Old boys network helps men from private school but not women

Credit: This story was first seen on The Telegraph

Sending girls to private school will not help them earn more but the old boys network is still placing men in top jobs with high salaries, a new study suggests.

Researchers at University College London’s Institute of Education (IOE) have been following 7,000 people who were born in 1970 to see how their background and education has affected their earnings and profession in the past four decades, The Telegraph reports.

The researchers found that by middle age, those with the best educations were in the best jobs. But crucially, simply having a degree did not guarantee a large salary.

In fact the findings showed that a child’s social origins – such as their parents’ profession, income and schooling – were far more important to their earnings by the age of 42.

Those who grew up with advantages, such as higher family income and a private school education, were far more likely to have made it into the top 15% of British earners when they reach their early forties – defined as £85,000 per year for men and £76,000 for women.

Men who attended private schools were approximately twice as likely to be in the top income bracket than those who went to comprehensive schools even when they had gained similar qualifications.

However there was no private school advantage for women, even when they achieved the same results, suggesting that other factors were at play helping men into the higher salaried jobs.

Professor Alice Sullivan, the study’s lead author, said the findings may show that the “old boys network” was still helping men to achieve more.

“I think it’s a definite possibility because male private schools have a strong tradition of getting pupils into top jobs, particularly in areas like banking which are very highly paid and which male dominated in general.

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“Women’s private schools, particularly in the 1980s, when these people would have been attending, tended to have a less academic focus and were less ambitious. Single sex schools for girls often had a different goals so women were not encouraged be in the same position in the jobs market as men.”

She said there was a danger that the children of parents who could not afford a private education risked never achieving their full potential.

“Parents with the necessary means are increasingly investing heavily in their children’s education, and the danger is that less advantaged children are left behind,” she added.

The researchers also found that gaining a university degree helped in securing a top managerial or professional position, such as a chief executive, doctor or lawyer, by age 42.