Social Mobility Research by Dr Samantha Evans featured in The Conversation

A study co authored by Kent Business School Human Resource Management Lecturer Dr Samantha Evans has been featured in The Conversation.

The research, done in collaboration with Dr Maddie Wyatt, Reader in Diversity and Inclusion, King’s College London, found that social mobility i.e., the link between an individual’s occupation and income and their social strata in society, is likely to generate class-based work-life conflict.

It demonstrates that people who stay at the same social class as their childhood origins find the process of moving between work and home life reasonably effortless. However, those who are socially mobile find it far more challenging to move between home and work.

The study was featured in national media outlet The Conversation on 26 April 2022. The site is a network of not-for-profit media outlets publishing news stories and research reports online, with accompanying expert opinion and analysis.

Dr Evans said: ‘Our research highlights the problem that inequality in the workplace based on social class is still very much felt. Participants of the study who felt affected by social mobility stressed that they felt like they were in different worlds and felt inadequate. Employers seeking to improve social mobility and diversity in the workplace need to consider the work-life interplay of all staff, the problems that individuals may face and the support they may need.’

You can read the full article here.

The research paper A Bridge over Troubled Borders: Social Class and the Interplay between Work and Life’ is published by Work, Employment and Society

Dr Samantha Evans is a lecturer in Human Resource Management and the Athena SWAN Lead at Kent Business School. Samantha’s current research interests are focused on social class inequalities and employee well-being, examining the impact of social class on individual experiences of work, work-life balance, equality and well-being.

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