Merit doesn't matter much in Britain's artful class society
Talent comes to the fore in the UK's creative industries, but research finds a 'posh' background is certainly a big help
THIS is Britain; notoriously a classless and meritocratic society, where the crucial ingredients of success are found in talent, hard work, and a secure birthplace in the higher echelons of that non-existent class hierarchy.
That may sound cynical; tragically, there's more than a ring of truth to the sorry statement. The topic has been touched on before, of course; actors have spoken out, trades unions have campaigned, and academics have delved into the details. It's a case of the latter we're looking at here.
New research published recently by the Sutton Trust claims to reveal the extent to which the creative industries remain elite professions.
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According to the research, people from the most affluent backgrounds – defined in this study as those from the 'upper middle class' – are starkly over-represented. Those who were privately educated also disproportionately occupy top roles in the sector.
The essence of the issue isn't just about social mobility and class. There's the matter of inter-intersectionality, too. The working class is diverse across ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and more; a salad bowl of experience, outlook, insight – and, well, sheer creativity. Representation and inclusion matter; we're talking cohesion, a sense of belonging, and with it, the well-being of a society.
The Sutton Trust, for those that don't know, seeks to champion social mobility “from birth to the workplace” so that all young people have the chance to succeed in life, regardless of their background.
The organisation's latest research, discussed here, was carried out by Dr Dave O'Brien, professor of cultural and creative industries at the University of Manchester, along with Dr Mark Taylor, senior lecturer in quantitative methods at the University of Sheffield, and Dr Orian Brook, Chancellor’s Fellow in social policy at the University of Edinburgh.
Their report reveals that amongst those aged 35 and under, there are around four times as many individuals from middle class backgrounds as working class backgrounds in creative occupations.
Education matters
While just 20% of the UK’s working class individuals in employment have a degree, three times as many working class people in creative jobs have one. According to the trust, this underlines the importance of equal access to higher education for all young people.
The report finds that education and class background have a huge impact on people’s ability to reach the top of their creative profession.
“It’s a tragedy that young people from working class backgrounds are the least likely to study creative arts degrees, or break into the creative professions. These sectors bear the hallmarks of being elitist – those from upper-middle-class backgrounds, and the privately-educated are significantly over-represented,” said Nick Harrison, chief executive of the Sutton Trust.
“Britain’s creative sector is admired around the world, but no child should be held back from reaching their full potential, or from pursuing their interests and dream career, due to their socio-economic background. It’s essential that action is taken to ensure access to high quality creative education in schools, and to tackle financial barriers to accessing creative courses and workplace opportunities.”
According to the report, across television, film and music, high-profile figures in the creative industries are much more likely to have attended private school than the UK population.
BAFTA-nominated actors are five times more likely to have attended a private school, at 35% compared to the national average of just 7%.
Classical music is a particularly elitist profession, the report says. Forty three per cent of top classical musicians have attended an independent school (over six times higher than average).
Additionally, 58% of classical musicians have attended an arts specialist university or conservatoire, and one in four attended the Royal Academy of Music for undergraduate study. These institutions are dominated by students from the most affluent backgrounds; 12% attended Oxbridge.
However, pop stars appear to better reflect the educational backgrounds of the UK population as a whole. Only 8% were privately-educated, and 20% attended university, both close to the national averages.
Meanwhile, 64% of top actors have attended university, with 29% attending specialist arts institutions (including conservatoires). Nine per cent attended Oxbridge, and a further 6% attended other Russell Group institutions.
Face the music
Access to creative degrees in subjects such as music and art is skewed towards those from upper-middle-class backgrounds at the most prestigious institutions. At four universities – Oxford, Cambridge, King’s College London and Bath – more than half of students on creative courses come from the most elite ‘upper middle class’ backgrounds.
The universities with the lowest proportions of creative students from working-class backgrounds are Cambridge and Bath (4%), Oxford and Bristol (5%), and Manchester (7%).
At each of these universities, the percentage of creative students from working-class backgrounds is lower than for students on all other degrees (6% at Oxford and Cambridge, 7% at Bath and Bristol, and 19% at Manchester).
There is also a stark class divide in specialist institutions such as conservatoires and higher education institutions specialising in music and the performing arts, the report says.
The Royal Academy of Music (60%), Royal College of Music (56%), Durham (48%), Kings College London (KCL) (46%) and Bath (42%) all have very high proportions of privately educated students studying creative subjects. All of these institutions have higher proportions of privately educated creative students than Oxbridge (32%).
Over 50% of Oxford, Cambridge and KCL’s music students come from ‘upper-middle-class’ households, and for six Russell Group institutions this proportion is between 40-49%, according to the research.
To tackle this inequality, the Sutton Trust is calling for a range of measures to improve access to the arts. These include introducing an ‘arts premium’ so schools can pay for arts opportunities, including music lessons; ensuring that conservatoires and creative arts institutions that receive state funding are banned from charging for auditions; and adding socio-economic inclusion as a condition of employers receiving arts funding.
The Sutton Trust is also developing a partnership with the British Screen Forum, which aims to address socio-economic diversity through targeted skills and career initiatives.
A society seen through the lens – and potential biases – of a privileged socio-economic stratum is a society that inevitably sees less of itself. Indeed, we may argue it represents a culture and a society by and for the few, whether the participants intend it that way or not.
If the rest of us aren't getting a look in, then we have to ask: is it really our culture, our society? Food for thought.
MC