num_pages: 384
description: Politicians continually tell us that anyone can get ahead. But is that really true? This important best-selling book takes readers behind the closed doors of elite employers to reveal how class affects who gets to the top. Friedman and Laurison show that a powerful 'class pay gap exists in Britains elite occupations. Even when those from working-class backgrounds make it into prestigious jobs they earn on average 16% less than colleagues from privileged backgrounds. But why is this the case? Drawing on 175 interviews across four case studies  television accountancy architecture and acting  they explore the complex barriers facing the upwardly mobile. This is a rich ambitious book that demands we take seriously not just the glass but also the class ceiling.
language: English
title: The Class Ceiling: Why it Pays to be Privileged
publisher: Policy Press