What's free school meals got to do with applying for jobs?

[Auburngal]

Unemployed and looking for work. A few online forms for positions have asked me about did I get free meals at school and what job category the chief income earner at home when I was in my early teens.

Why do they ask these questions? I know people who had free school meals and have a Masters degree and another person, their DF was a vet and she works at Costa p/t. Though the person working at Costa has had a lot of health issues in her late teens - mid 20s so education was messed up.

It's to make sure they employ a sufficient quota of people from formally deprived backgrounds.

But how does that work before the job offer is made ?

It's not about employing those people, positive discrimination when hiring is almost always illegal in the UK. It's about making sure that the job advert is being advertised to reach all demographics.

So if it is, and you end up with a pale male workforce, what is the conclusion ?

A) there's something wrong with the advert - write it in Elvish
B) the only people capable of doing the role are pale males.
C) something else.

All this diversity monitoring can do is show - after the event - whether your DEI policies work or not. Within a very narrow definition of "works".

I was unconvinced it was working in 1980, and I am as unconvinced now. In fact all I have seen DEI policies do is create more and more inventive ways for a group of people to be viewed differently. And I remain somewhat suspicious that this may have been the intention all along. Still I'll be dead soon enough. Someone else can take this up.

In fact all I have seen DEI policies do is create more and more inventive ways for a group of people to be viewed differently. And I remain somewhat suspicious that this may have been the intention all along.

The point of DEI is to make work for DEI businesses. It's not in the interests of DEI consultants to actually solve structural inequalities in the workplace, in the same way that it's not in WeightWatchers' interests to market a diet plan that actually works: customers whose problems have been solved permanently don't become repeat customers.

Commentors on both sides of the political spectrum have used the term "DEI industrial complex" for a reason: you've got Govt depts paying the likes of Stonewall for accreditation and indoctrination training of staff, then Stonewall use that money to lobby ministers.

A school is often judged by what percentage of the children are on free school meals. In my time as a primary school teacher I have taught four sons of vicars, the daughter of a head of department of a large comprehensive school and the twin sons of a RAF squadron leader, all of whom were entitled to, and took, free school meals. Actually, I had free school meals as a child, until my two eldest brothers left school at 14 to become farm labourers like our father. What it has to do with my suitability for a job is irrelevant.

You only needed to say I was right 😀

Yes, but I spelled out why you are right.

On a serious note, there is very real discrimination out there. And generally it's wasteful. (This isn't to trivialise it's effect on people, which is beyond despair).

However you really aren't going to solve discrimination by inventing more and more ways for people to be different to each other. Not when we are all human.

The comedian Richard Herring had a routine where he pointed out that racists merely see the world in 2 shades. "Us" and "them". Whereas us well meaning liberals see it as hundreds of cultures and nationalities. In terms of achieving the nirvana of seeing everyone as the same, racists are way ahead of us. They only have to combine 2 things, not hundreds.

All very trite, but a kernel of truth, I feel.

@SerendipityJane yes, I agree. DEI as far as I can see it is a waste of time and resources. And I say that as someone who would benefit from it IF it worked (hint; it doesn't).

Unfortunately in my line of work (finance) the norm is very much NOT to put salaries on open vacancies, out of the last 5 jobs I applied to, only 1 had the salary advertised. I've just got to take my chances, but it's very depressing getting knock back after knock back at first sift for roles I could do standing on my head.

It's a great way of keeping finance male, pale and stale, as great jobs are kept to those in the know by those in the know. Those who don't know remain out in the cold, then everyone in the know shakes their head at each other puzzled why people are employing themselves to take over their jobs when they retire.

The Powers That Be : "The people are revolting ! They are unhappy about discrimination and it's corrosive effect on social cohesion. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE !"

<activates the "something must be done" batsignal>

Grifting outfits with plan to get snouts in endless trough of public money : "Here's something !"

TPTB: "Hooray ! Trebles all round".

If you think DEI has failed, wait till you hear about the war on drugs ®. Printing money since 1971.

Years ago I went for a job and was asked how i would be getting to work and what number bus did I catch ? That was to work out where I lived . I was also asked what year I sat my GCSEs . That was to work out my age .

You could decline to answer. Or just say you don't know, you'll ask your chauffer. Or chauffeuse.