The Psychological Impact of Modern-Day Segregation in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is one of the most diverse nations on the planet, this tiny island is home to 270 nationalities and over 300 languages. With British Values promoting equality and diversity, why is it that Britain is now more divided than ever, and what are the repercussions of this — both socioeconomically and psychologically.
Trevor Phillips, chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, claims the UK is “sleepwalking into segregation”. The segregation being referred to here is how British society is fragmenting into isolated racial communities. To understand how we got to this point, one must look back at history.
From the mid-eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, the British Empire stood tall, covering a large proportion of the globe. Following the Second World War, the British Nationality Act 1948 allowed the 800 million citizens of the British Empire the ability to live and work in the UK visa-free. This was to fill in labour gaps that came about as a result of the war — and creation of new public services such as the National Health Service and London Transport. However, this was not met without hostility, it led to a scourge of racist attacks on BAME minorities, most notably the ‘paki bashing’ era of the 60s to the 90s.
When searching for work, many migrants had found low paid work in the booming British industrial sector. In the bustling Industrial Revolution-era cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, London, and the Black Country — to name a few. Factories had a major labour shortfall since the end of the war, and saw this newfound migration as an opportunity to get the economy running again. However, there was a major problem that arose — where would these new workers be housed? This led to the increase of slum housing in and around factory areas, where workers were cramped into tiny homes with poor living conditions, because most of these workers were migrants from the commonwealth — the very first migrant communities were born.
Flash forward to the 21st Century, these racial communities still exist, tighter than ever. Lack of investment and austerity means that many of the original families of these areas cannot afford to move out, or in some cases, choose not to. This has created many ‘pockets’ of areas in many places in the country which are almost exclusively BAME. More often than not, these communities and areas are ignored by local and federal government, with essential community services being cut due to budgeting — leading many to children suffer. These areas are the poorest in the UK. In 2019, The Mirror concluded a list of Britains most deprived areas, topping the list were the likes of Rochdale, Oldham, and Burnley — which have an ethnic minority population much higher than the national average.
These are Britain’s forgotten communities. The psychological impact of this standard of living could never be higher, what are they?
This type of segregation does have its positives, by growing up in communities made up completely of their own race, many children will be shielded from racism – although, not completely. However, it increases their exposure to concentrated poverty. The psychological impact and mental distress caused by this is unclear, but studies have found correlation.
