Paper details

Paper authors	Jacob Samuels
In panel on	Who or what constitutes the humanitarian?
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

The humanitarian profession, similar to other professional occupancies in the UK, faces a significant challenge in offering an upwards social mobility to potential workers. Literature has noted a disproportionate representation of the socially privileged in the humanitarian profession but has yet to investigate why this occurs. This research aims to understand the presence of social mobility within the humanitarian sector. It also seeks to understand how the process of professionalisation has shaped the humanitarian practice and the demographic of its workforce. Using semi-structured interviews, this research questioned seven professionals from the humanitarian sector on their perspectives and experiences of social mobility in the sector. Higher education, unpaid experience, overrepresentation, professionalisation, working-class insights, and potential changes, were themes of social mobility in the humanitarian sector identified from participant interviews. The findings indicated that there is a lack of social mobility in the humanitarian sector, with the sector actively engaging in practices that exclude the working-class from gaining employment. It is recommended that the sector consider and reevaluate the exclusionary practices it is engaged with. Further research into social mobility in the humanitarian sector is needed to help offer equitable opportunities to all prospective humanitarian workers.

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