Sorry, you don’t have enough qualifications to join in this protest!

Socioeconomic inequaities in peaceful protest participation.

We get taught that we live in a democracy. Now what does that actually mean?

It means that we have ‘freedom and equality between people’ (Cambridge Dictionary, no date).

WRONG!

Our society is riddled with inequalities. These inequalities are reproduced generation to generation through socialisation. If you’ve got rich parents, guess what? You’ll be minted too! For sociologists, such as Bourdieu and Bernstein, education is one of the largest institutions that reproduces this socioeconomic inequality in the UK.

Here is a fun video to explain this:

Socioeconomic status, parenting, capabilities, all these effect what kind of an education you have, and how politically engaged you are (Hoskins and Janmaat, 2019). If you come from a family with low socioeconomic status, you are less likely to gain high qualifications in school (Hoskins and Janmaat, 2019). Schools contribute to social reproduction by not allowing equal learning opportunities and using methods that benefit middle-class students more than working-class students (Hoskins and Janmaat, 2019). An example of this is Bernstein and language codes. Bernstein wrote that there are two language codes, restricted and elaborate (Bernstein, 2003). Restricted is what the working-class use, short and simple sentences (Bernstein, 2003). The middle-class use the elaborate code, analytic and complex sentences (Bernstein, 2003). Schools use an elaborate code, meaning before they even step foot into school, middle-class children have an unfair advantage over working-class children.

In late secondary education, students begin to choose which subjects and qualifications to do. It has been found that this is when inequalities in political engagement start to widen as well (Hoskins and Janmaat, 2019). The type of subjects we choose to take in secondary school effects how much we earn. Academic subjects are more likely than vocational subjects to teach debate and identify formation skills (Hoskins and Janmaat, 2019). These skills mean students will engage politically when they are older. So remember all those boring class debates you had to do in school? Who would’ve known they actually had a purpose?!

Students who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to take vocational subjects (Hoskins and Janmaat, 2019). This is because their parents are likely to have vocational qualifications and the kids will want to follow in their footsteps. These vocational skills don’t teach how to peacefully protest and so they are less likely to participate (Hoskins and Janmaat, 2019).

“Protest behaviour refers to actions by private citizens that are direct and outside the institutional channels of political parties and pressure groups, and are intended to influence the social, political, or cultural status quo” (Kolczyńska, 2019).

Don’t know if you have been involved in a peaceful protest? If you have been part of a public demonstration, signed an online petition, been part of a political Facebook group or campaigned with other people, then you have taken part in the peaceful protest! (Hoskins and Janmaat, 2019). Protests allow large groups of people to fight for subject which is close to their hearts. This unifying type of political engagement is favoured by individuals who have achieved higher, academic qualifications in education.

Don’t believe me? Here is some research done by smart people.

 

We can now understand that students with academic qualifications are more likely than students with vocational qualifications to participate in a peaceful form of protesting. 77.1% of level 3 academic students have engaged in some form of peaceful protest, compared to 38.8% participation for level one students (those people who don’t have GCSE’s or BTEC’s).

You have to have the resources to be able to participate in a peaceful protest. Resources like time to take part, paid holiday days, money for childcare and money for travel. (Kolczyńska, 2019).

Now really think hard, who have these resources?

Yes that’s right! All those people with A-Levels and degrees. The middle-class!

Students who decide to take academic subjects are taught debate skills and identity formation skills (Hoskins and Janmaat, 2019). These skills help people develop political views and create a passion for change. The type of skills you would argue are useful to participate in peaceful protests. Working-class children who choose vocational subjects are less likely to be taught citizenship skills meaning they aren’t given a chance to develop a political opinion. Vocational qualifications are less favoured by employers (Hoskins and Janmaat, 2019). This means that financially well-off and univeristy educated people have greater political power (Laurison, 2015). This means that the inequalities in society are rarely discussed politically, because the people that this socioeconomic divide hurts, do not participate in protests.

So basically…

If you choose subjects like health and social care or hair and beauty, then you are less likely to be a high earner or participate in a peaceful protest.
BUT, if you choose to do an English or Maths A-Level then you will be on the front line protesting with a big old sign!

 

This needs to change!

Citizenship education needs to be compulsory to all students until the end of secondary education! Our education system needs to become equal so that all students get the same chance to learn how to engage politically.

 

 

Bibliography

Bernstein, B (2003) Class, codes, and control. London: Routledge.

Cambridge dictionary (No Date) Meaning of democracy in English. Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/democracy (accessed: 18 April 2020)

Hoskins, B and Janmaat, J (2019) Education, Democracy and Inequality, political engagement and citizenship education in Europe. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kolczyńska, M (2019) Changes or Cross‐National Differences? Effects of Economic Inequality on Protest Participation. Social Science Quarterly. 101(1)

Laurison, D (2015) The right to speak: differences in political engagement among the British elite. The Sociological Review. 63. pp. 349-372