Do wealthy families create a 'glass floor' by hoarding opportunities for their children?

Do wealthy families create a 'glass floor' by hoarding opportunities for their children? 

This was the conclusion of the  latest report from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission which was produced by Dr Abigail Mcknight from the LSE. It was based on  data from the British Cohort study which analyses the socioeconomic position of 17,000 individuals born in 1970. The report found evidence that children from wealthier middle-class families were more likely to be protected from downward social mobility  due to the ability of their parents to secure greater educational opportunities and to use informal networking to improve labour market prospects.
What is the glass  floor?

• Many studies on social class concentrate on the concept of social mobility to consider how people rise up the social ladder. A 2011 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills literature review  highlighted the difficulty of defining what constitutes social mobility and lists key reports. This was echoed in 2012 in a paper by John Goldthorpe which referred to a confusion and missunderstanding of social mobility in Britain.
• A different approach is to consider how certain groups are able to prevent moving downwards. In 1998 Charles Tilly coined the term 'opportunity hoarding' to consider historically how social privilege is maintained down generations. A  good discussion of this can be found on the Understanding Society Blog
• in 2013, Reeves used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to consider how in the USA those from affluent backgrounds are prevented from falling down the social ladder by a 'glass floor'.

Finding further research

• The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission monitors the progress of the UK government in improving social mobility. Its website provides free access to reports on its nature and extent in Britain today
• The Sutton Trust regularly conducts research on privilege and entry into the professions
• Stratification and Culture Network is an academic collective which considers the importance of cultural processes in the reproduction of class.
• ESRC funds research projects into social inequality many of which cover social stratification. It supported the famous 1961-62 study of affluent workers in Luton which examined changes in working-class identity in industrial Britain. This and other large-scale data sets can be downloaded from the UK Data Archive
• LSE staff and students can also locate journal articles on this topic using Socindex
  IBSS; ISI Web of Science

Should the BBC continue to exist?

The government launch of the green paper on the future of the BBC last week is posing fundamental questions about the future role and funding of the BBC corporation. The Guardian sets out the key issues

Background papers on the topic include

Ofcom public service broadcasting annual reports

BBC Trust charter documents and policies.

BBC annual reports and policy documents. Includes reports on the economic and creative value of the BBC and the role of public service broadcasters.

UK Government publications

Lords Committee inquiry on BBC Charter renewal

Commons Culture media and Sport future of the BBC Inquiry

Some initial reaction from stakeholders included:

• BBC statement that it would bring a ‘much diminished less popular BBC’ that would be ‘bad for Britain.’ 
• BBC Trust response. 
• BPI – said the BBC was ‘critical to the success of British music’ 
• Children’s Media Foundation-a ‘ fundamental impact on the well-being of children in the UK and their connection with the society and culture in which they live.’ 
• Voice of the Viewer and Listener 
• TechUk 
• The National Union of Journalists – refers to it as a threat to downsize the BBC and has launched the Love it or lose it campaign

Other campaigns include:

BECTU (entertainment union) Love it or lose it save the BBC petition.

Broadcast magazine – Backing the BBC pledge

Blogs covering the process.

• Campaign for media freedom. 
• LSE Media policy – the Media Policy Project planner has a good collection of links to background documents on the Charter review. 
• Guardian articles and discussion 
• Conversation – UK academic discussion.

Some bodies which have produced useful background papers on the role of the BBC include:

• Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism which published a 2014 paper on the net impact on viewers if there were no BBC.It concluded that without a license fee investment in new UK content would be 25-50% lower and viewers would suffer a reduction in choice and content.

• IPPR report From public service broadcasting to public service communications

• Reuters Institute for the study of Journalism – is there still a place for public service television? (2013) 
• Public service broadcasting in the UK a longer term View – Social Market Foundation (2008) 
• Public Value and the BBC- Work Foundation (2007)

Going further
using subscription resources.
LSE Library media Subject guide has
Links to journal article databases