You’ve heard of the glass ceiling. But the class ceiling is the invisible barrier holding back everyone, not just the people growing up in low-socioeconomic homes.
When we work hard to get ahead in life, we don’t always reflect on the help we get along the way. But we need to recognise it’s easier to get to the peak when we’re born closer to the top. A kid growing up with a single parent and working to help look after their siblings will almost certainly be carrying more baggage up the mountain than a child from a wealthy background whose family, tutoring or access to extracurricular programs help them up.
Illustration by Simon LetchCredit:
While diversity in gender, culture and sexuality have become more prioritised in workplaces and leadership positions, socioeconomic disadvantage remains a hidden anchor.
Character-building? Maybe, but when you hire for a job, do you give that resilience weight, or do you prioritise someone based on their school and membership of the debating team – both of which can be harder to access for households who are time or income-poor. Right now, we’re too comfortable with the processes we’ve built to pick out talent.
There’s a shocking lack of easily accessible, up-to-date data on socioeconomic composition in workplaces and boardrooms. But we know fields such as medicine and law tend to be dominated by people who have grown up more comfortably.
That’s because indicators of success employers tend to look for skew towards experiences and achievements which are harder to access for those who grow up in lower-income households: extracurricular activities, a degree from a prestigious university, seemingly objective measures such as high grades, and even self-confidence in interviews – all of which can be boosted by knowing the right people or having greater access to resources.
Companies need to start accounting for the barriers and challenges faced by those from disadvantaged backgrounds: working multiple jobs while studying, or growing up within a difficult home environment.
Professions like law tend to be dominated by those from well-heeled backgrounds.Credit: Peter Rae
These things often fail to come across on paper, but they are experiences which are important – and even valuable – for business. People who come from lower social class backgrounds are more likely than their higher social class peers to value community and teamwork, while CEOs from lower social backgrounds have been shown to be more entrepreneurial and willing to engage in social responsibility initiatives.
Australia’s class ceiling isn’t just a problem for the poor
8
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19.03.2024
You’ve heard of the glass ceiling. But the class ceiling is the invisible barrier holding back everyone, not just the people growing up in low-socioeconomic homes.
When we work hard to get ahead in life, we don’t always reflect on the help we get along the way. But we need to recognise it’s easier to get to the peak when we’re born closer to the top. A kid growing up with a single parent and working to help look after their siblings will almost certainly be carrying more baggage up the mountain than a child from a wealthy background whose family, tutoring or access to extracurricular programs help them up.
Illustration by Simon LetchCredit:........
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