BRITISH PROFESSIONS TODAY: THE STATE OF ... - Property Week

Social and political contributions continued >>
In professional societies meritocracy is, at least in
theory, substituted for class as the basis of social structure.
Consequently, social mobility increases, and women are
incorporated into the workplace, achieving new levels of
liberty. Britain’s labour force has seen a marked increase in
the number of jobs performed by women since the rise of
professional society. Over the last two decades alone women
have closed a big gap: in 1981 men filled 3.2 million more jobs
than women, whereas now the numbers are almost equal,
with men filling 12.8 and women 12.7 million jobs (though
nearly half of women’s jobs are part time, and women are
still much more likely to do administrative or secretarial work
than men) (LFS 2002).
Government, too, expands to provide the universal benefits
of a welfare state. Government administration has grown
substantially over the past two decades, despite reducing the
number of direct employees (eg civil servants) (Hood et al.
1999). The provision of higher education is particularly
important in order to create human capital (Perkin 1996). In
the UK, greater access to higher education has been made
available largely by the upgrading of colleges and polytechnics
to university status (Perkin 2002).
Evidence suggests that whilst social mobility and access to
the professions is an ongoing concern, the professions have
a comparatively good record for setting clear, meritocratic
entry standards and working to help individuals from all
backgrounds reach them. Still, the connection between
professional societies and progress towards meritocracy is
under-studied, and a subject worthy of further research.
Today, the UK ranks near the bottom of a comparison of
social mobility in Europe and the US, with lower social
mobility than many advanced nations (save for the US)
(Blanden et al. 2005). Do professional skills and qualification
structures have the capacity to boost lagging social mobility?
Research which charts the evolution, and establishes variables
of causation, could measure the professions’ potential roles in
pushing society forward towards greater equality and social
justice in the future.
Gateways to the professions
The Labour government signalled its commitment to social
mobility through improved access to the professions with the
Gateways to the Professions initiative, which arose from
Sir Alan Langlands’ report 2005. The Langlands report
examined the potential impact of variable fees in terms of
access to the professions. Key issues facing access to the
professions were found to be: outdated, stereotypical
perceptions of the professions, accumulation of student debt,
length of study, and retention, particularly of women in those
professions which lack flexible or “family-friendly” work
practices (Ibid.).
The government accepted all of Sir Alan’s recommendations
and has taken action on a number of fronts, including the
creation of a “Gateways to the Professions Development
Fund.” The fund provided up to £6 million over three years
(up to March 2008) to support projects that tackle the full
range of issues and barriers faced by people seeking to enter
the professions through higher education. Individual
professions have also developed a range of their own
initiatives to breaking down barriers to their professions.
A collaborative forum of representatives from professional
bodies continues to meet to share and develop strategies
which will support access to the professions. The professions
must continue to work alongside current government
programmes and structures (particularly school systems), not
to mention ingrained systems of hierarchy and tradition, to
make access for all a reality.
26