AIBU to think many Mumsnet posters seem to be high earners?

I find that people suggest the most expensive things- £1000 dresses for a wedding guest, £400 for a cardigan etc which makes me think they must earn loads if that’s their ballpark!? Our household income is high comparatively but I buy everything on vinted! Equally though the fact that those brands exist and survive means people ARE buying them so why not mumsnetters?! How lovely for us that only a tiny % of earners hit 150k+ and they’re all here!

The gigantic majority of the population in average and low paid jobs/?

People in higher paid jobs tend to have more autonomy and flexibility so can post online during the day. Lower paid workers tend to be heavily monitored and prevented from using phone at work, and on specific breaks at specific times, so you don’t get them posting as much during the day. People on higher incomes are also more likely to have cleaners and nannies so have more free time for posting instead of doing chores. So yeah I think there are probably more higher earners on here than the average population.

Why would someone say they were a high earner if they were not? Maybe they are living in a delusional fantasy world, or they might be a pathological liar or they might be just simply stupid.

There are many people like that in the world and there are many people who are none of those things and actually are high earners. They do exist and they do use MN just as every demographic of society uses it.

I do notice that there is a level of skepticism and distrust of anyone that claims to have a positive life experience on MN.

This with bells on! The amount of threads where women are putting up with the most godawful behaviour from their partners and ask if they are being unreasonable is insane to me!
I find it much easier to believe someone earns six figures…

Its just that topics tend to bring out issues relating to either very low earnings (e.g. help im struggling to survive/access benefits) and those which invite input from higher earners (e.g.who else here earning 90k feels they aren't very rich?). There's a lot of tone deaf 'i earn 80k and dont class that as high earner' comments though. Definitely a contingent of people who dont understand that by definition if you earn more than double the average UK income you are objectively a high earner. How wealthy you feel isnt the point...you are still a high earner.

What’s worthwhile though? We live in a capitalist society and the market values (financially) some things more than others. Why should someone who earns more do anymore than people who are paid less do?

I suppose some probably are, I am sure there are all sorts on here. However I am also sure lots are projecting a fantasy at times.

I’ve noticed this too. I’m nearing the end of my working life earning just around the uk average, and a few times I’ve felt like a huge under achieving person when it seems so many people consider 60k plus not great. Hopefully I’ve given my employers good value, done a good job, and been a decent colleague since I started work at 18. I never discuss salary with friends so I’m clueless really and was a bit shocked reading so many high earners on here. Good for them but it definitely struck me!

I don’t get this at all… people always claim high earners on here are bullshitting but:

a) why would you lie about your income to a bunch of randoms on the internet? Its not like they know you
b) why do people struggle to believe that there are higher earners on here? You know there are higher paid people in the UK: why can’t they be on Mumsnet?

Actually I think the high earnings and the SEN are linked.

I didn't know anyone with SEN. Until I moved to a wealthier middle class area with a choice of Excellent schools. All of a sudden loads of kids with SEN and excellent educational plans to help.

I strongly believe the link is that in my new area schools have more time, money and resources to support families. Many Mums are SAH and give their time to support the school and specifically their children. Many have given up hours to working their way through the system to get their children the support they need.

In short SEN is equal everywhere. But where there is money and time those kids get recognized and supported. Where there is no time and money they are labelled as trouble makers and left to muddle through the best they can.

I dislike this inequality immensly.

YANBU. It's the same on other sites like Reddit where everyone seems to be in software or finance and on six figures. It's either bullshit or the site attracts higher earners. I think more likely bullshit and those of us on more normal incomes are less likely to mention it.

For some sanity, I have 2 degrees and am on ~£35,000 pa, which is considered good going in my industry.

I also think people on more modest salaries are likely to either be doing practical stuff or not be allowed to use their phone or Internet during work time, so wont contribute to the conversation
Lots of MN also seem to wfh, are super productive and can do all their work in 2 or 3 hours a day! I dont know anyone who does that irl

I just assumed everyone is a southerner to be honest. Especially when the average income is over 35k yet the vast, vast majority of people I know (through conversation and being a nosy cow on indeed) are on less than that, even those of us with perceived “good” jobs.

I am in a very working class Yorkshire town which obviously skews things mind.

Depends where you live.

Where I am I think probably everyone I know with kids has 1 if not 2 six-figure earners in the household (London) and issues like the 30 free hours of childcare thing are commonly talked about.

I am fully aware this would just seem insane in most of the UK…!

A terraced house round these parts starts at about £1m. A nursery place is £2.5k+ a month. Big incomes but matched by big outgoings for what is probably not a dissimilar lifestyle to someone earning half that elsewhere…

Lots of people earn that much and far more (obviously not as a percentage of the population but thousands of people).

Equity partners in large law firms will be on at least this much and in some cases many millions a year. A top surgeon with a large private practice could well be on half a million.

I was perfectly happy with my own salary and my total household income until I joined MN!

This makes no sense to me at all. Surely if you're happy, you're happy. There's always going to be someone with a bigger salary, bigger house etc than you.

I think it has always been a middle class site but I also think that most average earners don't post in a way that perhaps highlights their income. There are plenty of threads from people struggling with money though.

I think the question you are asking is no different to people with neurotypical children always questioning if everyone's child on MN has SEN (they don't) and also reading this site I could easily assume that the entire population of MN is married to an utter arsehole.

I don't know why people think it is BS and lies. Also high earners probably actually have a lot more freedom and flexibility in their day for a spot of MN'ing, popping to the gym etc. If you are working in a shop all day or on a factory floor probably not so much.

Mumsnet is the only place where you’ll get someone saying they ‘only’ earn £80k but don’t consider themselves high earners. It’s also full of people who are oh so humble and say they earn ‘six figures’, but oh gosh they’re far too humble to say exactly how much!

Well I currently earn the princely sum of £86 per week (Carers Allowance) so very definitely not a high earner!

Same as SEN - I don't know anyone whose children have SEN but on MN it doesn't seem uncommon.

It's one of the worst things about the site for me too. Some of the threads are really tone deaf about cost of living crisis in the country as a whole.

I was perfectly happy with my own salary and my total household income until I joined MN! I don't know any high earners (or even people with DC in private school) IRL and I'd never heard of most of the the brands mentioned in S&B before I joined. Most people round here wear Shein or Tesco on the school run.

What would be the point though? It's an anonymous forum. I think it's interesting that there are so many people who are bothered about how much other people earn. I've got friends who I've known for over 30 odd years. I have no idea how much they earn. It genuinely doesn't come up in conversation. I know how much my DC earn, (£100k and £40k), and that's about it!

Exactly who do you think is funding the country’s massive welfare bill?

To begin with, they pay for a lot of the public services / benefits. On 400k you would pay 160k on taxes.
What people do with the rest, who knows, no universal answer. But it’s not that difficult to guess: 60k on private school for two kids, mortgage of 60k for a basic terrace in a nice neighbourhood in outer London, 3-4k a month on bills/food/holidays etc. Some pension savings. And that’s your 400k salary gone.