New research by Oxford University suggests a disturbing trend of discrimination by employers
British people from Bangladeshi or Pakistani backgrounds are around three times as likely to be in poverty as their white British counterparts, according to new research. A briefing by the Centre for Social Investigation (CSI) at Nuffield College, Oxford finds that people from these particular backgrounds are also more likely to have a life-limiting illness or to live in overcrowded conditions.
The new research contributes to a growing picture of disillusionment for Britons of South Asian origin – last year the New Policy Institute found that 44 per cent of Bangladeshi and Pakistani workers living in London were being paid below the living wage.
According to the CSI, there has been great generational improvement in terms of education, and difficulties with the English language have ‘almost completely disappeared’ among second-generation migrants from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black African and Black Caribbean backgrounds.
However this attainment has not been matched by employment prospects, and ‘continued discrimination in the labour market…cannot be ruled out as a significant part of the explanation for their continuing disadvantage’.
People from Indian backgrounds, in contrast, have ‘largely closed the gap’.
Rates of poverty are 57 per cent for people of Pakistani and 46 per cent for people of Bangladeshi background – compared with 16 per cent for white British people. Data provided by the CSI shows that monthly personal earnings by this group average around 68 per cent of white earnings.
The briefing shows that Bangladeshi-origin Britons have the lowest number of rooms per person and the highest percentage of life limiting illness, both indicators of poverty.
The findings should be of extreme concern to the government, at a time when community cohesion has a direct impact on national security. Iqbal Wahhab OBE, chair of the CSI’s Advisory Board, says that the research ‘highlights a terrible social indictment’ and that Muslim communities alienated by economic deprivation are much more at risk of turning to crime – be that gang violence, theft, or, in a small number of cases, radicalisation.
Ruby Stockham is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow her on Twitter
39 Responses to “British people with Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds are three times as likely to be in poverty”
damon
Didn’t you read the headline of this story even?
It’s about ”the Other” which you seem to insist calling ethnic minority people.
Bangladeshis and Pakistanis in particular.
The inference of the article seems to be that London councils like Westminster and Islington discriminate against them to prevent them becoming traffic wardens.
Guest
So you demand I be your kind of bigot.
As you make up what the article says.
You’re just a bigot excusing your views.
damon
Again, you’re talking out of your bum.
This article is about people of certain origins being poorer than average.
There are lots of factors that could be in play here.
But you will not allow any that you don’t approve of to be aired.
To just buy a house these days needs two incomes to be able to afford the mortgage and the deposit etc. I can’t afford one. And a Bangladeshi household that has non working women will be poorer than a double income professional couple too.
That’s one reason. You will say that even giving that as a reason is ”racist” or something.
Because you are not a serious person.
Guest
Ah yes, Jews “not serious” and “talk up their bums”, as you rage against your racist views being discussed.
You are the one trying to silence discussion of your views here. As you talk about the situation you, as a Capitalist, love – you can’t afford just one house, but many, right.
And of course it’s evil that some households don’t have everyone in work blah blah. You can’t allow it.
damon
I’m not the first person on this site to call you an idiot.
One person suggested I not feed the troll even.
I really should take heed.
You ruin this space for adult discussion.