Migrant children break class barriers

LONDON - Black people are breaking through into the middle classes at a faster rate than their white counterparts, according to a study.

Children of Caribbean immigrants who arrived in Britain in the 1960s, along with black Africans, Indians and Chinese are more likely to be have entered the middle class by getting jobs as professionals or managers than "indigenous" working-class whites.

The predominantly Muslim children of Pakistani and Bangladeshi parents are bucking the trend, according to the study. "The overall picture for the majority of ethnic minority groups is positive," said study author Lucinda Platt, of Essex University.

"Children of Afro-Caribbean parents are doing well, as are children of working-class Indians, who are leading all other groups in moving into professional jobs.

"But for the children of Pakistani and Bangladeshi parents it is different. They can be subject to extreme deprivation, often live in some of the poorest parts of the country, and are in danger of being left behind."

The success of the majority of ethnic minorities in breaking through the class barrier can largely be attributed to education, Platt said, which is often a strong focus for immigrant families. But even when differences in educational opportunities and attainment are taken into account, young Pakistanis are still lagging far behind their counterparts, she said.

Some of the seeds of recent ethnic and religious tensions can be found in the economic disparities between the different ethnic groups, according to Platt.

There is a danger that the vulnerable members of Pakistani and Bangladeshi extract have been ignored for too long, she said. "There are issues of isolation. It is easy for the Government to say that we have got to worry about engaging the community now that September 11 has happened. But that is looking for rationale after the event."

Platt warned there was no room for complacency, as the group overall are still more vulnerable to unemployment and poverty than whites.

"Britain is still a long way from being a meritocracy where social class no longer plays a part in determining children's chances of well-paid careers," Platt said.

The report also analysed the impact of religion on mobility, with Platt finding Jews and Hindus had more of a chance to enter the middle class than Christians, while Muslims and Sikhs had a lower chance of moving up the social ladder.

The study was commissioned by the social policy group the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

- INDEPENDENT