Why do you think mumsnet has a more wealthy user base than average or do you think it’s full of bullshitters?

[Lurkinginthedarkness]

I’ve been reading mumsnet threads regularly for a while now and have noticed the userbase seems to be far wealthy than the general population, based on the income threads and also other little things that give that feel.
Obviously I’m not saying I think everyone is wealthier than average on here I’m personally a broke loser and I’m sure there’s others like me, but I’ve been blown away by the sheer amount of people saying they earn 60, 70, 80 or even 100k like it’s average.

I personally don’t think it’s full of bullshitters as there are other hints like the fact the spelling and grammar used on here is typically far superior to other sites like facebook and obviously you’re unlucky to have a brilliant job if you’re SPAG isn’t spot on.

Anyway I like mumsnet and have nothing against people being better off than me I’m just musing what do you think it is about mumsnet that attracts more wealthier people typically?

When you're walking down your run-down high street it's easy to forget that there are a large number of people who are doing just fine and have plenty of money.

Might only be a small proportion of the population but that's a lot of people in absolute terms.

There are definitely some bullshitters on here sometimes, no doubt.

Well based on the ads I receive, I would say they are very much mass market aimed at middle earners at best.

Having gone from a NMW household income to a higher rate taxpayer one, there is still a bloody lot left over. I will never ever forget that or take it for granted.

Do we indeed !

I'm pretty sure the ads on here are personalised so you can't draw any conclusions about general demographics from them. Otherwise according to mine everyone plays video games all day! All I ever get are ads for games that I already own.

I presume that you are excluding the army of women who find that having children narrows their choices, and that whatever they worked for, they can’t do it any more?

I also see you have no understanding of the modern workplace, the impact of minimum wage, the impact of the broken housing market, the requirement for degrees nowadays or the idea of value for money (as well as the value of real work).

I (in the first category) have worked with a huge number of perfectly capable young women who thought they’d start as a TA, or trainee TA, or HCA - in my area there are still very few other alternative jobs for women particularly. these used to be respected jobs that paid more than minimum but not any more. Retail and hospitality, the other major sectors, are unreliable though. They are all competitive areas to get into - TA jobs were being advertised as for graduates for a while. Then they find that to progress at all they need this degree and that degree. Those degrees are not worth the huge costs youngsters now incur. They turn you out into very stressful jobs that pay maybe 2 or 3 k more for all the debt you get into. It’s all very well saying that they may lead further into jobs paying 40-50k when the chances are that they won’t in fact so, between rule changes and life events.

If you really needed an explanation then you need to start listening to what working class people have been saying for 25 years now. It is not worth trying to work hard in this country any more. There are no rewards for doing so.

I don’t think it’s bullshitting, but I have an above average income as do many people I know and it just doesn’t seem implausible to me. Maybe a couple are but I don’t think it’s prevalent. I just think it’s confirmation bias, you’re more likely to respond to a thread if you are either end of the scale.

I do remember CherryPavlova though, she was a bullshitter of the highest order.

‘Above average’

I’ll just leave that there. No point in wasting my time explaining to those who have no interest or intent to listen.

@OrdinaryMagicOfAcorns was that for me….?

Sure. But sometimes their male partners are also on chronically low wages. Aren't there numerous "alternative pathways to university"?

We as a family worked very hard. Both DH and I are masters educated. Our combined income is just north of £200k. Regarding university, choose a subject and a uni that have good career prospects? Also aren't there numerous practical courses as alternatives?

How many practical careers are there for women? Why the focus on their male partners? Are women not supposed to want their own careers nowadays? Theres only the health sector which isn’t worth it now… and cleaning and hairdressing. Or whoredom. What an amazing choice.

The other point I should have made is the changes in society, talking of women not being alllwed their own careers any more. 30 years ago I chose a uni course with perfectly good career prospects with a few good and different sectors leading away from it. Now all those sectors have been decimated by both politicking and computers, and the growth in minimum wage has wiped out the wage increase I gained at first. Yet I still have 20 years of unvalued shit work to look forward to. Journalism, publishing, education, heritage, even research in academia, these are all things that are no longer worth the huge amount of increased effort they require as a career, and all come now with a virtual requirement t to be based in London or the south east. You cannot allow for these socio political choices made by the rich in London, and that is why investment in future careers has been a waste of time for me and will most likely be a waste of time for anyone who is not already based in the south east and has money and connections.

Even IT is no longer lucrative to new starters and holds no future security.

Can a woman not be a gas engineer?

Women have never been fully welcomed into the trades. In a few areas yes, but generally no.

What happens if a women signs up to a city & guilds plumbing and heating course?

I can tell you what happens to women and girls who have to train in practical trades, mostly taught by men and mostly with male colleagues.

They get sexually harassed to hell and back.

Anyone who does fight their way through to qualification then has to get a job, which they will be very lucky to do in a male- dominated trade area. If they get hired it’s mostly so that they can be told to wear low necklines, flirt and ‘flash their tits’ at customers. It’s very difficult to break through to be taken seriously, as difficult as it always was for women in any job in the post war times.

I’m basing this on personal experience, observations of training, and reported experience of others.

There are the occasional women who break through into trades. They generally have to have a lot of connections and support either from personal social connections or others. There are a group of women plumbers somewhere (I’ve come across them on the internet but they were nowhere near me). Why do you think we still need special support groups, while you are interrogating me? Lucky you if you’re in a nice area where women have never had to struggle against st sexism. That simply is not the case in most areas and I dont think it’s getting better. Britain is merely growing more polarised.

Look at the times people post. A lot are when most people are working. Yes, I know people work shifts but there are a huge amount of posters who spend a lot of time here during the day so it might be fair to say they are affluent and not working (or retired). There are a lot of people on here who post less because they have less time, but they are still here

It always shocks me when people ask about clothes they think suitable for whatever occasion they're going to. It amazes me the links some put on for a dress costing £200+ that you could get similar in Next or Zara for a fraction of the cost or the £90 sandals that you can get the same look for £20 in NewLook. Also when people ask 'if I earn £150K can I have a decent life' I don't think thre are a lot of Bull shitters on here, I do think there are a lot of privileged people & a few snobs though.