BPS launches #MakeIt10 campaign

The British Psychological Society has launched its #Makeit10 campaign, featured in last month's edition of The Psychologist, which aims to have social class included as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act. The campaign launch also saw the publication of a report, Psychology of social class-based inequalities, which looked at the evidence for the impact of class and policy implications arising from this evidence.

The report's authors Dr Bridgette Rickett (Leeds Beckett University) Dr Matthew Easterbrook (University of Sussex), Dr Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington (London School of Economics) Professor Paula Reavey (London South Bank University) and Dr Maxine Woolhouse (Leeds Beckett University) reviewed the evidence of class-based inequalities in education, health and work. They wrote that social class could be defined as a social category that affords different amounts of economic, social and cultural resources. 'In the context of education, health and work, findings illustrate that psychological dimensions of prejudice and discrimination contribute to class-based inequalities which, in turn, can further influence classism, the experience of which has a significant and detrimental psychological impact on working class and low socioeconomic status people.'

Rickett said she and her co-authors had been overwhelmed by the response to the report. 'Other psychologists have written to us showing their support and suggesting helpful collaborations. Policy makers and project leads from other disciplines have suggested further projects we could get involved with. The media have also taken a great interest, prompting emails and messages from readers and viewers that bear witness to the challenges experienced, but also the complex, varied, joyous and sometimes riotous lives working class people continue to lead despite those challenges.'

Read the full report.
For the summer edition of The Psychologist featuring some of the authors of the report and other related articles.