THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MOBILITY
WHAT IS IT? “Social mobility is the link between a person’s occupation or income and their parents’ occupation or income. Where there is a strong link, there is a lower level of social mobility. Where there is a weak link, there is a higher level of social mobility. This means that people born into low-income families, regardless of their talent, or hard work, do not have the same access to opportunities as those born into more privileged circumstances.” AS DEFINED BY THE SOCIAL MOBILITY COMMISSION Social mobility is about ensuring someone’s background is not a limitation. It is about levelling the playing field so that everyone has a chance to go as far as their hard work, dedication and talent can take them. “Social mobility is not just about helping someone through their early career. It’s also about breaking cycles of deprivation that can have a major impact on the course of someone’s life.”
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WHY DOES IT MATTER? Income inequality has increased over the past three decades in most advanced and some emerging economies, and when inequality grows, social mobility slows.4, 5 According to the UN, “inequality is growing for more than 70 per cent of the global population, exacerbating the risks of divisions in society and hampering economic and social development.” 6 Any society with high social mobility is a fairer society – and typically more prosperous, productive, and healthier. “It matters what people have to offer. It matters what thoughts they have. It matters what ideas they have, or how they can approach something differently. It doesn’t matter where you grew up, where you studied, how wealthy your parents were or were not. They may be important things to hold onto as individuals and sustain as memories, but they should never influence career progression.” DUSHYANT SHARMA, TRANSFORMATION LEAD NORTH SEA AT BP
GRAEME MARI-ALLAN, SENIOR WELL INTERVENTIONS ENGINEER AT BP
Graeme grew up in a low-income family in the east end of Glasgow, which was greatly affected by the closure of the city’s industries in the 1980s. He was the only pupil in his year at secondary school to go to university.
Dushyant joined BP in 2009 and has held leadership positions in the areas of Digital, Performance and Process Improvement, across central teams and the North Sea region. He is passionate about people development and believes in diversity, equity and inclusion being an important part of business.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MOBILITY
©BP
4. United Nations, 2020, Rising inequality affecting more than two-thirds of the globe, but it’s not inevitable. 5.World Economic Forum, Global Social Mobility Index 2020: why economies benefit from fixing inequality. 6. United Nations, 2020, Rising inequality affecting more than two-thirds of the globe, but it’s not inevitable.
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