Overview

The hidden barriers, or 'glass ceilings', preventing women and minority ethnic groups from getting to the top are well documented. Yet questions of social class — and specifically class origin — have been curiously absent from these debates. In this book, Friedman and Laurison argue that there is also a powerful 'class ceiling' at play in elite occupations. Drawing on analysis of the UK, U.S, France, Australia and Norway, they demonstrate that even when those from working-class backgrounds make it into the most prestigious jobs they still earn, on average, 10-15% less than colleagues from privileged backgrounds. Drawing on 200 interviews across four case studies — television, accountancy, architecture, and acting – they explore the complex barriers facing the upwardly mobile. This is a rich, ambitious book that demands we take seriously not just the glass but also the class ceiling. '...lucid, rigorous, readable...Exposing the fallacy of meritocracy, this enlightening and powerfully engaging study should be essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of Britain in these turbulent times.' — Love Reading, read full review here  '[The authors] shed light on what they call a class ceiling based on a meticulous investigation into the cultural professions of London…social mobility, its determinants, its consequences and its developments.'' — La Vie des Idees 'Friedman and Laurison's empirical study combines economic statistics with in-depth interviews [and] provides an exquisite insight into the existence of class society.' — Marx and Philosophy Review of Books

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9781447336068

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Reviews

A well-conceived and important study which makes a significant contribution to knowledge about social mobility, and an important intervention into broader political debates Selina Todd, University of Oxford Without question this is the outstanding study of social mobility in the UK to have appeared in the past 20 years. Using a brilliant mixed method design, Friedman & Laurison trace the long shadow of class privilege in driving career prospects even in the supposedly dynamic sectors of today's knowledge economy. Anyone who thinks Britain is a meritocracy needs to ponder the lessons of this wonderful book. Mike Savage, LSE Friedman and Laurison show how it can possibly be that upwardly mobile executives and professionals earn less than those raised in the upper classes. Everybody in The Class Ceiling has a desirable job, but even in the upper reaches of British society, class roots matter. Mike Hout, New York University This stunning book provides a panoramic overview of class inequality in the UK labour market with a forensic scrutiny of the ways in which privilege works to keep the class ceiling firmly in place. Diane Reay, University of Cambridge This compelling book offers a fresh approach to understanding how social class matters. Easy to read, Highly recommended! Annette Lareau, author, Unequal Childhoods

A well-conceived and important study which makes a significant contribution to knowledge about social mobility, and an important intervention into broader political debates Selina Todd, University of Oxford

A well-conceived and important study which makes a significant contribution to knowledge about social mobility, and an important intervention into broader political debates Selina Todd, University of Oxford This stunning book provides a panoramic overview of class inequality in the UK labour market with a forensic scrutiny of the ways in which privilege works to keep the class ceiling firmly in place. Diane Reay, University of Cambridge Without question this is the outstanding study of social mobility in the UK to have appeared in the past 20 years. Using a brilliant mixed method design, Friedman & Laurison trace the long shadow of class privilege in driving career prospects even in the supposedly dynamic sectors of today's knowledge economy. Anyone who thinks Britain is a meritocracy needs to ponder the lessons of this wonderful book. Mike Savage, LSE

A well-conceived and important study which makes a significant contribution to knowledge about social mobility, and an important intervention into broader political debates Selina Todd, University of Oxford This stunning book provides a panoramic overview of class inequality in the UK labour market with a forensic scrutiny of the ways in which privilege works to keep the class ceiling firmly in place. Diane Reay, University of Cambridge Without question this is the outstanding study of social mobility in the UK to have appeared in the past 20 years. Using a brilliant mixed method design, Friedman & Laurison trace the long shadow of class privilege in driving career prospects even in the supposedly dynamic sectors of today's knowledge economy. Anyone who thinks Britain is a meritocracy needs to ponder the lessons of this wonderful book. Mike Savage, LSE Friedman and Laurison show how it can possibly be that upwardly mobile executives and professionals earn less than those raised in the upper classes. Everybody in The Class Ceiling has a desirable job, but even in the upper reaches of British society, class roots matter. Mike Hout, New York University

Author Information

Sam Friedman is Professor in Sociology, London School of Economics and a Commissioner at the Social Mobility Commission. He has published widely on social class, social mobility and elites. He is the author of Comedy and Distinction: The Cultural Currency of a ‘Good’ Sense of Humour (Routledge 2014) and the co-author of Social Class in the 21st Century (Penguin, 2015). He tweets as @SamFriedmanSoc Daniel Laurison is Assistant Professor at Swarthmore College, USA. Previously he was at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is Associate Editor of the British Journal of Sociology and tweets as @Daniel_Laurison

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