to ask if most people openly share salaries with friends (and families?) in the UK?

[polka6]

I know it often comes up on MN how much people earn etc, are people in the UK anywhere near as open in real life? what about with close friends - do you share when you have a promotion etc? Is it more standard to do that with family?

Personally, I more or less share the details with parents and friends in the same line of work (who earn similar or previous have done or will do in the future) but not so much with friends not in the same career circles and probably downplay it whereas the general consensus on MN seems to be people inflate the figures?

We talk about income and salary openly with our teenagers, my staff all talk among themselves about their earnings and our closer friends will talk about promotions and earnings, so I'd say we are fairly relaxed with people knowing our income levels.

I do love a good guess though, with some circles of friends it baffles me how they afford some things, so I'd say it's human nature to be curious about others finances.

I find this really odd. The idea that discussing salaries is "crass" is literally enabling employers to be discriminatory. The more open everyone is the less room there is for discrimination of any kind.

Well, we don't talk about it as much as I think people should, and I find people reticent to do so. But my own salary is pretty much public knowledge if you Google me as it is required to be published on a website for transparency

My best friends and I discuss salary as we're all in the same sector so it's interesting for us. Other than that, absolutely not!

My best friends know and I know theirs. I also know my brother and sisters. Just comes up when we've had promotions over the years, or when going for new jobs.

I'd tell anyone who asked, but the vast majority of people including my mum don't know, as it's not something you broadcast!

Yes. I really, really don't see the issue.

But even though I was both and raised in the UK, neither of my parents are British and nor is any of my family.

When I worked in retail for over a decade, we all knew what each other earned and that it therefore wasn't worth it to apply for any promotions

I don't understand why you wouldn't talk about things like that. Seems very odd to me.

My husband knows. No-one else does. Why should they?

We don't. I mean it's not a secret. If someone asked directly I'd tell them but otherwise I wouldn't.

Yeah, I really couldn't care less if people know what I earn, I'm happy to talk about it with anyone

I work for the NHS anyway so it's easily Googleable but I wasn't bothered when I worked in the private sector either, I don't really understand the secretiveness around salary

I think its important that everyone shares their salary with anyone that asks. Its a feminist issue, if a woman 10yrs younger hears what you earn, it might make them think, cor maybe I could earn that in 10 yrs time too. I know some people think gosh, how does she earn that amount? In a way it drives people to strive for more if they know the actual figure folks earn.

My friends and I talk about it. I know what they're on and they know what I'm on.

Didn't think it was weird to discuss it?

Absolutely not

I think more openness is good personally. Lots of companies benefit from the secrecy.

my parents aren't English though so perhaps why I don't understand why people are so weird about it.

My family all know (DH, my parents, DBro and SIL) my friends have a general idea...I got a promotion this year and went from "a bit over minimum wage" to "an average salary".
We mostly talk about in in the context of unaffordable house prices (we are in the SE)

No because none of them have ever asked. If they did I'd openly tell them. But I wouldn't just volunteer the information because that would be bloody weird.

No. It would be hugely unhelpful.

I recently had a health scare and made my dsis my ds's guardian just in case. At that point. I told dsis roughly how much ds would inherit if I died, but only because she would be a trustee and have to manage it until he was older, and it seemed sensible.

But no-one else.

Yes with close friends and also with colleagues and people in the same industry.

I share and discuss with DH. I'm self employed and so it's regulated updating him as to how things are. I think that's appropriate as we are married. I also do discuss to a degree with my parents because they're my parents and are proud of me. I dont randomly come out with it but more in terms of discussing how im doing. Otherwise I havent said my income specifically to anyone. My sister probably has a ball park idea as does my best friend. More because of things we speak about - for example recently a conversation about 30hr free childcare and it came up that I may not qualify so that gave an indication of income.

When DHs friends were all out of uni or early career they spoke about salaries often but now there are obvious income disparities noone wants to discuss it - DH said if his friends asked outright he would tell them but as a higher earner he doesn't want to seem boastful.

I work in the NHS so my pay is public if someone knows my pay band.

I would never volunteer the information myself, but I would be willing to share it if asked by a family member or close friend. In reality, nobody ever really asks.

I think my sister did ask me a few years ago, because she was thinking about a career move into the sector that I was then in, and we both shared the info then, but it isn't a topic of conversation that comes up often.

It’s not remotely crass to discuss with good friends what you earn, it’s so considered crass when you discuss with randoms.

sometimes I wonder if people who post the sort of thing have close friends.

yes I discuss with my closest friends, but not my wider social circle.

Actually, my closest friends probably knows what I earn too, but we used to work together so it was natural to talk about salary level when I was looking at new jobs. I don't think she would know the exact figure, but she probably has a good idea of the rough level.

Yep I've always been happy to talk about my salary from when it was fuck all to when it was megalumps. Not talking about earnings, is a way of silencing and separating people from the financial realities of those at the "too". Ie it helps keep people weak in the face of capitalism

I would add that I almost certainly earn quite a bit more than most of my friends (with one notable exception who almost certainly earns more than me!) so I would never be the one to initiate a conversation about salary.