scholarly journals Against the odds? – A study of educational attainment and labour market position of the second-generation ethnic minority members in the UK

Ethnicities ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 471-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaojun Li
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
Educational Success ◽  
Adequate Account ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Life Trajectory ◽  
Labour Market Position ◽  
The Uk

Much research in the UK has shown a close relationship between family position and educational attainment. Yet, this association seems to apply to whites rather than to children from ethnic minority backgrounds who are usually found to outperform whites in spite of their poorer family situation. The classical theories do not give an adequate account of this apparent mismatch as they were designed for the general population. I propose a thesis of ‘reinvigorated ambition’ to try to explain the second-generation drive for success. Drawing data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, I show that multiple disadvantages faced by ethnic minorities in the labour market give pervasive signals to the second generation that they have to aim higher and work harder in order not to fall too low in their life trajectory. The educational success of children from ethnic minority heritages can thus be seen as a determined effort to shield off cumulative discrimination in the labour market and in wider society.

scholarly journals Social Stratification of Education by Ethnic Minority Groups over Generations in the UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Lessard-Phillips ◽  
Yaojun Li
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
General Level ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Generational Groups ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Parental Class

A large body of research has been conducted both on the social stratification of education at the general level and on the educational attainments of ethnic minority groups in the UK. The former has established the increasing fluidity in the class–education association, without paying much attention to ethnicity, whilst the latter has shown reinvigorated aspirations by the second generation without fine-grained analyses. This paper adds to this literature by examining the relationship between family class, ethno-generational status and educational attainment for various 1<sup>st</sup>, 1.5, 2<sup>nd</sup>, 2.5, 3rd and 4<sup>th</sup> generations in contemporary UK society. Using data from Understanding Society, we study the educational attainment of different ethno-generational groups. Our analysis shows high educational selectivity among the earlier generations, a disruptive process for the 1.5 generation, high second-generation achievement, and a ‘convergence toward the mean’ for later generations. Parental class generally operates in a similar way for the ethno-generational groups and for the majority population, yet some minority ethnic groups of salariat origins do not benefit from parental advantages as easily. An ‘elite, middle and lower’ structure manifests itself in the intergenerational transmission of advantage in educational attainment. This paper thus reveals new features of class-ethno relations hitherto unavailable in UK research.

scholarly journals Type 2 diabetes risks and determinants in 2nd generation migrants and mixed ethnicity people of South Asian and African Caribbean descent in the UK

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliki-Eleni Farmaki ◽  
Victoria Garfield ◽  
Sophie V. Eastwood ◽  
Ruth E. Farmer ◽  
Rohini Mathur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
South Asians ◽  
Self Report ◽  
The Uk ◽  
First And Second Generation ◽  
Mixed Ethnicity ◽  
Second Generation Migrants

AbstractBackgroundType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk is markedly higher in UK South Asians (SA) and African Caribbeans (AC) compared to Europeans. Explanations for this excess are unclear. We therefore compared risks and determinants of T2DM in first- and second-generation (born in the UK) migrants, and in those of mixed ethnicity populations.MethodsData from the UK Biobank, a large population-based cohort of volunteers aged 40-69, were used. T2DM was assigned using self-report and glycated haemoglobin. Ethnicity was self-assigned. Using logistic regression and mediation analysis, we compared T2DM between first- and second-generation migrants, and between mixed European/South Asians (MixESA), or mixed European/African Caribbeans (MixEAC) with both Europeans and SA or AC respectively.ResultsT2DM prevalence was three to five times higher in SA and AC compared with Europeans [OR (95%CI): 4·80(3·60,6·40) and 3·30(2·70,4·10) respectively]. T2DM was 20-30% lower in second versus first generation SA and AC migrants [0·78(0·60,1·01) and 0·71(0·57,0·87) respectively]. T2DM in mixed populations was lower than comparator ethnic minority groups [MixESA versus SA 0·29(0·21,0·39), MixEAC versus AC 0·48(0·37,0·62)] and higher than Europeans, in MixESA 1·55(1·11, 2·17), and in MixEAC 2·06 (1·53, 2·78). Improved adiposity patterns in second generation migrants made an important contribution to risk reduction. Greater socioeconomic deprivation accounted for 17% and 42% of the excess risk of T2DM in MixESA and MixEAC compared to Europeans, respectively.ConclusionExcess T2DM risks in South Asians and African Caribbeans compared with Europeans in the UK are attenuated by ∼20% in second-generation migrants, demonstrating the marked benefits of favourable changes in environmental risk factors. T2DM prevalence in people of mixed ethnicity was also raised compared with Europeans, but considerably less than in the ethnic minority group; persistent socioeconomic disadvantage accounted for some of the residual excess.

scholarly journals Ethnic Penalties and Hiring Discrimination: Comparing Results from Observational Studies with Field Experiments in the UK

Sociology ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 003803852096694
Author(s):  
Wouter Zwysen ◽  
Valentina Di Stasio ◽  
Anthony Heath
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Search Behaviour ◽  
Hiring Discrimination ◽  
The Uk

Ethnic minorities fare less well on average in the labour market than their white British counterparts. Experimental research shows that employers discriminate against ethnic minority applicants while hiring, but it is impossible to say from these studies how much of minorities’ overall disadvantage – which reflects compositional differences and search behaviour as well as hiring – is due to discrimination. This article connects results from two UK-based field experiments with ethnic penalties estimated from comparable samples of the UK Labour Force Survey and Understanding Society to show the relation between hiring discrimination and labour market penalties, for several ethnic minority groups. Higher hiring discrimination is indeed associated with worse ethnic employment penalties, but similarly discriminated against groups do not necessarily face the same ethnic penalties. We provide a discussion of possible reasons for this variation. Our research points to socio-economic resources and supply-side differences among ethnic groups as plausible explanations.

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