Why free school meal recipients earn less than their peers

Students from poorer backgrounds typically go on to earn less than others as adults and the differences are stark. 

In this article, we explore explanations for the earnings gap: education, experience in the workplace, ethnicity, gender and other possible factors.

Part of this overall gap in lower earnings is because of people from income-deprived backgrounds being much less likely to go on to higher education. 

But even among those with the same qualification level and similar attainment in secondary school, disadvantaged pupils went on to earn less than their peers.

A free school meals student with similar characteristics to an independent school student, who went on to gain the same level of qualification, GCSE attainment and labour market experience, would still earn 20% less on average.

This is an in-depth look at the factors at play, how earnings gaps get wider with age, and what is most important in explaining the earnings gap.

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