To think that this is one of the first crisis to affect the MC more than the WC?

[Makinitrain]

Note; I'm not talking about actually getting Coronavirus but living and surviving in lockdown.
WC here so maybe I'm getting it wrong. My dd goes to school in a pretty affluent school in our city. I grew up not far away in a rough council estate. I have a mixture of both types of people on my SM.
WC seem to be either key workers or furloughed. Most are semi enjoying home schooling, lots have both parents home but aren't expected to still be doing work. Self employed are panicking but hope to be in receipt of government grants. Non WC's life haven't really changed except they don't have to do the school run. I'm noticing there's more kids walking in the countryside than usual, more family's going on bike rides.
MC (in my experience) usually have both parents doing full time, full on jobs, at present most are working from home. They also really value education so it's hurting them to have to use screens so much in order to work. Both parents stressed about the future, possible redundancies.
Obviously there are thousands of people that don't fit into these examples but could this be the first crisis in which having some money doesn't actually make things any easier?

I don't think you can split people so simply into 'working class' and 'middle class'.

I know for a fact that people in what are seen as 'professional jobs' have overwhelmingly got much better job security than folk who work in minimum wage jobs.

All the people I know who have lost their jobs are the people I know who were working in pubs, shops, theatres, music venues, etc, on zero hour contracts or sort hour contracts.

In terms of education, there are families living in poverty who are stuck in overcrowded temporary accommodation. Even the next step up, people in high rise blocks of flats don't have the same freedom to get out in the fresh air that families living in houses with gardens have. Families that would come under the 'middle class' banner, are FAR more likely to be able to facilitate home learning - to have the IT to allow more than one person to use it at once, indeed, to have a laptop or PC suitable for doing any work..... to have a printer .... to have things like glue sticks and crayons and a wad of paper.

'MC' people are much more likely to have a car, so are more easily able to only visit the supermarket once a week.

I imagine there are hundreds of things that make life easier if you have a little more money. Just don't want my post to be too long.

PP has put it more eloquently than I could. You’ve got it all wrong. Too many assumptions. Your reasoning is too simplistic.

I'm not sure about the WC/MC divide, but there is definitely a huge divide in lockdown between people who are furloughed or fully paid at home and not working with huge amounts of free time on the one hand; and people who have to work full time hours from home, usually in stressful jobs, while simultaneously looking after children. And then of course people like supermarket workers who certainly aren't getting a holiday at home.

I'm really not sure. For example, middle class are more likely to have back gardens.

What @BackforGood said.

I think you have some naive and pretty horrible assumptions in there. For example, there is the underlying assumption that the WC don't care that much about education, but the poor MC are upset about the amount of screen time they are relying on.

You ignore the fact that MC parents are likely to be better placed (on average) to support their children's school work due to their own educational background. Children don't need 6 hours of adult input each day to replace school - but parents who can provide 1 hour confidently will make a big difference.

One of my biggest concerns is that the gap between disadvantaged children and non-disadvantaged children is going to grow massively. Schools normally work tirelessly to try to close that gap and will really struggle to stop it from widening now.

My own MC children's screen time is a minor concern, they started with advantage and will come out of this still in an advantaged position.

We can afford the inflated food prices and have some savings if we have financial issues. People who were living up to their last penny each month will really be suffering now.

The after-effects of lockdown? The lives of people who rely on welfare won’t be worth living. Sure, there will be pain for us all, but the welfare cuts that will follow will be brutal.

I understand entirely where you're going with this, OP.

Your thread title stands more than the content of your post.

Theres a divide, for sure and for the many that have been forced onto UC, I think they've been hit the hardest. Particularly where they have not qualified for support from the self employment fund. Most of the professions that have been furloughed or WFH are shall we say, MC. NHS aside, which has a vast range of demographics within its workforce, the WC are the frontline shop workers, or to use a dated term, blue collar workers, still working, because there is work.

I really do think, that the lockdown has narrowed the classes, because whether there is little, lots or a deficit, apart from necessities, there is really very little to spend money on.

Seriously!? Those in a professional job are far likely to have job security or ease of getting another job. Far more likely to have outdoor space. Far more likely not to be cramped in the house with kids having some of their own space. Far more likely to have resources and toys or craft materials. Far more likely to have a financial cushion and be able to absorb higher food costs.

Yes those in benefits income may stay the same (but still may have problems as listed above )

I think its those in between who are struggling the most.

The after-effects of lockdown? The lives of people who rely on welfare won’t be worth living. Sure, there will be pain for us all, but the welfare cuts that will follow will be brutal

This.

Apart from nhs too, its families that have shop workers, bus drivers etc all putting their families at risk, maybe kids in keyworker babysitting. Again mainly working class....

MC (in my experience) usually have both parents doing full time, full on jobs, at present most are working from home. They also really value education so it's hurting them to have to use screens so much in order to work.

So working class people don't value education?

Just wait.
If you're categorising everyone in Very high, high, middle, working, lower classes, it'll be the working and lower classes that'll pay for all this in the long run.
Higher taxes, lower beneifts, social cuts, caring cuts etc etc.

😂😂 really?

My children go to a private school. There are 6 keyworker children in school with 3 staff so they are actually getting a lot of educational support. All of these children have 2 parents who are both doctors so certainly not at a disadvantage in life. The rest are able to be kept at home as their parents can work around them or, mainly, because they have 1 stay at home parent. The children at home get 3-4 hours of online, face to face lessons every day which they are ALL doing as well as the support of the parent. They are also working online until the end of July with only 4 weeks off in August. These children are not going to be disadvantaged, in fact, many are making excellent progress without the distractions of the classroom. I have seen posts where some schools are not providing any work at all and where parents have declared that their child won’t do any work so they’ve given up with them. As an ex teacher I know how much learning children lose over the summer holiday when they do no work at all - imagine how far behind they are going to be in 6 months compared with children who have kept up the pace of work throughout. The gap is going to be immense. Even many of my middle class friends who are struggling with balancing work and a school that doesn’t send much home are managing with online subscriptions to apps and private tuition online. This will be out of reach for many people.

No, I think you are completely wrong. I think this lockdown is much much easier for people with big houses, gardens, savings and secure employment.

Um...no.

Less well off are trapped in small flats etc with no outside space and many battling to work and home educate. Many have no money to get in extra learning material for children.

Food prices have gone up already.

Less likely to have savings, or relatives who can help with money, if they need it.

Bonkers OP.

@PatricksRum - if course, how don’t you know this? On MN you’ll see swathes of posters insisting that they’re middle class because they own books, don’t watch TV, and once upon a time got a degree from a RG university, even if they haven’t used it since and now work part-time in a NMW job in retail or care because they didn’t really have a career before deciding to have DC. They are different and more special than those who work those jobs without getting a degree first.

Working class people are not like them, can’t you see?

Maybe they just whinge more 😉

I think the split needs to be ...adults working full time Vs at least 1 adult not working full time.
It is a killer, and the guilt is horrendous for my academically struggling kids.
As for class, I'm not so sure. I'd definitely be judged as MC now, but grew up WC. IMO WC have closer communities and I believe that will be invaluable right now.

On MN you’ll see swathes of posters insisting that they’re middle class because they own books, don’t watch TV, and once upon a time got a degree from a RG university, even if they haven’t used it since and now work part-time in a NMW job in retail or care because they didn’t really have a career before deciding to have DC.

Does that mean social class is based on your job?

WC more likely to be furloughed?

Is that true?

Peggy I think it’s some crazy idea OP has.

Those who are renting haven't been extended a rent payment holiday vs some with mortgages. Yes, landlords can't currently serve notice but you better believe they will if tenants have outstanding debts of £1500+ after. Those who are furloughed on 80% wages are generally over the threshold to claim top up benefits, but obviously have much less money to live on per month. Those who are reliant on public transport are struggling to shop (no delivery slots), reduced bus timetables, how to navigate taking children with you who'd normally be at school? Those (lucky ones) who are 'keyworkers' are expected to work in generally customer facing roles because its work, or don't get paid. Not a great option if you're worrying about taking the virus home. Those who were previously getting by with free school meals are possibly opting to not eat so their children can. I wouldn't say it's better?

@ComtesseDeSpair

Why do you say it will get worse for those on UC? How can it actually get any worse for them?