Inclusiveness across socio-economic backgrounds and social mobility

Progressing at work should not be about where you come from, but where you want to go. Together, all in, we can build inclusiveness for everyone.

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#ShapeTheFutureWithConfidence

Understanding social mobility and socio-economic background

Is someone’s potential only recognized when it fits the traditional mold?

We all have different starting points based on our backgrounds, which shape our stories, our experiences and our ambitions. One often over-looked aspect of an individual is socio-economic background. Factors like our upbringing and the education and income of prior generations of our family may impact the extent to which we can access resources, networks and opportunities. It can also come with social stigma, and a pressure to supress or hide our backgrounds for fear of judgment, negative perception of capability or pressure to "fit in", which may impact career experiences and progression.

Social mobility is how a person’s socio-economic situation changes over time. It plays an important role in social cohesion and economic growth. Progressing at work should not be about where you come from, but where you want to go.

At EY, we want to continue to attract talented people across a broad range of backgrounds, skills and experiences. We believe in the power of different perspectives, feeling free to be yourself, and clearing obstacles to help enable access to opportunities — for everyone. This belief is at the heart of our All in strategy, driving purposeful growth and helping create value for EY people and stakeholders.

By paying closer attention to the experiences of our colleagues, we can be intentional with our actions to create a big impact on the people around us.

Together, we can shape the future with confidence.

Portrait of Karyn Twaronite
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The reality is that great talent exists everywhere, and we can open doors for more people from more places - including opening doors for those currently on our teams.

Karyn Twaronite
Global Vice Chair – Inclusiveness

How can a story raise awareness of socio-economic background?

Storytelling is a powerful way to offer insights to other people’s experiences that may differ from our own and help create stronger connections. EY people from around the world have volunteered to share their personal stories, as a gateway for others to create better understanding of the impact that socio-economic background may have on access to resources, opportunities, career experiences and progression.

These stories help us lean into their experiences to inspire reflection, conversation, learning and action.

Meet our EY colleagues and alumni courageously sharing their stories below:

Insight: Social stigmas

Social stigmas attached to lower socio-economic backgrounds can drive people to suppress aspects of their background, for fear of judgement, negative perception of capability and pressure to “fit in”. This often goes unseen in the workplace and may impact self-confidence, the ability for people to feel free to be themselves, a sense of belonging and access to opportunities.

Chris, United Kingdom

“You tend not to talk about home, you tend not to talk about how you’ve grown up, you tend to reveal very little of yourself.”

Marjana, France

“It took me years later to understand and to accept that, ‘Yes, I am intelligent’, and that, ‘Yes, I can dream big’.”

Asemahle, South Africa

“Just with the first year of being at EY, I thought I had to hide my background as to where I come from.”

 

Insight: Small actions, big impact

Small actions can have a big impact. Colleagues who value differences, create genuine connections, recognize talents beyond the traditional mold, and open opportunities for others can make a meaningful difference.

Vicky, The Philippines (EY Alumna)

“We should also look outside the four corners of a classroom. What about talents that have developed skills and went through ‘the school of hard knocks’ that enabled them to build their capacity to learn, take some risks and make difficult decisions?”

Josh, United States

“When I interview people now, I see different things because I know there is potential there for solving the problems and being able to manage a lot of complexity.”

Insight: Additional pressure

Colleagues from lower socio-economic backgrounds can feel additional pressure on top of their day-to-day job. This can lead to an "outsider" experience at work – impacting ability to build networks, access to resources and opportunities, and affect performance in role.

Sandra, Sweden

“I had my day-to-day job of just trying to be a graduate, also trying to figure out what on earth was going on around me.”

Flavio, Brazil (EY Alumnus)

“I always had that feeling that I was chasing something, to be at least where the other people were.”

Learn more through storytelling at EY

Our focus on socio-economic background is part of the global EY organization’s larger commitment to advancing inclusiveness for everyone.

This commitment is integral to our All in strategy, which aims to create value for our people, clients and stakeholders in an increasingly complex world.

This storytelling series is brought to life by the EY Global Inclusiveness Steering Committee (GISC), which is co-chaired by EY Global Chair and CEO, Janet Truncale and EY Global Vice Chair — Inclusiveness, Karyn Twaronite. Its members, drawn from across the organization, explore challenges, highlight successful practices and collaborate to advise on meaningful solutions.

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