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A new report from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission has analysed the background of 4,000 leaders in politics, business, the media, and other aspects of public life. In the UK, 7% of pupils attend independent schools. The research shows that a
disproportionate number of these pupils go on to fill top jobs, including 71% of
senior judges, 33% of MPs, 36% of the Cabinet, 45% of public body chairs, and
43% of newspaper columnists.
The research presents a similar picture in terms of those adults who
graduated from Oxbridge. Although this figure is less than 1% of the UK adult
population, alumni of these universities make up 75% of senior judges, 24% of
MPs, 59% of the Cabinet, 44% of public body chairs, and 47% of newspaper
columnists.
Although the report acknowledges that many talented people go to independent
schools, the authors argue that certain professions should be more
representative of the public for reasons of legitimacy. The authors also
conclude that a narrow elite suggests serious limits on adult social mobility,
and that the sheer scale of the dominance of certain backgrounds raises
questions about the degree to which the composition of the elite reflects
merit.
Source:Elitist Britain (2014), Social Mobility and
Child Poverty Commission.