy to put into practice.