Doctors’ children are 24 times more likely than their peers to enter the medical profession themselves, according to ‘class ceiling’ research
- Children of lawyers are 17 times more likely to go into law, new research shows
- Medicine the most ‘inherited’ elite career, say figures exposing ‘class ceiling’
- Figures are revealed in new book ‘The Class Ceiling: why It Pays to be privileged’
Doctors’ children are 24 times more likely to enter the profession than their peers, according to new research.
Medicine is the most ‘inherited’ elite career according to figures exposing the ‘class ceiling’ that entrenches privilege.
The children of lawyers are 17 times more likely to go into law, while children of those in film or television are 12 times more likely to enter the same profession.
Children who have parents in life sciences, architecture and performing arts are also disproportionately more likely to follow in their parents footsteps.
The trend does not apply for all jobs, as children of management consultants are no more likely than the rest of the population to follow their parents.
Medicine is the most ‘inherited’ elite career according to figures exposing the ‘class ceiling’ that entrenches privilege (stock image)
Sam Friedman, a sociology assistant professor at the London School of Economics, along with Daniel Laurison, published the shocking figures in their new book ‘The Class Ceiling: Why it Pays to be Privileged’.
Their book examines the the leg-up which the middle classes can receive, even in comparison to their peers from working-class backgrounds who have achieved first class degrees from top universities.
Dr Friedman said the figures, based on Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey, is ‘staggering’.
He told the Times: ‘If you’ve got mum or dad normalising that world for you and saying it’s a distinct possibility, that’s quite emboldening.’
The book goes on to add that people in elite jobs from working-class background on average earn £6,400 less than colleagues from privileged backgrounds, while the gap cannot be explained in terms of educational background or location.
Because upper middle-class children speak, think and even dress like the people at the top of their chosen professions, it can help get their careers fast tracked, Dr Friedman suggests.
‘The Class Ceiling: Why it Pays to be Privileged’ is published on Monday with a launch event at the London School of Economics.
The children of lawyers are 17 times more likely to go into law (stock image)