The difference between the pay and job opportunities for different groups in society is not easy to explain. Despite legislation dating back to 1970 and numerous Act's since men are still payed more than women, whites more than black and those from the middle class get more than those from working class. The difference in unemployment rates are similar.
One way to overcome this is to allow free access to higher education and select those who can access this opportunity on the basis of academic ability and not the ability to pay. Then at least everyone has the chance to present qualifications to potential employers that makes their worth clear, regardless of race, gender or background.
The first indications of university applications this year, with the new higher fees, show a substantial drop. This is probably inevitable (straightforward law of demand), but has wider issues.
The drop in applications from women is roughly double that of men. This may reflect the, very old fashioned view, that education benefits women less than men as women will become 'homemakers' and so it is not worth spending as much on them. While this seems strange to us it was the received view up to the 1960's.
But the damage that will be done to Britain's long term productive capacity and competitive position, by a less well educated workforce, is the most worrying aspect of this data. In a knowledge based economy, as Britain's future economy must be, this move is akin to cutting off an arm in an attempt to lose weight. Effective in reducing short-term expenditure, but plain stupid as a strategy.
The problem of education is that it is an imperfect information good, people don't understand how good education is for them and how much their education benefits society as a whole. Education is a merit good therefore, the market will never provide the socially optimal amount and it needs to be encouraged by the government.
Notice in The Independent report below that overseas applications are up. Britain is a relatively cheap place to study in international terms and this has been enhanced by the fall in the value of the pound over the last two or three years.
In regards to female discrimination,I think the problem lies with the public view of women and their roles in society, i.e through real life stories, marketing etc, and this old-fashioned view still manages to put pressure on girls to neglect their career choices for a seemingly more secure role as a housewife and 'let the men do the work'.
ReplyDeleteAs for the class/racial discrimination (grouping the two together, as ethnic minorities make up a large percentage of the lower class; whites dominating the upper classes), the problem lies with the government and its inability to facilitate and motivate education and its opportunities in lower-class areas. As a result, many of these young people purse their careers in manual labour, unskilled work or even joining the black market, in an attempt to gain a sliver of the middle class, so situations hardly change and things stay as they are, or depreciate ('the rich get richer the poor get poorer).