race for opportunity - aspiration and frustration

ASPIRATION AND

FRUSTRATION

Ethnic minority hope and reality inside

Britain’s premier careers

Business

Community

in the

CliCk image to start

iNteraCtiVe PDFPlease use the menu to navigate your way through the document

FOREWORD INTRODUCTION UNLEASHING ASPIRATION SUPPORT NETWORKS ROLE MODELS RACISM AT WORK CONCLUSION SPOTLIGHTS 1 2 3 4 5 6

NOT FOR THE LIKES OF US FAMILY INFLUENCE CONCRETE CEILING OR OPEN DOOR? INSTITUTIONAL RACISM LIVES ON? SUMMARY

ForeworD

It is a sad fact of modern day Britain that the workplace is not as ethnically

diverse as the society in which we live. The legal barriers to equal opportunity

have been swept away but something is still preventing some Black, Asian

and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people from moving into the industries that offer

the best prospects for career and earnings potential in Britain’s 21st century

services economy.

Business in the Community’s race for opportunity (rfo) campaign is committed to speeding up

the progress of ethnic minority people in the workplace. to establish the scale of the challenge,

we commissioned groundbreaking research to find out exactly how Bame groups viewed their

prospects of employment and promotion within some selected industries and professions and

to find out about the working conditions they encountered there.

our survey found that ethnic minority workers have high aspirations for finding and forging a

sustainable career and that they have a strong work ethic. However this aspiration and exertion

seems to be frustrated at the office door. some professions, especially those that offer the best

pay, are still not perceived by a large minority of the country’s Bame population as genuine

career options. there are many factors at play. in some professions there is a clear lack of role

models while others are still saddled with a reputation for racism. worst of all, as is shown in

this research, blatant and shocking racism still exists in parts of the world of work.

the results from the survey show there is still much work to be done, and are a call to action

for politicians, employers and educators to look harder at how they can ensure that these

professions are seen as truly equal opportunity employers. the efforts of the last four

decades to improve employment opportunities for ethnic minority workers in the Uk have paid

dividends. the face of the British workforce has changed substantially in British offices, shops,

transport, the health service and factories. But there is further to go to ensure that all walks of

life are open to all. the challenge for the coalition government, employers and educators is to

ensure that for Bame candidates, the door to the city law firm is as open as the call centre, and

that being a public leader is as normal as sitting behind a supermarket till.

Sandra Kerr

National Director of the race for

opportunity campaign,

Business in the Community

the publication of this report comes at a critical moment. the new government is grappling

with an extremely challenging political agenda in the face of the toughest economic times for

a generation. the task is to put the country back on a path of sustainable growth. this makes it

an ideal opportunity to ensure that the workforce of tomorrow reflects the population of today

– and especially in the professions and industries that will become so important to the Uk in the

21st century and beyond.

it is imperative that Britain’s workforce includes the finest talents drawn from all sections of

society at a time when their intellect and energy will be vital to restoring the Uk to long-term

economic health. the aspiration is there: it is now time for those in government, business and

education to ensure that all the barriers to equal opportunity at work are finally removed.


iNtroDUCtioN aND maiN FiNDiNgs

Ethnic minorities are under-represented in many of the highest paying sectors of

business and public service. While racial discrimination has been illegal for some

years and many major employers have taken great strides to rid themselves of

both overt and institutional racism, there may be more subtle factors at play

that either discourage or fail to attract BAME candidates.

this report is based on an in-depth study of the opinions of almost 1,500 people from all major

ethnic backgrounds in the Uk (including white Britons) about all aspects of their attitudes

towards their goals, their views of different industries and on their experience in the workplace.

it asks about the importance and existence of role models; the people Bame workers look to for

support; and about the reality of racism in the office, the meeting room and the staff canteen.

the aim of the exercise was to gain a better understanding of why ethnic minorities seem to

prefer certain businesses and avoid others and to see if the raw reality of working life for ethnic

minorities in 2010 matches the positive rhetoric heard so often from politicians and business

leaders alike.The survey shows that there is a gap between rhetoric and reality in

four key areas:

1. Despite high levels of aspiration among ethnic minorities, a majority sees many of the key professions – especially those that offer the potential for the highest salaries – as being closed off to them.

2. employers with an historic reputation for racism such as the police and the armed forces are still seen as unwelcoming to ethnic minorities.

3. Despite a strong desire from ethnic minorities, there are few role models in the key professions, which may explain the negative image they appear to have.

4. Blatant racism is still far too prevalent in the workplace. while only a minority has suffered it, for those who have, the pattern of behaviour can be highly offensive and at worst seems unchanged from the 1970s.

CliCk For sPotligHt #1


#1 tHe sUrVey samPle aND ProFessioNs UNDer tHe sPotligHt

A total of 1,469 people were interviewed for the survey. The largest group was

Indian at 15% followed by white British, white mixed race and Pakistani on 14%

each, and Black Caribbean/Other Black on 13%. Of the total 65% were born

in the UK (falling to 60% if white British are excluded) while 34% were born

outside the UK. Of the non-white British only 15% said their parents were born

in the UK. A large majority are therefore second-generation migrants.

respondents answered more than 20 questions about their background, their attitudes to life,

their experiences of racism and bullying at work. the survey also sought to put together a

detailed picture of their views of particular well-paid or high-profile professions, listed below,

through a further series of 17 questions.

Politics

Armed Forces

Police

Medicine

Banking/Finance

Legal/Law

Education

Media

these professions include some of the best-paid in the country, such as law, banking, and the

media and others that have high status or profile within the community, such as medicine,

politics and education. the armed forces and the police were chosen both to act as benchmarks

for the other professions and because they have an historic reputation for racism that they

have tried hard to eradicate.

Where were you born?

Where were your parents born?

Outside the UK

In the UK

Prefer not to say

Where weree your par

82% surveyed hold British Citizenship, 17% do not

2%

26%

72%

1%

65%

34%

Where were you born?

Where were your parents born?

Outside the UK

In the UK

Prefer not to say

Where weree your par

82% surveyed hold British Citizenship, 17% do not

2%

26%

72%

1%

65%

34%

wHere were yoU BorN?


Aspiration was a theme that united all three major political parties during the General Election. A year

ago it dominated the headlines when former Cabinet Minister Alan Milburn declared that bright young

people from middle class as well as lower income backgrounds were being shut out from professional jobs.

the Panel on Fair access to the Professions1 was looking at class rather than race but all the evidence points to a similar

closed shop to ethnic minority candidates. as race for opportunity showed in their report last year, race to the top2,

Bame workers make up 10.3% of the population but only 8.5% of the workforce and just 6.3% of those in management

positions. in February 2010 a report published by Friends Provident and the Future Foundation3 said Britain’s workforce was

“polarising” into two distinct groups: the elite – workers in technical, professional and managerial roles – and the excluded.

this report shows that Bame workers share in those aspirations to join the ranks of the best-paid professions but

that they are held back by obstacles to their progression: by their own perception that such careers are “not for them”;

and by blatant racism in the workplace. the answers this research has uncovered are disappointing and a call to action

for government, businesses and educators alike.

there is no shortage of aspiration among Britain’s ethnic

minorities. almost nine out of 10 of those questioned (89%)

said that they had set personal life goals. when it came

to defining success more than seven out of 10 said that it

meant achieving those goals with 40% specifically citing

achieving a “good job” as a measure of success. Fewer than

one in 10 (8%) saw being famous as a marker of success,

perhaps a repudiation of the popular image of a celebrity-

obsessed society.

this finding fits with the conclusion of a separate survey

by race for opportunity into Bame representation

in higher education4. the report, race into Higher

education, found that the proportion of ethnic minorities

in higher education almost doubled from 8.3% in

1995-96 to 16.0% in 2007-08. the proportion of ethnic

minorities at university exceeded their share of the

18-24 year old population in the Uk (14.2%), which

suggests that a significant number of ethnic minorities

are enrolling in higher education later in life.

the aspiration mentality, therefore, is well embedded

in the Bame community. so too is a positive attitude

to work.

UNleasHiNg asPiratioN



http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/200480/fair_access_panel_report.pdf

http://www.bitc.org.uk/document.rm?id=8676

http://www.visionsofbritain2020.co.uk/our-vision/research/employment/the-workplace/3

http://www.bitc.org.uk/workplace/diversity_and_inclusion/race/hesa_report.html#

Not for the likes of us

It will be impossible to achieve fair representation of ethnic minorities in the key

professions if these jobs are not seen as relevant to them. Asked whether they

were interested in a career in any of the eight activities, 16% said they were

interested in none of them. While the vast majority has a positive attitude to at

least one of them, it still leaves one in 12 who have written them off at the outset.

Broken down by sector, half said they were not interested in joining the armed forces while more

than a third (39%) ruled out the police. even more however – 44% – ruled out politics as a career.

For all other career choices more than one out of four said they were not interested, meaning

that the next generation of bankers, medics, lawyers, teachers and journalists, will struggle to

have a fairer ethnic mix than the current one. this would be a great disappointment given the

greater take-up of subjects such as law and business by Bame students. rfo’s race into Higher

education report found 17% of Bame undergraduates were taking business and administrative

studies courses and 6% a law degree – both higher proportions than their white colleagues.

this disinterest was not just about pay. Unsurprisingly given the furore over mPs’ expenses only

2% saw politics as badly paid. thanks to publicity over bonuses just 4% saw bankers as poorly

paid and 3% had that view of lawyers. However more than a third saw education as poorly paid.

a sizeable minority held negative impressions of most of these professions. Fewer than

a quarter said that none of them was “aggressive” with around a third using that word

to describe the armed forces (35%) and the police (31%). while those careers clearly entail

the use of physical force as a core part of the job, more than a fifth also put banking, law

and the media in that category. more than one in three saw both banking and the media as

“cut throat” (34% for both) while almost as many (31%) said the same about politics. the

two most amenable professions on that score were medicine (8%) and education (4%).

more worryingly, there was a clear shortage of role models in these industries. exactly a third

said that none of eight professions offered figures to which they could look up. while banking

and politics were the ones most identified as lacking role models (28% in both cases), between

a tenth and a quarter said the same about the other six potential jobs.

Here is a list of different statements people have made about particular industries in the UK. For each industry, please select which of these statements you agree with

0 10 20 30 40 50

Not an industry I am interested in

44%

50%

39%

27%

25%

28%

16%

16%

31% Chinese

36% Mixed

59% Chinese

50% Chinese

40% MixedWhite

57% Chinese

30% Chinese

40% WhiteBr..

‘red text’ from graph to incorporate?

All Other Ethnic

Politics

Armed Forces

Police

Medicine

Banking/Finance

Legal/Law

Education

None

30%Media

tUrNeD oFF By tHe ProFessioNs

FRUSTRATED AMBITIONS NOT FOR THE LIKES OF US CONCRETE CEILING OR OPEN DOOR ? INSTUTIONAL RACISM LIVES ON? SURVEY CONCLUSIONS

UNLEASHING ASPIRATIONFOREWORD INTRODUCTION UNLEASHING ASPIRATION SUPPORT NETWORKS ROLE MODELS RACISM AT WORK CONCLUSION SPOTLIGHTS 1 2 3 4 5 6


Family influence

some professions face an unexpected obstacle. asked about their family’s views,

only four out of 10 (42%) said they believed their family would see all of the eight

as suitable. this is a significant finding because, as we shall see later, close family

relations have a much greater influence on ethnic minority groups than on white

Britons. the armed forces had the most negative reputation with 31% of respondents

fearing family disapproval. the figure was high for both politics (16%) and the

police (18%).

Here is a list of different statements people havemade about particular industries in the UK. For each industry, please select which of these statements you agree with

Politics

Armed Forces

Police

Medicine

Banking/Finance

Legal/Law

Education

None

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Is not something my family would support

42%


25% Oth Asian.38% Bang.24% Chinese=10% Oth Asian.==15% Pak.

All Other Ethnic 16% 25% Other Asian

31% 38% Bang.

18% 24% Chinese

5% =

7% 10% Other Asian

5% =

5% =

Media 9% 15% Pak.

Family memBers HaVe stroNg iNFlUeNCe

These findings highlight the danger that some professions fall at the first hurdle when

it comes to ensuring their workforce. A significant minority is either simply not

interested in many of these professions, sees them as poorly paid, as lacking in role

models, as aggressive or cut-throat or not something that their family would approve of.





Politics

Armed Forces

Police

Medicine

Banking/Finance

Legal/Law

Education

None

0 10 20 30 40 50

Is difficult to find employment in

7%

22%

24%

9%

30%


26% Mixed White12% Bang.14% Chinese / Bang.20% Bang.26% Pak.31% Mixed White12% Pak.44% Black C/O

All Other Ethnic

11%

15%

20%

31%Media

HARD TO GET ONTO THE LADDER

Concrete ceiling or open door?

For those that do want to join the ranks of the professionals, the issue will

be whether they believe they can get a foothold in their chosen occupation

and advance up the career ladder. The bad news is that against that positive

backdrop, there is a sense of frustration. A large number of people see many

of the key professions – especially those that offer the potential for the highest

salaries and the greater influence – as being closed off to them.

Only 30% believed that it would be easy to find a job in any of the eight selected professions.

The media industry is seen as the hardest to break into with three out of 10 (31%) saying

it would be difficult to find a job. Law, banking and politics are all seen as relatively hostile

territory with a fifth worried about getting a toehold in the profession.

One reason for this may be that there is simply no information for potential applicants

wanting to join these professions. While most saw the armed forces, the police and medicine

as relatively easy areas to source information, this was not true for all careers. A quarter

singled out politics as a profession with little entry-level guidance and more than a fifth

cited the media industry, with a sizeable minority unsure about banking and law.

On the surface this seems prima facie evidence of the “old boys’ network” or “old school

tie” syndrome that enables friends and family to take advantage of connections and opaque

procedures for entry that are not available or clear to everyone. It is no coincidence that this

phenomenon is most closely associated with white middle class Britons gaining access to

careers in banking, law, politics and the media through nepotism and connections. Indeed

fewer white Britons in our survey saw problems with entry-level information.

FrusTrATed AmbiTions noT For THe LiKes oF us ConCreTe CeiLinG or oPen door ? insTuTionAL rACism LiVes on? surVeY ConCLusions

unLeAsHinG AsPirATionForeWord inTroduCTion unLeAsHinG AsPirATion suPPorT neTWorKs roLe modeLs rACism AT WorK ConCLusion sPoTLiGHTs 1 2 3 4 5 6

noT For THe LiKes oF us FAmiLY inFLuenCe ConCreTe CeiLinG or oPen door? insTiTuTionAL rACism LiVes on? summArY

... Concrete ceiling or open door?

Even if ethnic minority candidates can overcome these hurdles, they still face a struggle to

rise up the corporate or career ladder. Around one in 10 named each of the eight professions

as ones that offered “little chance” of career progression. The most pessimistic verdict was on

education where a fifth see little likelihood of advancement through the ranks, followed by the

armed forces and the police.

IN ALL CAsEs THE ANsWERs GIvEN By BAME REspONDENTs WERE LEss pOsITIvE THAN THOsE fROM THEIR WHITE COuNTERpARTs. fOR INsTANCE, WHILE 60% Of WHITEs sAW NO BARRIERs IN ANy Of THE CAREERs fEWER THAN HALf BAME REspONDENTs AGREED.

CLICK fOR spOTLIGHT #2

FrusTrATed AmbiTions noT For THe LiKes oF us ConCreTe CeiLinG or oPen door ? insTuTionAL rACism LiVes on? surVeY ConCLusions

Taken together these answers paint a worrying picture. To a greater or lesser

extent all these professions are seen as difficult to find work in, provide

insufficient entry-level information, and little career progression for those that

do manage to get their foot in the door. of course these questions are about

perception and doubtless industry organisations and individual employers would

say that they are making strenuous efforts on all of these fronts. The problem

is that perception is an integral part of the challenge of ensuring that the bAme

population is better represented in professions that are well-paid, allow the

holders to wield influence or offer long-term career prospects – or indeed all three.

unLeAsHinG AsPirATionForeWord inTroduCTion unLeAsHinG AsPirATion suPPorT neTWorKs roLe modeLs rACism AT WorK ConCLusion sPoTLiGHTs 1 2 3 4 5 6

noT For THe LiKes oF us FAmiLY inFLuenCe ConCreTe CeiLinG or oPen door? insTiTuTionAL rACism LiVes on? summArY

#2 wHite PligHt: more ComPlaCeNt tHaN Bames?

The aim of this survey was to examine the barriers to people from an ethnic

minority background. However the findings have thrown up worrying attitudes

among the white British respondents that raise major questions about their

attitude to work.

success was only important to 44% of this group compared with 59% overall. they were

the group least interested in having a role model and indeed that appeared to have the worst

access to a role model figure at university or work of any group. Fewer white respondents

had taken up work experience opportunities than any other group.

when it came to the professions, white Britons were markedly less interested in a banking,

legal or media career than Bame respondents. in terms of success, white Britons are the

least likely to define it by intelligence, wealth or being accepted by others.

this may simply reflect a complacent attitude that comes with membership of the indigenous

majority that sees itself as most likely to get jobs. However it may throw up a lack of interest

in the professional world that may need to be addressed at some point.



Politics

Armed Forces

Police

Medicine

Banking/Finance

Legal/Law

Education

None

0 10 20 30 40 50

Has undertones of racism

15%

25%

36%

33%

6%

13%

11%

16%

4%

8%

42%

28%

All Other Ethnic

White British

48%

3%

9%

30%


39% Black C/O

45% Black C/O

72% Black C/O 53% Black Af.33% White Br.

13% Black Af.

17% Black C/O

22% Black C/O / Black Af.

10% Black C/O/ Chinese

21% Black C/O

42% White Br.Media

9%

17%

institutional racism lives on?

Much progress has been made in the decade since the Macpherson Report

into the murder of Stephen Lawrence branded the Metropolitan Police as

“institutionally racist”. In a speech5 earlier this year former Communities

Secretary John Denham said that “sustained action” over the last 10 years had

promoted racial equality and better race relations, dismantled unfair barriers

faced by many and helped to nurture a society more comfortable with diversity

than ever before. People from ethnic minority backgrounds are no longer

automatically disadvantaged in modern Britain, he said.

However it is clear from our survey that there is still a long way to go, not only in the police

force but also in other professions that have not generated the volume of publicity that

followed macpherson. only 40% of those questioned believe that there were no undertones

of racism in any of the eight professions they were asked about.

almost half of the respondents saw racism in the police and that this rises to 72% for

Black Caribbeans. the armed forces were a close second with 36% of non-white people

seeing undertones of racism with again Black Caribbeans the most negative on 45%.

No profession was seen as devoid of racism. even the sector with the most positive reputations

– education and medicine where a large number of Bame people work – still had 7% and 8%

respectively citing undertones of racism. respectively, 16% and 12% of respondents detected

racism in the legal and banking sectors.

more than a quarter cited politics as another problem area, rising to 30% when white

respondents were excluded and 39% of the Black Caribbean group. while social class and levels

of education have traditionally been seen as barriers to entry into politics, it now seems that

race too is an issue. given that this survey comes at the end of a decade that saw Baroness

amos become the first black woman to attend Cabinet as secretary of state for international

Development and six Bame mPs serve as ministers of state, this indicates the problem may be

at the grassroots.

a rePUtatioN For raCism




http://www.communities.gov.uk/speeches/corporate/tacklingraceinequality

... institutional racism lives on?

there was a close correlation between these findings and the professions that were seen as

under-represented by ethnic minorities. around four out of 10 named politics, the police or

the armed forces as professions that failed to have adequate Bame representation. Banking

and law followed with about one in four while medicine and education were seen as the best

employers but still with a sizeable minority saying they were not fully representative.


Turning the question around to ask which industries are seen as encouraging

and supportive to ethnic minorities showed a more subtle but no less unsettling

picture. No individual sector scored more than 50% in terms of being seen as

either supportive of ethnic minorities or as industries that encouraged ethnic

minorities. The same was true when the answers were broken down according to

ethnic group. The most positive responses came from white British respondents,

which implied that they have a perception of tangible action by the professions,

which is not seen by ethnic minorities themselves.




#3 tHe PoliCe – still a BlaCk aND wHite issUe

A decade after the Macpherson Report there is little evidence that the police

force is seen as a career opportunity for Black Britons, particularly for those

of Caribbean descent. The finding that almost three quarters (72%) of Black

Caribbean British believe the police still have undertones of racism was the

most negative of any of the findings. More than half of Black Africans agreed

with them while exactly two-thirds of white Britons disagreed. This negativity

was found elsewhere in the survey. Fewer than one in 10 Black Africans believed

the police were supportive of ethnic minorities and half of Black Caribbeans

believed they were not representative.


summary so far

This survey has produced some new insights into the ways that these

industries and professions are seen among BAMEs. The main findings are:

• Some of the best-paid professions such as banking, law, politics and the media were not seen as a realistic option for Bames;

• Those with an historic reputation for racism, such as the police and armed forces, are still seen as unwelcoming to minorities; and

• The ‘caring’ professions, education and medicine, which have a positive history of Bame recruitment are seen as good options but are seen as less well-paid and offering less career progression, particularly education.

in order to draw up recommendations to tackle these problems, it is worthwhile looking at the existence – or otherwise – of role models and support networks for ethnic minority workers aspiring to the professions and of the reality of life for people from a Bame background in the workplace.




Home-growN sUPPort Networks

At some point in their lives, everyone needs a shoulder to cry on to get through

a rough time, whether at work, school or in their personal lives. The existence

of a support network and a diverse set of role models are vital for any well-

functioning society. They can also help inspire people to make particular choices

at key crossroads such as entering the jobs market.

it is revealing that the vast majority of Bame people surveyed said that they looked to family

and friends for the support to help them achieve the goals they had set for themselves. three-

quarters picked their family as one of their main pillars of support while two-thirds cited friends.

Just over a third said their workplace provided that support, with 19% looking to teachers

and lecturers while career advisers were name-checked by just a tenth. the local church or

equivalent religious centre was mentioned by 15% (although interestingly by half of those of

Black african descent who took part).

while it is a positive sign that so many people look to family and friends for support in achieving

their goals, the findings do raise two issues. the first is that people may rely on a home-grown

network because there is a lack of professional support systems. asked whether they had access

to a support network at their work, seven out of 10 said they either did not have one or did not

know if one existed. of the 30% who answered yes, only a third had ever used it.

this leads onto the second issue, which is the enhanced importance of the views of the family

support network that we saw earlier. any profession that is seen as an inappropriate career

by family members, who are the key providers of support, will face an uphill struggle to recruit

members from that ethnic group. the survey findings imply a link between those professions

which carry a historic reputation for racism or lack of support for minorities, such as the police

and armed forces, and those that still encounter resistance from within the family. this means

that certain professions face higher barriers to attracting ethnic minority candidates without

more vigorous action to root out racism and its causes.

Where do you go for support?

Family

Friends

Work/Employer

Teachers/Lecturers

Church/Religious advice

Career advisors

Communitygroups

Myself

Other (specify)

NA/No-one

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Support is a family affair

All Other Ethnic

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

74%

64%

37%

19%

15%

11%

6%

2%

2%

1%

sUPPort is a Family tHiNg


role moDels reqUireD

Anyone setting out on a career path needs a role model. Our survey shows that

this is especially true for ethnic minority workers looking to make their way in a

largely white-dominated workplace. However it also reveals that there is a severe

shortage of role models.

our survey panel attached a lot of importance to having access to a role model to help them

achieve their life goals. ranked on a scale of one to seven, where seven was important, a tenth

gave it the highest grade with a further 50% grading it from four to six. the mean score was

4.63. white Britons were the least interested with a mean score of 3.99. the most enthusiastic

were Black africans on 5.17 followed by indians on 4.99 with all other groups grading it between

4.44 and 4.84.

there was also a clear view of the attributes that a role model should have. more than three-

quarters cited honesty, respect, being easy to talk to and being motivational as their preferred

characteristics. racial profile played a relatively unimportant role. Fewer than one in 10 said it

was important that a role model was of the same ethnic or religious background. there were

some ethnic differences: a quarter of Black africans wanted a role model from their racial

background with only 3% of Black Caribbeans and Chinese agreeing, for example.

But asked to name a role model off the top of their head, excluding family and friends, a

third did not offer anyone, with only four out of 10 from a Bangladeshi or Pakistani heritage

providing a name. No one single personality gathered more than 10% support with sir richard

Branson the most named with 7%, followed by “someone at work” (5%) and a teacher (4%).

the only other business personalities to score above 1% were sir alan sugar and the telecoms

entrepreneur Peter Jones, a long-serving member of BBC2’s Dragons’ Den.

How imPortaNt is it tHat yoU HaVe aCCess to a

role moDel to HelP yoU aCHieVe all tHat yoU

waNt iN yoUr liFe?

How important is it that you have access to a role model to help you achieve all that you want in your life?

Very important - 7

6

5

4

3

2

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

15%

12%

17%

10%

12%

8%

9%

4%

2%

3%

4%

15%

22%

28%

30%

11%Ethnicity

White British Other ethnic

200 1269

18 48

9.00% 3.78%

24 96

12.00% 7.57%

34 123

17.00% 9.69%

29 158

14.50% 12.45%

56 386

28.00% 30.42%

29 284

14.50% 22.38%

7 136

3.50% 10.72%

3 38

1.50% 2.99%

1 - Not important at all (

2 (2.0)

3 (3.0)

4 (4.0)

5 (5.0)

6 (6.0)

7 - Very important (7.0)

Don't know

All Other Ethnic

White British

Not important at all - 1

Don’t know


Thinking about the characteristics and features you mentioned previously and excluding familyand friends, which one UK based individual do you consider a role model?

Sir Richard Branson

A family member

Sir Alan Sugar

David Beckham

Peter Jones

Margaret Thatcher

The Queen

Gordon Brown

Tony Blair

Cheryl Cole

A friend

Simon Cowell

Other mentors

No role model

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

41% Bangladeshi 40% Pakistani

26% Mixed White - Indian

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

7%

5%

4%

3%

2%

34%

Someone at work/Boss/Colleague

Teacher/Tutor/Lecturer

32%

5%

... role moDels reqUireD

other names to emerge were a mix of sports personalities (David Beckham), show business

(Cheryl Cole, simon Cowell) and politics (gordon Brown, tony Blair and the queen). None

of those who scored at least 1% was from a Bame background. this mismatch between the

strong desire for role models and the lack of such figures in business is striking. For example,

Bangladeshis and Pakistanis gave a high ranking to the importance of role models yet were

the most reticent when it came to naming one. the picture was reinforced by the fact that a

sizeable minority said that all of the professions lacked role models. Banking and politics stood

out with 28% saying there were no inspirational figures around a fifth said the same about

law, education and journalism.

overall, there is a strong impression that the shortage of Bame role models that people

can name, combined with a lack of visibility of prominent figures from an ethnic minority

background in professions such as banking, law and the media, is acting as a subtle

deterrent to people from these groups.

miNority role moDels NotaBle By tHeir aBseNCe



#4 BlaCk aFriCaNs oFFer BeaCoN oF HoPe

Black Africans are a small but fast-growing ethnic minority group in the UK.

Immigration has risen from 5,000 a year in the 1970s to as much as 40,000

a year in the last decade6. Our survey showed that they have a noticeably more

positive and ambitious attitude compared with both white Britons and other

BAME groups and show significantly different trends in terms of role models

and career support.

success is more important to Black africans than to any other group, with 78% citing it as

one of the top life targets compared with an average of 59%. two thirds described themselves

as optimistic (versus 51%). more than half said they had access to a role model, with almost

all of those citing their church as the source of support – well above the 14% cited for other

groups. almost a quarter said that having access to a role model was “very important”, again

higher than other groups. they were also the biggest participators in work experience and

those with the strongest desire for role models.

Previous studies have shown that Black africans tend to do better economically than many

other migrant groups 7. the findings in this survey may show that one reason for this is the

positive attitude that they bring and pass on to their families, and the role of churches as role

models. these findings should inform policy initiatives to imbue other ethnic groups with the

attitudes needed to advance through the professions.

<?> Britain’s Immigrants: an economic profile. Institute for Public Policy Research. September 2007

<?> http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/crer/events/african/confp_david_owen.ppt

sUCCess is more imPortaNt to BlaCk aFriCaNs tHaN to aNy otHer groUP


http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/crer/events/african/confp_david_owen.ppt

raCism at work: aN olD staiN iN a moDerN worlD

While a lack of visible BAME role models might be a subtle deterrent, racism

and bullying in the workplace should be seen as blatant and abhorrent barriers

to workers from all backgrounds joining the workplace in the 21st century.

Sadly our research shows that racism is still a feature of daily business life.

more than a fifth said they had been offended by a racial remark in their place of work, with

Chinese the most egregious victims with 35% citing an example, followed by a quarter of

Pakistanis. while the fact that three-quarters said that they had not been offended shows that

racism is a minority crime, its continued presence in the world of work should be unacceptable.

the most common racial insults were described by the victims as general stereotypical

comments on language, skin colour, religion and lifestyle. many others cited specific Black-,

asian- and Chinese-related comments. when it came to bullying a greater number of

Chinese, Black african and asian workers reported incidents compared with white Britons.

Have you ever been offended by a racial remark in your current place of work?

No

Yes

Prefer not to say

2%

26%

72%

3%

75%

22%

Pakistani

Chinese

Mixed

?

White British10%

25%

25%

35%

5%

HaVe yoU eVer BeeN oFFeNDeD By a raCial remark

iN yoUr CUrreNt PlaCe oF work?



#5 raCist aBUse – a tHrowBaCk to tHe 1970s

The survey threw up some graphic examples of the type of racist insults that BAME

workers have to put up with today. Many are too offensive to repeat and appear to be

a throwback to the 1970s when television programmes such as Love Thy Neighbour,

Mind your Language and Til Death Do Us Part were seen as acceptable.

several contributors said that they were insulted by work colleagues who did not believe they

could understand english. on the religious front, muslims cited the most examples of insults.

“all muslims are fundamentalists,” one recalled being told.

one of the most poignant comments came from someone who was called a terrorist by the owner

of the company in front of his colleagues. “they are generally good people. i don’t mind if someone

calls me a Paki as i am proud and happy about what i am. it is just the way this word is used, which

is full of hatred and malice.”

“all mUslims are FUNDameNtalists”



#6 CHiNese – oVerlookeD ViCtims oF DisCrimiNatioN?The debate over discrimination, especially in the media, is often seen through a

prism of Black and Asian issues, whether due to high profile murders in the case

of one group, or terrorist fundamentalism in the case of the other. However this

survey shows clearly that British Chinese too are getting a raw end of the deal

in the jobs market. They hold a less positive outlook, being less likely to describe

themselves as optimistic, set personal goals, or feel part of the community and

are by far the most likely to see barriers to entering employment.

in terms of the attraction of individual industries, Chinese respondents were by far the group

least interested in a career in politics, the armed forces, the police, medicine – which they saw

as discriminating against them and as lacking in entry-level information – and education, which

they said had undertones of racism.

But it was the questions about the experiences at work that were most alarming. more Chinese

than members of any other group reported being offended by a racial remark. Comments

passed on through the survey revealed widespread use of offensive words to describe Chinese

people and insulting references to takeaway food. sadly they were the least likely to get on

with colleagues or see themselves as fitting into their workplace and the most critical of their

employers’ efforts to take ethnic diversity seriously and understand minorities’ backgrounds.


CoNClUsioN aND reCommeNDatioNs

Britain’s professions are still not seen by a large minority of the country’s BAME

population as genuine career options. Despite the hard work that professional

associations and individual firms have put in, they have failed to win over fully

the hearts and minds of the whole population. They might say in their defence

that this is all a matter of perception. But if the perception of a sizeable chunk

of BAME communities in the UK is that the doors to key professions are closed,

then that itself is a justification for action. What is deeply concerning is that

blatant racism still exists in parts of the world of work – so organisations need

to do more to combat that and ensure employees know it is unacceptable.

By taking concerted and co-ordinated action, politicians, employers and educators can ensure

that the path to the ranks of the professions is made smooth for Bame workers while at the

same time ensuring that racism at work becomes truly and finally a thing of the past. this is

not about equity and equality; it is about ensuring that Britain’s workforce includes the finest

talents at a time where their intellect and hard work will be vital to restoring the Uk to long-

term economic health.

the task is to turn the aspiration and educational qualification of the Bame workforce into

real and visible achievement. it is good news that more Bame children are reaching university

and taking subjects such as law, medicine and business. But this will all be wasted if the

relevant professions are not employing Bame graduates. the government must guard against

any complacency that race is no longer an issue in Uk plc and show it is committed to equal

opportunity across the employment spectrum.

To achieve that we recommend that the coalition Government clearly demonstrate

its commitment to tear down the barriers of social mobility set out within its

coalition document programme for government ‘Freedom Fairness Responsibility’.

• We recommend that the range of measures it plans to introduce to end discrimination at work, including promoting equal pay, take full account of race as well as gender;

• We recommend it extend its commitment to promote gender equality on boards of listed companies to also include race diversity;

• We recommend that it widely promotes its plans for providing internships for Bame people in every whitehall department as a practice to be followed by private sector employers;

• We recommend that the school curricula includes courses that will assist entry into the professions especially where there is little history of Bame students taking up those careers such as law, accountancy and banking.

Schools, colleges and universities must make sure that students see these careers as viable opportunities. In particular they should:

• Widen career support networks to include the professions;

• Train careers officers in cultural awareness and ensure that they work towards meeting the aspirations of Bame people instead of pigeon-holing them into stereotypically “ethnic” jobs; and

• Work with employers to bring BAME role models to school, college and university careers events.

Employers within the main professions need to look at why they currently risk putting off potential BAME candidates from seeking a career with them. They should:

• Work together to agree a common approach to promoting access to industry sectors, including encouraging company directors, among others, to become involved in mentoring activities and programmes;

• Commit to producing diverse shortlists for vacancies, particularly in those sectors that this report has shown are seen as off limits, uninviting or unsupportive;

• Make it clear in their recruitment materials that they welcome candidates from Bame backgrounds and ensure that there are no issues that present “invisible” barriers to minorities; and

• Encourage more experienced BAME employees to join networks such as Business in the Community’s merliN programme, which provides role models for young people

in secondary education.


It is essential that employers, recruitment partners and government

work together to improve the diversity of recruitment pipelines. With the

support of the EHRC and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation

(REC), Race for Opportunity is currently leading a partnership initiative

between large employers and recruitment agencies. These employers

including BT, HSBC, Prudential and the Department of Health are working

with recruitment agencies, such as Pertemps and Michael Page to produce

a set of tools which include a format for standardised diversity reporting

and common wording for recruitment related procurement.

Race for Opportunity is currently working with key stakeholders to develop

a free online diversity tool for employers and individuals, which can identify

any bias that may prevent employers from appreciating the benefits of

recruiting an ethnically diverse workforce. It is designed to support employers

in becoming an employer of choice for all workers by attracting, retaining

and progressing people from a wide and diverse talent pool. The tool is being

developed with the rationale that subconscious bias is a fact of life – many

of us are guilty of it – but once you know about it you can ensure that your

behaviour does not reflect it.


Race for Opportunity Champions

British ArmyASDA

Barclays Bank PlcBT MITIEDeloitte & ToucheDepartment for Work and PensionsDepartment of HealthEDF EnergyErnst & Young LLPFinancial Service Authority (FSA)HM Revenue & CustomsHome Office

HSBC Bank PlcKPMGMcDonald’s Restaurants Ltd

National GridMinistry of Justice

Pertemps Recruitment PartnershipPrudentialRBSSainsbury’s Supermarkets LtdSantander Group (ex Abbey)Shell Companies in the UKTransport for London

For further information on the Race for Opportunity campaign.Please visit www.raceforopportunity.org.uk or telephone 020 7566 8661

opportunity now is part of Business in the Community

Business in the Community - mobilising business for good.We inspire, engage, support and challenge companies on responsible business, working through four areas: Marketplace, Workplace, Environment and Community. With more than 850 companies in membership, we represent 1 in 5 of the UK private sector workforce and convene a network of global partners.

[email protected]

Business in the Community137 Shepherdess WalkLondon N1 7RQT +44 (0) 20 7566 8650F +44 (0) 20 7253 1877 E [email protected]

October 2008

designed and produced by scs marketing ltd | t: 01323 471050Product code: 01OPP000435

[email protected]

© Race for Opportunity January 2010 | design and print OSCCreative Product code: 01RFO000436

Race for Opportunityis part of Business in the Community

Registered Details137 Shepherdess Walk, London N1 7RQ. Telephone: 020 7566 8650Registered Charity No: 297716. Company Limited by Guarantee No: 1619253



[email protected]


October 2008


Race for Opportunity Board Members

MITIE (Chair of RfO)Ms Ruby McGregor-Smith, CEO

ASDA Sarah Dickinson

Barclays Bank PLC Mr Dixit JoshiManaging Director and Head of Equity Derivatives

British Army Colonel Mark AbrahamAssistant Director Employment

Department of Health Surinder Sharma, National Director for Equality & Human Rights

EDF Energy Mr Patrick ClarkeDirector of Connections

KPMG Ms Michelle QuestPartner

Appointment CommissionMs Anne Watts, CBE, CEO

Pardoes Mr Denys Rayner, CEO

Pertemps People ManagementMs Carmen Watson, Managing Director - Commercial Division

Roast Mr Iqbal Wahhab, CEO

Sainsbury’s Supermarkets LtdMr Jat SahotaHead of Corporate Responsibility

Shell Companies in the UKMr James Smith, Chairman

The Royal Bank of Scotland GroupMr Ron TeerlinkChief Administrative Officer

Transport for LondonMr Andrew QuinceyDirector of Group Procurement

Retail People Director


British ArmyASDA








[email protected]


October 2008


[email protected]






[email protected]


October 2008




















British ArmyASDA








[email protected]


October 2008


[email protected]






[email protected]


October 2008



















race for opportunity - aspiration and frustration

Documents