The barriers to achievement Life Chances The barriers to achievement

What are these barriers? Certain sections of society are faced with barriers created by stereotypes and prejudices made against them. These barriers mean that these members of society have restricted life chances Members of society who are usually faced with these barriers are women, ethnic minorities and the disabled.

Women From a very young age, females are encouraged to place their physical appearance as the key feature of their identity Many feminists state that women are victims of sexism on every level. Patriarchy exploits them in every aspect of their life, from professional aspects (the glass ceiling) to personal matters (girls and women feeling pressured to be attractive and “feminine”). This sexism negatively affects the life chances of women .

“Girlification” “Little girls quickly learn where they belong. The pink disease is far worse than 20 years ago. It’s almost impossible to buy toys now that are not putridly pink branded or aggressively superhero male. Barbie and Bratz etc. and don’t get me started on thongs for 7 year olds and sexy slogans on 3 year olds t-shirts. One study showed how anxiety about appearance harms brain function. Girls were asked to try on a swimsuit or a sweater in a private room, supposedly to give their opinion. While waiting they did a maths test. The girls given swimsuits did much worse than the others as thinking about their bodies undermined their intellectual self confidence. At ever younger ages, girls are judged by their appearance. Girlification is worse than it ever was.” Polly Toynbee writing in the Guardian 15th April 2008

Ethnic minorities Due to racist perceptions and fears towards the level of immigration ethnic minorities face many different social barriers. Sociolgical research has argued that institutuions such as schools and the police force are inherently racist, and show favouritism towards white people. The media often creates moral panics about ethnic minorities, which can lead to hostility towards particular ethnic groups amongst the general public. The death of Stephen Lawrence, a victim of a racist attack, highlighted institutional racism within the police force, The moral panic of Terrorism has had a severe impact on the Muslim communities in England.

Activity – Ethnicity & Life Chances Look at the written activity on page 295 Answer the questions Identify two differences in the life chances of some minority ethnic groups compared to those of their white British peers

The disabled. The main barrier for disabled people would be a physical one. The majority of our buildings and institutions are designed with the able bodied in mind, and so the disabled find it very hard, or even impossible to physically enter and work within these buildings. This helps to alienate the disabled from society, making it hard for them to develop their potential through education and work, and makes it very difficult for them to access public services.

Towards equality of opportunity. Government efforts: -adopted policy of equal opportunities in employment; no decision of recruitment, promotion or pay can be based on an employee’s race or gender. -Education reforms produced to encourage all children to develop their talents, irrespecitve of gender, race, or their physical and mental capabilities. -Programmes introduced to help children from materially or culturally deprived families (Surestart – although this has now been scrapped) -Harassment or abuse based on someone's race, gender or sexuality is outlawed. Non-Governmental action: - Marginalised social groups have created pressure groups who campaign for change. One example of this is the Fawcett society, who campaign for gender equality.

Have Life Chances Improved? Despite government actions and action by other groups the effect on equality has been limited or not achieved in some areas for the following reasons: Governments, not wishing to offend the business interest, are reluctant to impose and enforce strict regulations, which employers attack as being “red tape”. Many companies who wish to discriminate still do so. Women who want to have a family and a job are not always treated fairly by employers. A Glass Ceiling still exists. Attitudes and behaviour patterns do not necessarily change very quickly after a new law has been passed. Making discrimination illegal does not immediately end discrimination.