To think lockdown has revealed a glaring class difference?

[TexanBlueNeck]

Filled in a survey & read some of the latest "lifestyle" columnists in UK (digital) newspapers.

No, some people are not using lockdown to browse around buying clothes and home accessories or patter about experimenting with new recipe ideas from inventive food combinations or try out a new food box delivery service.

Some of us are at breaking point between juggling childcare duties, supporting vulnerable or elderly relatives and neighbours, working from home or not at all, using the last tin of smartprice tomatoes that could be bought at an empty supermarket shelf (in person, because full-time worker parents aren't a priority group). While worrying about job security. Not whether to buy new sofa cushions while the cockpot experiment cooks!

I honestly think some commentators' experience of lockdown isn't even on the same planet as a huge portion of the rest of the (working class) UK

I am probably classed as middle class but I grew up on benefits and on a council estate. We are both extremely fortunate to have well paid and secure jobs in computing. We live in 5 bedroom house surrounded by gardens and onsite gym in one of our outbuildings. We have enough food and toilet roll for 9 days. We have multiple devices and many online TV subscriptions. Lots of books, games and ourside garden/tennis games. Money buys space, peace and no income worries. But we are not online shopping for frivolity. If we did, we wouldn't be able to afford the nice house and security that we have because we don't put things on debt. We don't have credit cards or loans. We both work 15 hour days each. I'm online at 6am and finish at 9pm trying to fit in home schooling with the kids as well as our normal jobs. It's utterly relentless. But I absolutely appreciate, many many people are not in this position.

I think it's definitely income/personal situation differences that are being highlighted.

My partner is a teacher, so currently not working at all yet still in full pay, and I'm a SAHM.

We got a big food delivery from Ocado and have spent this week baking as a family and in our lovely big garden. Ordered a new swing set etc for DS to keep him occupied.

Not a day goes by where I don't feel lucky, and I have absolute admiration for those who have had their lives turned upside down by this virus.

The median UK salary of full time workers is 30k hence why they came up with that number.

More than average so yes, in the top half.

This does not = well off.

It's not income, or class. It's a sudden change of circumstances. Some are fine. Others are really struggling. This situation isn't one that people normally plan for.

It's definitely circumstance. Don't actually think it's exactly related to income or class. I work for NHS on a relatively low salary (26k) and am still working, both at home and on site. If there comes a time I can't work I'll still be paid. My partner is a SAHD. Therefore we're pretty unaffected by this. My heart goes out to those who have had their lives turned upside down

Yeah I love the ‘just let your kids camp in the garden and put up the paddling pool, taking them for a walk or to the shop is MURDERING PEOPLE’ brigade.

Imagine a single mum, 2 toddlers, no garden. What is she supposed to do?

And let me add I’m in a position to have a massive garden with open land everywhere and we can go out separately for food etc but it doesn’t make me blind to the needs of others

I am finding it hard and we’re comfortable financially with a massive garden. It is clearly going to be much harder for people in flats with no garden (albeit lots of wealthy people do live in flats especially in London) and even harder for those who are struggling financially. The combo of both must be really difficult.

I think posters saying that income doesn’t make a difference are deluded really. Also, the closure of schools and nurseries will have a massive impact on inequalities. All my little one’s nursery friends have got well equipped gardens for play but seem to have learning rooms set up, craft stations, subscriptions to twinkl etc. By the time they all start reception, I bet they’ll all be reading or close to it, doing sums etc. Other children just won’t have that input. That said, they’ll all probably have to re-learn a lot of social skills whatever their background.

Where it seems heartbreaking through will be the massive difference for those in year 10 between those at private school having full timetabled teaching and those at schools they haven’t set work or are in positions where they won’t have support at home. GCSEs next year just won’t be on a level playing field.

There are income factors, but the biggest ones are situational as PP have said.

DH and I are both juggling WFH with lots to do and caring for two under-fives plus trying to do schoolwork with the oldest. Yes we are lucky in many ways - so far our income is maintained, and we do have a decent-sized house and small garden - but we are juggling and working constantly and certainly not looking for things to do. If we didn't have DC, or our DC were adult, or if one of us didn't have to work at present, things would be completely different. If we didn't have any outdoor space or were struggling to afford necessities things would of course be harder yet.

Yeah I love the ‘just let your kids camp in the garden and put up the paddling pool, taking them for a walk or to the shop is MURDERING PEOPLE’ brigade

I don't usually like the 'brigade' thing, but these are exceptional times .

You're right, the MN bullies yelling 'FFS STOP KILLING PEOPLE' whenever someone takes their child for a walk are just plain awful.

We are very comfy. Four adults wfh. Plenty of space to do it. Huge garden. Pool and gym. Lots of good local walks.

Sooo glad dc are 25 and 21. Wd have been unspeakable 10 or 20 years ago or if we were not unspeakably privileged.

I cannot imagine how fucking hard this must be if you have two under five in a flat and are struggling. I am so sorry. It must be utter fucking hell and I wish I cd make it better. I really do.

"This does not = well off."

It does to me

It’s not even income level. It’s to do with your current level of job security, with has nothing to do with income.

My friend and her husband are both classed as key workers but can work from home, not usually and they’ve both had to take desktops and screens home. One earns £25k and the other earns £18k. Neither of their jobs are in threat and they won’t be in 3, 6 or 9 months.

DH earns £50K, he’s currently working from home but he’s been warned that if lockdown continues long term they will be made to take unpaid leave.

They have childcare to balance while working from home. We don’t. She’s buying cushions and clothes and I’m not.

There are valid concerns of how income/class impacts your lockdown - someone with a higher income is more likely to have a large plot in the country that they can walk for miles and not see anyone else. Someone on a lower income is more likely to be in an overcrowded tower block with no access to their own outside space. Childcare, care for elderly relatives, struggle to buy food, job loss is affecting people across all income levels.

This isn't about income, but situation. We are probably middle class in terms of income, but we are doing most of what you describe - very real prospect of the company I work for going under, so having to work hard to try to get contracts to stay afloat, whilst also looking after two young children and homeschooling the eldest. No free time for all the poncy stuff you describe. I'm the busiest I've even been and house is a bigger shit heap than normal.

"We're all in this together."

This phrase has been thrown around a few times lately. Remember when David Cameron said it some years ago, from his position of wealth and power, in which he himself was largely protected from the worst of the recession? Bollocks we were all in it together then.

Although everybody's circumstances here are very different, including how much danger they might be in if they do catch the virus, one thing that does unite us is that anybody can catch the virus, including BJ himself. I know that's not much of a leveller because he can afford private healthcare, but lots of people (probably including me) are thinking "it won't happen to me".

How you feel about being at home is obviously income-related. Nice big house and garden for higher earners, tiny flat and no outdoor space for lower earners and this is a bigger division now than in normal times when people can go out to work and socialise.

Money-wise, people right at the bottom of the sliding scale are surely likely to be the least affected as UC and other benefits go on as normal - hardly a situation where the 'lower classes' are more affected.

Agree with this. I have just been sitting here thinking that for the first time ever being unemployed has been a real blessing, as my life continues pretty much the same as usual (only child, live alone, so used to being self-contained). I feel really sorry for those who are struggling however.

Also agree, it's income, not "class". I'm not in the UK, so "class" not such a big thing here and I've never thought of myself as "lower class"!!!!

We’re middle class but definitely not holidaying during lockdown. I spent today in bed with a migraine, closed curtains, because I literally worked myself to a breakdown point during the past two weeks. We’re homeschooling and are lucky enough that DD wants to learn without being forced. We have enough food and whatever else we need but don’t feel like this is our chance to put our feet up and live the high life.
Buying new sofa covers or a lounging outfit doesn’t even feature on my todo list. YABU

I have 3 adult children and a Y11 dd - she's doing loads of work at her STATE school and her daily wake up call is the email from her fabulous teaching staff with tasks/videos/feedback from yesterday's essays etc.

There will indeed be a huge difference next year - I teach Year 5/6. Some children will have had no education at all - if they (their parents) don't engage with what we provide, what can we do? Other children are having a fantastic experience. Closing the gap is a phrase often used by schools - it's an utter myth. Sadly.

If you think this lockdown is exposing the huge inequality levels in this country, wait till we emerge into a global depression.

Yep. It's one of the reasons I was so furious with the stockpilers, buying up huge second freezers so they could ride out the apocalypse. We'd luckily just had a shop delivered when the lockdown happened, and our one small trip out to buy food was surprisingly civilised, but it really made me cross - didn't the stockpilers realise they were literally taking food from the mouths of babes, or did they just not care?

I'm just waiting for the Vacuous Journalistas of The Daily Mail to do their bit for the war effort by announcing what's COVID-19 chic.....then I'll know to get ready for the Four Horsemen.

I think it's circumstances too.

If this had happened 3 years ago I would have been absolutely distraught at how I was going to keep my severely disabled DD safe from this virus whilst caring for her full time in isolation having had all her carers and day services cancelled. Sadly she is no longer with us and for the first time I am actually relieved as it would have been hell on earth keeping her safe and getting all the supplies and equipment I needed to care for her. In addition, I was helping care for my elderly and frail mother who lived 70 miles away - doing internet food shopping for her (it was straightforward and easy to get slots then) and visiting at weekends. I can't even begin to imagine how we would have coped now and she was one of the worlds worst worriers so she would not have coped either.

Fast forward to now. DD has died. DM has died (DF died previously). Only surviving elderly relative is DMIL who lives the other side of the country near to BIL.

DH is still working and being paid (for now) although if this goes on for too long he may have to lose his salary as he works for a charity. DS is away at Uni and fairly self sufficient.

Whilst my life in inconvenienced by the pandemic, I am not juggling loads of plates or ageing 10 years in a week over it. But neither am I decorating every room in the house or redesigning the garden. I have not bought anything other than food/cleaning products for weeks and am staying at home except for collecting prescriptions for elderly neighbour and food shopping once a week. It has nothing to do with my income or class and everything to do with where my life is at.

Circumstances are different for all, class has little to do with it. My circumstances would be different too if I was a young mother with a part time job which I was years ago; both husband and I might have been considered essential workers and childcare would have been up the creek. I'd probably be tearing my hair out whilst trying to maintain a calm facade.

Now I'm OK, have enough to survive for quite a while and don't mind being indoors but I'm not insensitive to the needs of others.

I don't see what 'class' has to do with it, we all have to be careful and any one of us could be susceptible.

Money obviously does make a difference, if there are no worries about how to pay the bills, that's great. We can afford to help others less fortunate a little bit, some of us have been there.

As is evident from this thread alone, everyone experiences difficulties in life regardless of status.

As pp have said, there's all sorts of inequalities at play.

We're lucky enough to have a large house and garden, which i am incredibly grateful for as it really does help with small dc. Being in a small flat must be a nightmare.

But we have worries. DH is a relatively high earner but likely will be laid off soon, and we have a large mortgage to go with our large house. While he is still working we are both wfh while trying to care for 2 young dc, tag teaming so my whole weekend is spent working to make up my hours.while he looks after dc.

We're lucky to be healthy atm, but I'm dreading catching cv as i have to go in to care fir my elderly df who needs help with meds/ meals, and i think I'm safer than a carer who visits multiple people.

swings and roundabouts

bigbluebus Sat 28-Mar-20 20:48:20

I think it's circumstances too.

If this had happened 3 years ago I would have been absolutely distraught at how I was going to keep my severely disabled DD safe from this virus whilst caring for her full time in isolation having had all her carers and day services cancelled. Sadly she is no longer with us and for the first time I am actually relieved as it would have been hell on earth keeping her safe and getting all the supplies and equipment I needed to care for her. In addition, I was helping care for my elderly and frail mother who lived 70 miles away - doing internet food shopping for her (it was straightforward and easy to get slots then) and visiting at weekends. I can't even begin to imagine how we would have coped now and she was one of the worlds worst worriers so she would not have coped either.

Fast forward to now. DD has died. DM has died (DF died previously). Only surviving elderly relative is DMIL who lives the other side of the country near to BIL.

DH is still working and being paid (for now) although if this goes on for too long he may have to lose his salary as he works for a charity. DS is away at Uni and fairly self sufficient.

Whilst my life in inconvenienced by the pandemic, I am not juggling loads of plates or ageing 10 years in a week over it. But neither am I decorating every room in the house or redesigning the garden. I have not bought anything other than food/cleaning products for weeks and am staying at home except for collecting prescriptions for elderly neighbour and food shopping once a week. It has nothing to do with my income or class and everything to do with where my life is at.

This is the most heart breaking post I have read.

I too am struggling to protect a remaining severely disabled child whilst having had our entire support network/equality rights/delivery/health system forcibly removed - it is impossible. The added judgement and glares when we dare to leave to collect essential supplies is not helping. I know we won't escape what is going to happen, to have my child spoken of as a meaningless acceptable statistic everywhere is soul destroying.

Times are truly overwhelming when a mother is thankful her child is no longer here.

for you @bigbluebus