http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/11984171/The-class-ceiling-is-worse-than-the-glass-ceiling-ever-was.html
In the above article, written by now-self employed writer and broadcaster, Louise Cooper recalls her struggle to break through the 'class ceiling' following class discrimination starting at the age of 17 when she applied to university through a sponsorship programme only to be rejected for seemingly acting 'above her station,' as the saying goes.
She cites that while much has been written about the glass ceiling for women and unequal pay - the class ceiling is just as big an issue, for her - even bigger. New research has uncovered the existence of a 'class-origin pay gap' of around £7,350 a year in highly prized jobs such as law, medicine and finance, with the academics behind the study suggesting that class still casts a 'long shadow' over the life chances of those from less privileged backgrounds.
Experiencing more discrimination throughout her journey to where she is now, with plenty of shame, embarrassment and humiliation along the way, Cooper highlights the social injustices inflicted as a result of the class system.
Most interestingly to me in the article, is her identification of ambition and determination as the reason for her success in achieving her goals, and how she wishes to inspire others like her to 'kick the doors down, rip up the rule book and keep fighting.' It shows that with the right mind-set, class prejudice does not have to dictate our successes.
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