The City of London Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce published a major report on the issue last week, the first report of its kind to focus on socio-economic diversity.
It found 64% of senior leaders surveyed were from a family with a professional background―nearly double the proportion (37%) of the UK population.
Among senior employees, 26% attended fee-paying schools, which is three times the national average of 7.5%, while 20% of junior-level and 16% of mid-level respondents attended fee-paying schools.
Of those respondents from a working-class background, 37% felt their background had held them back at work, compared to 18% from a professional background. Employees from working class backgrounds felt less able to be themselves at work, were more likely to feel like an outsider, more likely to feel that their background negatively impacted their career and more likely to feel that they did not have the same chances of success in the workplace.
Just 1% of respondents in senior positions were ethnic minority women from working-class backgrounds.
In the legal sector, statistics from Solicitors Regulation Authority show 58% of lawyers working in law firms are from a professional background (compared to 37% nationally) and 23% of lawyers attended a fee-paying school.
I Stephanie Boyce, president of the Law Society, which sits on the City of London Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce, said: ‘The report draws urgent attention to the need for professional services―including the legal sector―to improve their socio-economic diversity to ensure we reflect the society we serve.
‘Working class people―who were under-represented across organisations and at senior levels―reported feeling less included in the workplace. As a child brought up in a single-parent household on a council estate I can understand why people from similar backgrounds may feel left out in the workplace.
‘Not having the connections others may have had made it more difficult for me to break into and progress in the legal sector. We need to act now to ensure there is socio-economic diversity at all levels. Doing nothing is not an option.’
Boyce said the Law Society is launching a ‘Social Mobility Web Hub’, which will provide practical and expert resources to help organisations promote socio-economic diversity.
The Taskforce is due to publish its recommendations later this year. Find out more about the Taskforce here.
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