Section A (50% of exam mark): Consider the situation below. Answer ALL FOUR questions in response to this situation. Each question is weighted equally.
Situation: You are a summer intern at a London newspaper Morning Standard that has 200 employees with 90% of employees identifying as white British. The newspaper is concerned about the low proportion of employees from ethnic minority groups (10%), when London is the most ethnically diverse region in England and Wales.
The 2021 Census data for England and Wales shows that in London, 46% of residents identified with Asian, black, mixed or ‘other’ ethnic groups, and a further 17% with white ethnic minorities.
The newspaper asks you to research the possible reasons for this lack of ethnic diversity among their employees as you’ve just completed the KIF programme. You have four weeks to carry out your research by yourself and write a report that addresses the following questions:
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Which social science theory best explains the shortfall of employees from ethnic minority groups at the Morning Standard? Refer to functionalism and to neo-Marxism in your answer.
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Evaluate the use of mixed methods in consideration of this research.
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Discuss 2 potential research findings.
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Discuss 2 steps that could be taken to address this ethnic imbalance.
Section B (50% of exam mark): Answer ONE of the TWO questions in this section. Illustrate your answers with reference to case studies/research from the course readings.
1. Critically assess the concept that migrant domestic work is ‘unfree labour’.
2. Critically discuss McRobbie’s (2013) idea that equality for women is an illusion.