The Glass Floor in Ambridge: How Does Privilege Endure? - Claire Astbury

Welcome to the fifth series in the annual podcast programme from Academic Archers, bringing you papers from our 2024 conference.

Please note: the sound quality on this recording is not as clear as usual. We apologise for this and thank you for your understanding.

This episode explores how privilege endures across generations in Ambridge and what that means for social mobility.

The Glass Floor in Ambridge: How Does Privilege Endure? - Claire Astbury

American sociologist Heather Johnson coined the concept of “the glass floor”: the behaviours by which advantaged families ensure their children maintain high status regardless of ability. Abigail McKnight extended this analysis in Britain in a 2015 Social Mobility Commission study, highlighting how opportunity-hoarding blocks mobility.

This paper applies the concept to Ambridge, tracking families in higher social grades (AB and C1) and mapping the position of their children and grandchildren over time. It considers how affluent families may hoard opportunities, limiting the prospects of less privileged residents.

Case studies highlight the complexities: Freddie Pargeter, despite a poor academic record, prison sentence, and unstable work history, has avoided poverty and gained a management trainee scheme through family connections. Meanwhile Rex Fairbrother, from a privileged background, is juggling multiple low-paid jobs, living on a boat, and facing similar challenges to Ed and Emma Grundy.

The paper raises key questions about how privilege, opportunity, and disadvantage intersect in Ambridge.

About the speaker

• Claire Astbury is a long-standing Academic Archers contributor with a particular interest in housing, social mobility and inequality, bringing professional expertise and academic insight to her work on Ambridge.

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