An investigation by The Guardian and The Colour of Power have found that a little over 3% of some of the most powerful and influential people in the UK are from black and ethnic minority groups. Of the 1,000 ‘powerful and influential’ figures examined, 3.4% were from ethnic minorities with women making up just 7 (0.7%).

The research could be used for students to study ethnicity in Britain and what barriers people from ethnic minorities may face when entering the workplace: issues such as workplace racism as well as UK legislation could be discussed.

Students could also be asked to listen to the accompanying podcast for homework or as an extension activity to help support their learning on this topic.

References:

• The Guardian: Revealed - Britain's most powerful elite is 97% white
• The Colour of Power
• The Guardian: Why are there so few BAME leaders in Britain? - podcast