Arshad, Rowena

Bell, Alan

Braunholtz-Speight, Tim

de Lima, Philomena

This study examines the reasons for differences in low income and poverty among people from various ethnic backgrounds in the Scottish regions of Fife and Highland. Although comparable in population size, the two areas exemplify Scotland’s very diverse geographies

Edinburgh Research Explorer

     Edinburgh Research Explorer                                      Ethnicity and Poverty in Scotland: Community Consultation inFife and HighlandCitation for published version:de Lima, P, Arshad, R, Bell, A & Braunholtz-Speight, T 2011, Ethnicity and Poverty in Scotland: CommunityConsultation in Fife and Highland. Joseph Rowntree Foundation.Link:Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research ExplorerDocument Version:Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordPublisher Rights Statement:© de Lima, P., Arshad, R., Bell, A., & Braunholtz-Speight, T. (2011). Ethnicity and Poverty in Scotland:Community Consultation in Fife and Highland. Joseph Rowntree Foundation.General rightsCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s)and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise andabide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.Take down policyThe University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorercontent complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright pleasecontact openaccess@ed.ac.uk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately andinvestigate your claim.Download date: 28. Apr. 2017Community consultation on poverty and ethnicity in ScotlandThe researchBy Philomena de Lima, Rowena Arshad, Alan Bell and Tim Braunholtz-Speightwww.jrf.org.ukFindingsInforming changeThis study examines the reasons for differences in low income and poverty among people from various ethnic backgrounds in the Scottish regions of Fife and Highland. Although comparable in population size, the two areas exemplify Scotland’s very diverse geographies.Key points•	 	All	participants	associated	poverty	with	limited	choice	and	opportunities	in	accessing	food,	warmth	and	accommodation.	•	 	While	recognising	poverty’s	complex	causes,	all	participants	emphasised	economic	factors	such	as	poor	access	to	well-paid,	secure	employment,	because	of	economic	restructuring	and	labour	market	constraints.•	 	Factors	like	gender,	disability,	age,	legal	status,	migration	history	and	marital	break-ups,	combined	with	economic	issues,	increased	vulnerability	to	poverty	and	made	it	difficult	for	some	groups	and	individuals	to	find	routes	out	of	poverty.	•	 	Ethnicity-specific	factors:		 −	 	loss	of	traditional	livelihoods,	pressures	to	lead	settled	lives,	prejudice	and	low	literacy	levels	increased	Gypsy/Travellers’	risk	of	being	in	poverty;		 −	 	in	both	regions,	diminishing	opportunities	in	accessing	well-paid	skilled	occupations	affected	white	Scottish	men;		 −	 	language	barriers,	lack	of	recognition	of	overseas	qualifications,	prejudice,	discrimination	and	legal	status	made	it	difficult	for	East	Europeans	and	Chinese	to	access	appropriate	employment	or	training	and	development.•	 	The	different	geographies	and	economies	of	Fife	and	Highland	were	important	in	understanding	the	causes	and	impact	of	poverty	among	different	groups	within	and	across	the	regions.	However,	some	issues	were	common	regardless	of	geography,	as	minority	ethnic	participants	in	both	areas	experienced	prejudice	in	getting	employment.•	 	Church	and	faith	organisations	provided	support	for	East	European,	Chinese	and	Gypsy/Travellers	participants	in	Highland.	However,	there	was	little	inter-ethnic	interaction.	Most	people	depended	on	family	and	friends	and	their	own	ethnic	communities.•	 	The	authors	conclude	that	more	research	is	needed	on	the	relationships	between	poverty	and	ethnicity,	taking	into	account	intersecting	factors	and	diverse	geographies,	economies	and	public	policies.February 2011Background This study explored participants’ experiences of poverty, their coping strategies and views on potential solutions. Interviews with 32 participants from four ethnic backgrounds (white Scottish, East European, Gypsy/Travellers and Chinese) were held in two Scottish regions: Fife and Highland. Stakeholders from the public and voluntary sectors were also consulted. Perceptions of poverty All	participants	perceived	poverty	as	relative,	and	compared	their	situation	with	others	in	the	UK,	internationally	and	their	countries	of	origin.	They	associated	poverty	with	limited	choice	and	opportunities	in	accessing	basics	such	as	food,	warmth	and	accommodation.	For	some,	poverty	seemed	a	downward	spiral	with	few,	if	any,	routes	out.	However,	younger	participants	(under	35),	mainly	East	European	or	white	Scottish,	were	less	likely	to	regard	poverty	as	permanent	or	inescapable.Causes of povertyAlthough	participants	identified	a	range	of	factors	causing	poverty,	almost	all	emphasised	economic	issues.	Housing	and	intra-regional	labour	market	issues	created	additional	pressures.	Participants’	experiences	confirmed	the	complex	relationship	between	poverty,	ethnicity	and	location/place,	contingent	also	on	individual,	community	and	institutional/policy	factors,	as	well	as	intersecting	factors	such	as	age,	gender,	marital	status	and	disability.	Cross-cutting	factors	such	as	legal	status,	marital	break-up	and	drug	and	alcohol	dependency	also	increased	vulnerability	to	poverty.	Economy, labour market and access to employment Regardless	of	ethnicity,	the	majority	of	participants	identified	economic	restructuring	and	local	labour	market	constraints	as	key	contributors	to	poverty.	The	rise	in	service-sector	jobs	and	decline	in	skilled	manual	work	(e.g.	construction,	mining,	fishing)	were	felt	to	have	led	to	limited	well-paid,	secure	employment.	Participants	saw	the	recession	as	exacerbating	a	difficult	labour	market,	with	fewer	apprenticeships,	training	opportunities	and	jobs.I’ve fought for my country. I’ve been in Iraq ... I was already in full-time employment as a chef ... came back, there was no jobs. And I was left wae nothing and had to start again ...There’s nae support ... once you are oot, you’re oot. (White Scottish man, Fife)Most	participants	identified	difficulties	in	accessing	training	and	development	programmes,	because	of	inadequate	provision	and	costs.	They	also	saw	the	lack	of	enabling	staff	within	local	employment	agencies	(such	as	Jobcentre	Plus)	as	making	it	more	difficult	to	access	work.Participants	also	raised	ethnic	and/or	gender-specific	issues.	For	example,	the	loss	of	traditional	livelihoods	and	being	unable	to	access	employment	because	of	prejudice	and	racism	presented	barriers	for	Gypsy/Travellers.	 Everyone is struggling. But I feel that some of the employers are a bit racist, and they’re only putting themselves first and other people who live in the village. And they are not even considering our children ... who are trying to survive, trying to better themselves, so they can be better people when they’re older. (Gypsy/Traveller woman, Fife)This	problem	was	compounded	by	low	literacy	levels	and	pressures	to	lead	a	settled	life,	which	they	felt	led	to	extra	expenses	(e.g.	expenditure	on	heating	a	house).	In	both	regions,	white	Scottish	men	expressed	concerns	about	diminishing	opportunities	in	well-paid	skilled	manual	occupations.	They	were	reluctant	to	take	on	what	they	perceived	as	‘women’s	work’	(e.g.	service-sector	jobs).Chinese	and	East	European	participants	identified	prejudice	and	discrimination	in	accessing	appropriate	employment.	A	combination	of	factors	exacerbated	their	situation.	Lack	of	recognition	of	overseas	qualifications	led	to	employment	not	commensurate	with	their	qualifications.	Language	barriers	and	lack	of	fluent	English	made	it	difficult	to	access	well-paid	employment	or	training/development	programmes.	Eligibility	rules	and	legal	status	created	additional	barriers;	for	example,	access	to	training	funded	through	the	European	Social	Fund	was	denied	to	those	who	had	the	use	of	public	funds,	impacting	adversely	on	some	East	Europeans.	The	legal	status	of	some	Chinese	women	(asylum	seekers/recently	granted	refugee	status)	impacted	on	their	ability	to	access	employment	and	other	state	support,	making	them	dependent	on	other	members	of	their	community.	Inter-ethnic	differences	and	resentments	could	arise,	based	on	possible	misperceptions.I have tried to apply for social housing ... it would take me 10–15 years to get on the list ... that is me – a normal citizen – I am a normal citizen, but less fortunate than asylum seekers. I have to pay my tax, rent and I start a business to pay VAT, tax rates, it is all so difficult to continue with a business in this situation. (Chinese woman, Highland)Participants	considered	language	provision	in	Highland	to	be	insufficient	and	inflexible.	While	lack	of	affordable	childcare	was	an	issue	for	all	single	parent	mothers	with	school-age	children,	it	was	most	acute	for	Chinese	women	with	little	English	and	lacking	family	or	social	support	structures	locally.Housing Participants	of	all	ethnicities	in	both	regions	spent	a	large	proportion	of	their	income	on	rent	for	poor	quality	public	and	private	housing	and	items	such	as	heating	costs,	which	were	particularly	high	in	Highland.	In	remote	rural	areas	in	Highland,	the	housing	issue	was	compounded	by	second	home-owners	buying	much	of	the	affordable	housing	for	holiday	accommodation.	Regional and intra-regional factors The	two	regions’	different	geographies	and	economies,	intra-regional	differences	and	how	these	have	shaped	labour	market	opportunities	and	access	to	goods	and	services	were	important	in	understanding	poverty	among	different	groups.	In	Highland,	limited	labour	market	opportunities	and	the	prevalence	of	low-paid	seasonal	work	restricted	access	to	well-paid	employment	and	led	to	individuals	taking	up	multiple	jobs.	In	Fife,	the	loss	of	manufacturing	jobs	affected	white	Scottish	men	in	particular.	In	remote	rural	communities	in	Highland,	lack	of	public	transport,	the	high	cost	of	fuel	for	transport	and	domestic	use,	the	withdrawal	or	outsourcing	of	public	sector	jobs	since	the	recession	and	public	sector	cuts	appeared	to	be	leading	to	reduced	employment	opportunities	and	lower	wages.Impact of poverty Poverty	impacted	on	participants’	ability	to	afford	the	basics,	such	as	healthy	food,	good	quality,	affordable	accommodation	and	meeting	their	children’s	needs.	They	did	without	and	reduced	their	spending.We had, we tried to avoid, like I say, using the electricity and such. We started buying cheaper food and being more economic with what food we did buy … I picked up a lot of skills, fixing washing machines and plumbing and [laughs] resealing things. (White Scottish man, Highland)The	stress	of	poverty	strained	family	relationships,	affected	people’s	ability	to	meet	family	responsibilities	and	led	to	family	breakdown	and	division.I think it does [being on low income] have a huge, I think it does have an impact. I think it has an impact on sort of family life and can be quite, quite stressful and I suppose people, people can suffer from depression and things like that because they are not, you know, they are not just managing to maintain that, you know. It’s very much up and down because there isn’t any permanent work … (White Scottish woman, Highland)Participants	found	access	to	training	and	educational	opportunities	limited	because	of	lack	of	funding,	or	restricted	because	they	were	in	receipt	of	benefits.	For	all	participants,	poverty	led	to	low	self-esteem,	increased	isolation	and	loss	of	work/community	links.	For	some,	ill-health	and	mental	health	breakdown	followed.	I’m just depressed. I’m negative all the time now. When you’re on long-term unemployment you get negative about everything. It’s gonnae get worse. (White Scottish man, Fife)Coping strategies and solutions There	were	no	common	coping	strategies	or	solutions;	individuals	harnessed	whatever	was	available	to	them.	Most	coped	by	very	careful	budgeting,	‘doing	without’,	frugality	and	self-sacrifice.	I have learned to find, find out where I can get something cheap, where I can get something for nothing, do without, without something. Not buying something just because I wanted it and I didn’t need it which is not a, not very much fun but it’s necessary. But you learn. And maybe it was easier for me because my childhood was poverty. (White Scottish woman, Highland)Church	and	faith	organisations	provided	tangible	support	for	most	of	the	East	European,	Chinese	and	Gypsy/Travellers	participants	in	Highland.	However,	there	was	little	inter-ethnic	interaction	and	most	coped	by	depending	on	family,	friends	and	their	own	ethnic	communities.	In	general,	participants	highlighted	non-statutory	local	authority	and	voluntary	sector	agencies,	including	minority	ethnic	associations,	as	more	accessible	and	helpful	than	central	government	agencies	in	assisting	with	coping	with	poverty,	and	in	finding	routes	out	of	poverty	through	assistance	with	job-finding	and	providing	information.‘Magic wand’ solutionsWhen	asked	what	they	would	like	to	see	changed	in	five	years’	time	if	they	had	a	‘magic	wand’,	participants	unanimously	wished	for	good	jobs	with	improved	wages	and	affordable,	good	quality	accommodation.ConclusionMore	research	is	needed	on	the	relationships	between	poverty,	ethnicity	and	place,	inclusive	of	all	ethnic	groups.	Understanding	the	complex,	dynamic	relationships	between	poverty	and	ethnicity,	alongside	other	identities	and	location,	requires	more	than	short	interviews.	Ethnographic	and	mobile	methods	(such	as	walking	interviews	and	case	studies)	may	be	more	appropriate,	while	ensuring	sensitivity	to	issues	of	gender,	ethnicity	and	linguistic	appropriateness	in	selecting	researchers.Implications for future research More	research	is	needed	on	poverty,	ethnicity	and	intersecting	factors,	taking	into	account	the	diversity	of	geographical	locations,	their	economies	and	public	policies.	Mapping	the	operation	of	regional	and	localised	labour	markets	and	their	impacts	on	different	ethnic	groups	is	another	important	gap	to	be	addressed.	Understanding	the	influence	of	global,	national	and	regional	economic	policy	and	institutional	factors	on	in-work	poverty	and	employment/unemployment	in	particular	localities	and	across	ethnic	groups	is	a	further	area	for	research.Finally,	to	understand	the	relationship	between	poverty	and	ethnicity,	it	is	essential	to	develop	greater	understanding	of	similarities	and	differences	across	and	within	ethnic	groups	regarding	the	impact	of	poverty,	along	with	coping	strategies	and	routes	out	of	poverty.	The	role	of	other	identity	markers,	as	well	as	legal	status	and	migration	histories,	also	needs	taking	into	account.Implications for policy and service deliverySeveral	issues	raised	during	the	study	have	implications	for	policy-makers	and	service	deliverers.	For	example,	statutory	and	non-statutory	agencies	need	to	understand	how	racism	(personal,	cultural	and	institutional)	increases	the	risk	of	poverty	among	different	ethnic	groups,	and	ensure	that	policies,	practices	and	poverty-alleviating	measures	challenge	and	address	racism.	Agencies	need	to	ensure	that	they	have	strategies	to	connect	with	individuals/households	in	poverty	from	across	all	ethnic	groups.	In	particular,	they	need	to	be	aware	of	and	address	the	circumstances	of	individuals,	such	as	Chinese	(former)	asylum	seekers,	who	are	living	in	conditions	of	extreme	poverty	and	vulnerable	to	intra-ethnic	exploitation.	It	is	also	necessary	to	address	poor	communication	and	inadequate	staff	briefing	and	training	to	ensure	that	non-UK	individuals	and	Gypsy/Travellers	have	access	to	information	about	their	entitlements.	Childcare	support	and	services	(public,	private	and	voluntary	sector)	need	to	ensure	that	they	are	culturally	sensitive	and	proactive	in	ensuring	racial,	religious	and	linguistic	inclusion.In	addition,	participants	in	remote	rural	areas	in	Highland	felt	that	the	Scottish	and	central	Government	need	targeted	policies	to	address	the	specific	challenges	–	limited	employment,	low	wages	and	high	food	and	fuel	prices	–	that	increase	their	risk	of	poverty.	About the projectThis	study	will	inform	the	Joseph	Rowntree	Foundation’s	programme	on	ethnicity	and	poverty.	It	was	carried	out	by	Philomena	de	Lima	and	Tim	Braunholtz-Speight,	Centre	for	Remote	and	Rural	Studies,	University	of	the	Highlands	and	Islands,	and	Rowena	Arshad	and	Alan	Bell,	Centre	for	Education	in	Racial	Education,	University	of	Edinburgh.	The	small-scale	qualitative	study	involved	32	participants	from	four	different	ethnic	groups	in	exploring	the	relationship	between	poverty	and	ethnicity.	Individuals	or	households	on	an	annual	income	of	£16,000	and	below	were	defined	as	low	income.	‘Purposive	sampling’	was	used	to	include	people	on	low	incomes	in	a	variety	of	circumstances	in	Fife	and	Highland.	Semi-structured	interviews	focused	on	participants’	perspectives	on	five	issues:	understanding	and	meaning	of	poverty;	causes	of	poverty;	impact	of	low	income	and	poverty;	coping	strategies	and	routes	out	of	low	income/poverty;	and	‘magic	wand’	solutions.	Two	stakeholder	groups	from	public	and	voluntary	sector	agencies	in	each	region	were	also	consulted.www.jrf.org.ukPublished	by	the	Joseph	Rowntree	Foundation,	The	Homestead,40	Water	End,	York	YO30	6WP.	This	project	is	part	of	the	JRF’s	researchand	development	programme.	These	findings,	however,	are	those	of	theauthors	and	not	necessarily	those	of	the	Foundation.	ISSN	0958-3084Read more Findings at www.jrf.org.ukOther formats available.Tel: 01904 615905  email: info@jrf.org.ukRef: 2628For further informationThe	full	report,	Community consultation on poverty and ethnicity in Scotland by Philomena de Lima, Rowena Arshad,	Alan	Bell	and	Tim	Braunholtz-Speight,	will	be	available	as	a	free	download	from	www.jrf.org.uk	from	April.	Please	recycle	 this	when	you	have	finished	with	it.

Ethnicity and Poverty in Scotland: Community Consultation in Fife and Highland

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Edinburgh Research Explorer