AQA A-Level: Ethnic Differences in Achievement - External Factors 2

AQA A-Level: Ethnic Differences in Achievement - External Factors 2

1. MATERIAL DEPRIVATION & CLASS

   • Material deprivation means a lack of necessities that are needed in today's society.
     • Working-class people are more likely to face poverty and material deprivation.
       • Material deprivation explanations see educational failure as resulting from factors such as substandard housing and low income. Ethnic minorities are more likely to face these problems.
         • Guy Palmer (2012) states that almost half of ethnic minority children line in low-income households, as against a quarter of white children.
           • Ethnic minorities are almost twice as likely to be unemployed compared to whites.
             • Ethnic minority households are around three times more likely to be homeless.
               • Almost half of Pakistani and Bangladeshi workers earned £7 per hour, compared with only a quarter of whites.
                 • Ethnic minority workers are more likely to be engaged in shift work, and Bangladeshi and Pakistani women are more likely to be engaged in low-paid homeworking.
   • There are several reasons why some ethnic minorities may be at greater risk of the material deprivation that results from unemployment, low pay and overcrowding.
     • Many live in economically deprived areas with high unemployment and low wage rates.
     • Cultural factors such as the tradition of Purdah in some Muslim families which prevents women from working outside of the home.
     • A lack of language skills, and foreign qualifications not being recognised by UK employers.
     • Asylum seekers may not be allowed to work.
     • Racial discrimination in the labour and housing markets.
   • Inequalities for ethnic minorities are reflected through the proportion of children from different ethnic groups whom are eligible for free school meals.
     • For example, only 10% of white British children are eligible for free school meals; whereas almost 45% of Bangladeshi children are eligible, 30% above the national average..
   • Indian pupils - whose achievements are generally above average - are likely to be from better-off backgrounds. They are the ethnic group most likely to attend private schools.
   • Does class override ethnicity?
     • Even those Indian and Chinese pupils who are materially deprived still do better than most.
       • In 2011, 86% of Chinese girls who received free school meals achieved five or more higher grade GCSEs, as compared to only 65% of white girls who weren't receiving free school meals.
       • Tariq Modood (2004) found that, while children from low-income families generally did less well, the effects of low income were much less for other ethnic groups than for white pupils.

2. RACISM IN WIDER SOCIETY

   • Some sociologists argue that poverty is the product of racism.
     • David Mason (2000) states that "discrimination is a continuing and persistent feature of the experience of Britain's citizens of minority ethnic origin."
   • John Rex (1986) shows how racial discrimination leads to social exclusion and how this worsens the poverty faced by ethnic minorities.
     • In housing, discrimination means that minorities are more likely to be forced into substandard accommodation than white people of the same class.
   • Wood et al (2010) sent three closely matched job applications to each of almost 1,000 job vacancies. These came from fictitious applicants using names associated with different ethnic groups.
     • For each job, one application appeared to come from a white person and two from members of minority groups.
       • Wood et al found that only one in 16 'ethnic minority' applications were offered an interview, as against one in nine 'white' applications.
         • This explains why members of ethnic minorities are more likely to experience unemployment and low pay, which has a negative effect on their children's education.