Everybody loves a rags-to-riches story, but the reality is social mobility is far from easy. Class-passers are those who manage to successfully improve their status and navigate their new life as part of a higher socioeconomic group.

To understand class-passing, let’s first discuss the idea of social classes. Within our societies, people are divided according to factors like their family background, education, wealth, occupation and income. Most commonly these categories are described as the lower, middle and upper classes. A person’s life path and opportunities are often defined by their social background. For example, just 26% of poorer school pupils in the UK went on to higher education in 2017, compared to 44% among their better-off peers.

Is there a surefire way to climb the social ladder? Or do I just need to hope for a lucky break? Shouldn’t class-passers be proud to have made it? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast : 11/3/2021

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