Ethnicity - External Factors - Marterial Deprivation&Class

Question 1

What does Guy Palmer say about ethnicity in material deprivation?

Answer 1

Palmer (2012):
- half of ethnic minority children live in low-income households (but only a quarter of white children do).
- ethnic minorities are twice as likely to be unemployed compared to whites.
- households are three times as likely to be homeless.
- half of Bangladeshi and Pakistani workers earn under £7 per hour (but only a quarter of white British workers experience this).

Question 2

What are ethnic minority workers most likely to be involved in?

Answer 2

Ethnic minority workers are more likely to be engaged in shift work.
Bangladeshi and Pakistani women are more likely to be involved in low paid homeworking.

Question 3

What risk does material deprivation have on ethnic minorities?

Answer 3

Material deprivation has a risk of resulting in unemployment, low pay and overcrowding for ethnic minorities.

Question 4

What are the reasons why ethnic minorities are at risk of material deprivation?

Answer 4

• living in economically depressed areas with high underemployment and low wage rates.
• cultural factors may prevent women from working outside the home (eg, Muslim tradition of Purdah).
• lack of language skills and foreign qualifications not being recognised by employers. Most likely refugees.
• asylum seekers may not be allowed to take work.
• racial discrimination in the labour market and housing market.

Question 5

What is the evaluation of material deprivation in ethnicity?
(Link to Indian and Chinese students).

Answer 5

Indian and Chinese pupils who are materially deprived still do better.
For example, in 2011, 86% of Chinese girls who received free school meals achieved 5 or more higher grade GCSE’s, compared to only 65% of white girls who were not receiving free school meals.
This suggests that material deprivation and social class factors do not completely override the influence of ethnicity.

Question 6

What theorist supports the evaluation of material deprivation + what do they say?

Answer 6

Modood (2004) found that, while children in low income families generally did less well, the effects of low income were much less for other ethnic groups than for white people.