Treatment at work ‘profoundly’ shaped by social class

New research from Diversity Council Australia has revealed a persistent “class ceiling” for workers across the country.

Diversity Council Australia (DCA) has released early findings from its Class Inclusion at Work report, which show there is a powerful but hidden barrier holding Australians back at work: their social class.

The findings show what DCA has labelled a persistent “class ceiling”, limiting career opportunities for workers who are marginalised by their social class (class marginalised).

Notably, DCA said that less than half (44 per cent) of “class marginalised” workers have been offered career development opportunities in the past year, compared to 76 per cent who are privileged by their social class (whom DCA called “class privileged”).

This is supported, the findings noted, by the fact that only 4 per cent of leaders surveyed felt they were class marginalised, while 40 per cent reported class privilege.

Worryingly, only one in four (24 per cent) leaders recognise that social class makes a difference in Australia, compared with 33 per cent of other workers.

This finding was particularly concerning for DCA, because under one-quarter (22 per cent) of class marginalised workers feel valued and respected in their team, compared to 41 per cent of class privileged workers.

Ultimately, DCA said, the early findings showed that workplace inclusion makes a big difference: “class marginalised employees who work in inclusive organisations are more than twice as likely to have participated in career development opportunities”, it said in a statement.

In conversation with HR Leader, DCA chief executive Catherine Hunter said the findings confirm what many workers already know from lived experience: “social class profoundly shapes how people are treated at work”.

“Our findings show that workers from class marginalised backgrounds are significantly less likely to be offered career development opportunities or feel valued and respected by their teams,” she said.

“Despite the clear impact, social class remains largely invisible in workplace policies and practices.”

Hunter continued: “What’s particularly concerning is how few leaders recognise that social class even matters – only 24 per cent acknowledged its impact. Leaders play a critical role in shaping inclusive cultures, yet many are unaware of the systemic class-based barriers that exist within their organisations.”

“Without this understanding, efforts to create fairer, more equitable workplaces will continue to fall short.”

DCA’s hope, she said, is that this research “prompts more leaders to reflect on their own privilege, listen to the experiences of class marginalised workers, and take active steps to address class inclusion in meaningful ways”.

The Class Inclusion at Work report will be released in full in October.