A pay gap that's a class apart
To highlight Britain’s class pay gap the Department for Opportunities has launched a campaign to encourage employers to ‘measure, report and close the gap’.
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Credits
View on- Agency Creature of London/London
- Production Company Mad Cow Films London
- Director Hannah Berry George
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Credits
View on- Agency Creature of London/London
- Production Company Mad Cow Films London
- Director Hannah Berry George
- Chief Creative Officer Ben Middleton
- Chief Creative Officer Stu Outhwaite-Noel
- Associate Creative Director John Osborne
- Creative John Osborne
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Agency Creature of London/London
- Production Company Mad Cow Films London
- Director Hannah Berry George
- Chief Creative Officer Ben Middleton
- Chief Creative Officer Stu Outhwaite-Noel
- Associate Creative Director John Osborne
- Creative John Osborne
Research by the Social Mobility Commission has revealed that those from working class backgrounds earn on average £6,000 less per year than their middle-class colleagues, with UK employers favouring polish over performance
This new campaign from Creature London, the Department for Opportunities (the Social Mobility Foundation's advocacy and campaigning arm), and Mad Cow Films director Hannah Berry George, calls on employers and the UK government to measure, report and close the class pay gap.
Called Class Polish, the spot stars comedian Fern Brady and highlights the real - yet ridiculous – idea that accent has any correlation with ability. The film was based on extensive research, including the Government’s own analysis of around 300,000 Civil Servants, that highlighted how staff who were promoted were likely to have been privileged; have the right accent, an emotionally detached and understated manner, and an "intellectual approach" to culture and politics.
“At Creature, we want to leave the industry better than we found it, and we firmly believe that tackling social mobility is at the heart of that," said Dan Cullen-Shute, CEO at Creature. "So, it’s been a genuine honour to work with the Department for Opportunities on this project. The class pay gap is real, and it’s incredibly damaging, and it needs to be closed. We’re proud to be part of a campaign to help do just that.”
“'Jesus Christ! That pay gap is a joke. It makes me so angry. But this creative is fantastic!' was my gut response when Mad Cow sent Creature’s creative to me," said Berry George. "Comedy lends itself to making difficult subjects more approachable and easier to talk about - in a way drama can’t. That’s why I’ve always loved it. I’d never heard of the class pay gap before, but the fact that it exists is mind-boggling – much like any other pay gap. People should be judged by their actions, skills and experience. Nothing else."
To address the issue of the class pay gap, the Department for Opportunities is encouraging the nation to sign its petition calling on the government to set an example by measuring, reporting and closing the class pay gap.
