Blanden and Machin 2008 Up and Down the

Blanden and Machin (2008) Up and Down the Generational Income Ladder in Britain

What was the study about? • This was a study carried out to measure trends in intergenerational income for cohorts born after 1970. • It looked at the relationships between the income of parents and how their children had done in education – in terms of test scores, behaviour in school, non-cognitive abilities and passing degrees – they then forecast forward to estimate how much they would earn later in life. • For example, they assumed that children who went to university and gained degrees would be more likely to take up professional careers in the future, and have higher earning potential.

Earlier study 2005 • In an earlier study in 2005 Blanden and Machin had discovered that social mobility was lower in the UK than in 7 other developed countries including the USA and Germany.

Purpose of 2008 study • The purpose of this research was to measure the extent to which the UK is a socially mobile society. The research that we have on this already – e. g. Goldthorpe and the Essex Mobility Study, are all pretty out of date now, they wanted to look specifically at people under the age of forty (at the time of the study).

• By looking at these intermediate outcomes, Blanden and Machin could draw conclusions about the level of social mobility in the UK today. They didn’t have to wait until people were in their middle ages and had reached their peak salary before making judgements, which was a bit of a problem with previous studies, as the data had all been so backward looking. It is a useful way of looking at how people born before the year 2000 would fare in terms of social mobility.

Findings • Blanden and Machin found that there was no evidence that the relationship between these intermediate outcomes (success in education) and parental income has changed for those born after 1970, in comparison to those born before 1970. Essentially they are saying that Britain has not become any more socially mobile since 1970. Kids from richer families are still more likely to do better in education.

More findings • They also found that there was a clear link between behaviour in school and parental income. There was a much higher rate of reported bad behaviour and exclusion amongst children from worse off backgrounds. (We can see this is backed up generally in the figures on white working class attainment in education, which we looked at in Higher Modern Studies).

Even more findings • From 1958 – 1970 there was a decline in social mobility in the UK and the relationship between parental income and intermediate outcomes strengthened. So parental income at that time became a clear predictor of how a child would do in education, and therefore what kind of job they would end up with in later life. However Blanden and Machin found that since 1970 socially mobility has not declined any further. So things haven’t got any worse, they just haven’t got better.

Conclusions (kind of like the findings really) • There was a significant fall in mobility between 19581970, but this had not continued after 1970. However there is no sign of improvement. Mobility seems to be set at the low level seen in 1970 up until those born in the year 2000. • Children from poorer families exhibit worse behaviour in school. • Equality of Opportunity is decreasing

Strengths • Blanden and Machin use income differences rather than occupation as a measure of social mobility – so this made it easier to compare mobility in Britain with other countries, especially as over time there can be a change in status of particular professions. For example the status of teachers has dropped significantly over the decades. • So the measures of income inequality may be more reliable than complex occupational schemes used to determine people’s class origin.

Weaknesses • It is all based on the assumption that if kids go to university, then they will get better paid jobs – which is not necessarily the case in the current economic climate. Lots of people who complete law degrees do not become highly paid lawyers.