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Original poster

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

288 replies

Jane143 · 15/09/2026 13:01

AIBU to think that the majority of people on MN seem to be high earners? As a guide, income over £60k? Most people I know in real life earn closer to average wage which I think is around £35k

OP posts:
GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 15/09/2026 15:37

KookyFish · 15/09/2026 15:07

Absolutely and everyone seems to 'live rurally'.

They do!

PenelopePinkerton · 15/09/2026 15:19

montysmaw · 15/09/2026 14:32

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

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What an inaccurate assumption. The top earners pay the majority of the tax in the UK.

RampantIvy · 15/09/2026 15:17

KookyFish · 15/09/2026 15:07

Absolutely and everyone seems to 'live rurally'.

I'm retired and live rurally - honestly 😁

RampantIvy · 15/09/2026 15:16

OrchardOwl · 15/09/2026 14:29

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.

And people in certain jobs. DD can't use her phone while operating an X-Ray machine or a CT scanner.

LifeBeginsToday · 15/09/2026 15:15

We are very, very average. We earn the average wage, have average savings, live in an average price house for the area, have average children and actually almost everything about our life is average. It made me laugh when I once looked up how average we are.

isitfridayyetttt · 15/09/2026 15:15

FallenNight · 15/09/2026 14:37

Agree with this. I just got called 'downstairs' to have a word with someone about having their phone on them during working hours.

Now I'm back in my office replying to you while I drink my brew. They are on minimum wage. I am on more as I have a comfy chair and a PC and a desk. They are definitely working harder than me right now.

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Eww you sound gross

Utterpool · 15/09/2026 15:13

croisette · 15/09/2026 14:48

The 10% of income taxpayers with the largest incomes contribute over 60% of income tax receipts

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Hmmm I wonder how many of the 10% earn as they do because someone has to do the low paid jobs, jobs thst often their salaries couldn’t happen without. It’s a stupid statement really, can you just imagine what society would be like if there wa no one who would do the basic tax jobs?

Shatenoeuf · 15/09/2026 15:10

TheTortiePuffinNeedsHerBreakfast · 15/09/2026 13:08

MN originally started as a patenting site for middle class Londoners. I'd say it still has a skew towards that, even though it's expanded and diversified since its inception.

This. There are loads of london based on here. I live in SE and work in london & most people i know earn over 100k p.a, or have gone part time to avoid going over 100k.

Backedoffhackedoff · 15/09/2026 15:10

montysmaw · 15/09/2026 14:56

And you dont find that gross?? And thats including the tax avoidance they will be paying for. it should be so much more.

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Employed people have extremely limited access to tax avoidance

Thepeopleversuswork · 15/09/2026 15:09

JengaCupboard · 15/09/2026 15:00

I imagine a large percentage of it is bullshit, or at least exaggerated for effect. I would have thought most women in these alleged 'six figure' jobs wouldn't even have Mumsnet on their radar let alone be actively contributing at 3pm on a Wednesday (between mergers, I guess..).

Personally I love it and treat it the same as any other doom scrolling SM, with a pinch of salt - it can be very helpful on occasion, but it's mostly comedy/toxic rubbish.

That being said does it really matter? If it's not hurting anyone?

That’s a really outdated idea about high earners do tbh. There are plenty of women in the UK who earn six figures. Why can’t they be on Mumsnet?

Also investment banking isn’t the only way to make more than £100k.

KookyFish · 15/09/2026 15:07

Absolutely and everyone seems to 'live rurally'.

theneighbourgotmycake · 15/09/2026 15:04

I dont' know, who are all these people on minimum wage who have so much time to scroll on their phone and post on MN during working hours.

JengaCupboard · 15/09/2026 15:00

I imagine a large percentage of it is bullshit, or at least exaggerated for effect. I would have thought most women in these alleged 'six figure' jobs wouldn't even have Mumsnet on their radar let alone be actively contributing at 3pm on a Wednesday (between mergers, I guess..).

Personally I love it and treat it the same as any other doom scrolling SM, with a pinch of salt - it can be very helpful on occasion, but it's mostly comedy/toxic rubbish.

That being said does it really matter? If it's not hurting anyone?

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 15/09/2026 14:58

A far higher than average number at least say they are.

And they seem to have pots and pots of savings.

Who knows if it’s true!

montysmaw · 15/09/2026 14:56

RealFlawless · 15/09/2026 14:50

The top 0.1% of earners pay more income tax in total than the whole bottom 50%.

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And you dont find that gross?? And thats including the tax avoidance they will be paying for. it should be so much more.

montysmaw · 15/09/2026 14:54

croisette · 15/09/2026 14:48

The 10% of income taxpayers with the largest incomes contribute over 60% of income tax receipts

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Good.

EstoyRobandoSuCasa · 15/09/2026 14:52

bilbodog · 15/09/2026 13:40

All you have to do, in any area of the country, is look on rightmove to see how many houses are for sale at 1 million upwards. Someone lives in those houses and probably have family incomes well over £100,000.

doctors/surgeons/consultants
barristers and some high flying solicitors
any large corporation has many high level managers, directors all on high figures
tech companies - particularly international ones
top civil servants
successful company owners
independent financial advisors

ive got neices and nephews early 30s earning over £100k.

Often the owners will be high earners, but others will have inherited money or property or have merely benefited from the extraordinary inflation in house prices. I know a retired dinner lady who lives in a £600,000 house.

RealFlawless · 15/09/2026 14:50

montysmaw · 15/09/2026 14:32

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

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The top 0.1% of earners pay more income tax in total than the whole bottom 50%.

CarbootJunction · 15/09/2026 14:50

What is "earning".
Some of us inherited, darling.

Jugjug · 15/09/2026 14:50

GoodkneeBadKnee · 15/09/2026 13:50

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!

Edited
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This has been debated on here a lot and honestly I don’t think they’re lying like you say what would be the point? Plus threads about private school can run to 1000 posts and it’s a really hot topic on here when irl it only affects a small number of families.

Yes there are benefits threads too but they usually only get a handful of comments and if they do blow up it’s to flame the op for “scrounging”

I believe mumsnet does just genuinely skew richer tbh

croisette · 15/09/2026 14:48

montysmaw · 15/09/2026 14:32

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

Show quote history

The 10% of income taxpayers with the largest incomes contribute over 60% of income tax receipts

Dontlletmedownbruce · 15/09/2026 14:45

I find the opposite, it feels like a race to the bottom. Anyone who suggests dealing with an issue by paying money for a service or product is shut down for being insensitive to low earners. I've often been afraid to post something for fear that posters will latch onto the fact I'm financially comfortable and make it all about that instead of the actual issue.

It really depends on which threads you read.

FallenNight · 15/09/2026 14:37

OrchardOwl · 15/09/2026 14:29

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.

Agree with this. I just got called 'downstairs' to have a word with someone about having their phone on them during working hours.

Now I'm back in my office replying to you while I drink my brew. They are on minimum wage. I am on more as I have a comfy chair and a PC and a desk. They are definitely working harder than me right now.

MNLurker1345 · 15/09/2026 14:37

montysmaw · 15/09/2026 14:32

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

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Surely you know the top 10% of Income Tax payers already contribute around 60% of all Income Tax. Higher earners are already carrying a hugely disproportionate share of the burden.

Thepeopleversuswork · 15/09/2026 14:36

MNLurker1345 · 15/09/2026 14:26

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.

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I agree and I think there’s also quite a lot of misogyny in this assumption as well. As in people can’t believe a woman can earn a high salary.