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?

Its not that it dont believe they can. Its just i dont believe any posters when they say they do.

I love MN, in all its moods. So much more fun and variety than any other SM forum. Not least because a high percentage of posters really are quite smart.

Hmmm… this is always trotted out on here but I just don’t see this.

I’m sure there are some bullshitters and fantasists but I can’t see what the motivation is to lie to strangers in the internet about your salary. It seems like a really weird thing to do. You don’t get plaudits or a self esteem hit from lying to randoms who you will never meet!

I think Mumsnet probably does skew middle class but all human life is here.

Also tbh I find it a bit suspect that any woman who says she earns over £100k a year is automatically assumed to be a liar, as if people can’t believe such a thing is possible.

Statistically these people are going to be in a small minority nationally but given the demographics of Mumsnet there are bound to be some people on here who genuinely do earn that.

As PPs have said also while £100k clearly is a high salary, £100k if you live in London and work in tech or consulting is less surprising than £100k if you live in a deprived town in a rural area.

£30k is enough to exist when you're young. But my DS earns similar as a grad. Some of his friends who were super "on it" career wise earn £50k with another friend on £100k plus. Surely by the time you're 40,50 progressed in career, and have knowledge and skills.... You earn more

£100k - seeing the money after tax hurts

For me it's nothing at all to do with not believing a woman can earn that amount.

So why is it the default on any thread that if a woman says she earns £100k plus there will invariably be either a snarky post or a follow up thread like this one about the “mystery” of why so many women earn £100k?

It’s quite striking that if someone posts that her husband earns £100k on here she gets accused of bragging. If she says she earns £100k she gets accused of lying.

There are conservatively several hundred thousand people in the UK on that sort of salary, a percentage of whom are women. Surely its not beyond the realm of possibility that some are on Mumsnet?

Because?

I don't even £100k plus. But DH earns nearly twice.

Umm, because I dont believe posters when they say they are high earners.

Why?

And yet you've never given a reason why you don't believe?

I dont really know i cant speak for others who say they dont believe posters either or their reasons.

I just dont believe most stuff i read on here tbh 🤷‍♀️

I think she'll just say "oh because I just don't" or refuse to explain.

Dude why is this bothering you? 😂

I just dont believe every poster on MN, but especially about earnings.

I think it goes back to when mumsnet and netmums were both young.

They attracted different demographics.

But nowadays I think thats changed, plus yes there are a lot of bullshitters everywhere.

Um…OK… so you read and volunteer opinions in a talk board while freely admitting you think most of it is bullshit…

Honestly that sheds quite a lot of light on the fact you don’t believe people. You’re judging others by your own standards.

Both of my bosses are women who I know for a fact earn comfortably over £100k. They’ve both told me they are on here. You’re definitely wrong about at least two posters. How can you possibly know everyone is lying?

There's a mixture I think. I get the impression that MN skews wealthier and more educated than average by quite a margin- although I often vehemently disagree with posters, the level of reasoned debate on MN compared with, say, FB or Reddit is incomparable.

However, there have definitely been high earning posts where I've thought "yeah, didnt happen" - usually because they use odd terminology that a person who was genuinely doing that job wouldn't use.

There are also massive fantasists who have done long running trolling based on an entirely fictitious persona. I'm not going to name names but there was one who posted for years and only came unseated when someone accidentlally resurrected a zombie thread and someone else noticed massive inconsistencies on her children's ages.

Can’t speak for this poster but it bothers me because I think most of this is misogyny.

People assume a woman claiming to earn a high salary is lying. They rarely make this assumption about men.

You really are a very strange person. You make a bald statement about not believing anyone who says they're a "mega earner", then refuse to define what you mean by mega earner.

Then you refuse to say the reasons why you don't believe anyone on here who states they have a high salary.

Tbh you don't sound very intelligent. You throw out comments yet refuse to enter a discussion or back up your comments.

I wonder whether you'd believe someone who said they earned 37k or 42k? If you would, why wouldn't you believe someone who said they earned 142k?

A mix of both. When I see terrible grammar and punctuation it makes me think bullshitter.
I'm definitely not wealthy, but lead (what I think of as) a lovely life because I'm older, mortgage free and DC are now adult, although I do have a life limiting condition.
I sometimes fudge DC's ages to not be as outing, but don't see the point in lying on an anonymous forum.

I’ve never seen so much discussion about benefits anywhere in the real world.

I thought most of mumsnet was bored daily mail columnists.

Yea i engage in threads and may or may not believe posts. But it passes time.

I mean, if thats ok 😂

Why lie when it’s all anonymous? Weird.

I was accused of lying once - v funny if I was lying I would have invented a far more interesting job than the one I have !

To be fair, the poster doesnt have to give an explanation, she said what she said, it is what it is. You dont have to expect an answer as to why

Im the opposite, I rarely think people are lying, I take something at face value and engage with it as I see it in black and white.

Which is why it doesnt bother me if someone says they think something, well thats that.

Thats what they think. Im not in the business of persuading anyone of anything or interrogating them about why they think something.