- According to a new study on racism in British society, structural racism cannot explain the differences that still exist in the UK between different population groups in terms of income and wealth.
- The study, commissioned by Boris Johnson after the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, is debating – critics say it is a beautiful painting of the situation in Britain and that it was made to satisfy the Government Offices.
- According to the report, for example, study results show that students from several minority groups in the UK perform better in school than white students and that income differences linked to ethnic background are at historically low levels.
– The study does not deny that racism exists, what we did not find was evidence of where institutional racism, says Tony Sewell, who led the new study to BBC.
A conclusion that arouses intense debate.
– The report is one long beautiful painting to satisfy the Government Offices, says Halima Begum, head of the think tank Runnymede to the BBC.
According to the report, for example, study results show that students from several different minority groups in the UK on average perform better in school than white students and that income differences linked to ethnic background are at historically low levels and for employees under 30 hardly noticeable anymore.
The study claims that the differences that still exist in British society in this respect are better explained by socio-economic factors or based on geographical factors such as where one lives.
According to the study, the United Kingdom has even come so far that it can be seen as a pioneer for other similar countries in this respect.
The study’s strong critics do not agree and point to statistics which, among other things, show that minority groups in the UK have been hit harder by covid-19 and that black women are four times as likely to die in childbirth than white women.
Kunlun Olelude from the organization Voice for Change thinks that there is a risk of complacency but also of overpessimism regarding the prevalence of racism in the UK.
Recommendation: stop shortening
The study comes with twenty-four recommendations to the government on what can be done to create more equality between different population groups in the UK. Among other things, longer school days during a certain time for certain groups that have lagged behind during the pandemic and better career counseling for older students in disadvantaged groups and more research on why some minority groups perform better than others.
In addition, the study recommends that the British abbreviation BAEM, which stands for “black, asian, ethnic minority”, should no longer be used as the situation according to the new study for these groups is too different.
Source: ICELAND NEWS