SOCIAL LIFE IN THE UK

Social life.

9.1.1. In the past, Britain used to be a class society. Yet some class distinctions have become blurred in Britain. Today only a small number of people are considered upper class, and their former influence in conservative politics has been largely taken over by wealthy people in the middle class. Liberal and left-wing politics have middle-class leadership as well. The British economy has created many semiprofessional and technical jobs, so it is no longer easy to tell which jobs are middle class and which are working class. Moreover, growing national affluence has brought greater social mobility between the working class and the middle class. Although prosperity may move working-class into the middle class, no amount of wealth will guarantee upper-class status, which is determined by land and family.

9.1.2. The increasingly widespread distribution of capital has also blurred class lines, as more money in the form of stocks, bonds, property, and bank accounts is in more hands. Many middle-class employees and workers have become owners of capital, particularly in the form of pension plans. There is less inequality in wealth, due to the spread of home ownership, and government programs have been created to help equalize access to health services and education.

9.1.3. There have been many changes in traditional values as well. Family structure has changed. Married couples have an average of two children, a figure that has not changed since World War II. However, marriage rates fell in the 1980s, and there has been a significant shift from formal marriage to stable cohabitation. In the mid-1990s one-third of births were to parents who were not formally married. As the percentage of women in Britain’s workforce has risen, women have struggled for equal pay for equal work, a goal as yet unachieved. The state passed an Equal Pay Act that has been aggressively applied to civil service, teaching, and local government jobs. The Sex Discrimination Act made discrimination unlawful between men and women in employment, education, training, housing, facilities, and services. Over 100 women were elected to the House of Commons out of a total 659 members.

9.1.4. The United Kingdom is generally a prosperous, well-educated, and tolerant society, and ethnic differences have sparked relatively little violence and hostility. Even so, black and Asian populations tend to cluster in certain urban neighborhoods, where economic and social disadvantages have become pronounced. Integration of these diverse ethnic groups into the workforce, as well as socialization into the broader society, including intermarriage, has been remarkably smooth. Percentages of employment for various ethnic minorities and whites are generally similar. Many individuals from ethnic minorities hold managerial and professional positions, and several sit in Parliament.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16