(All above information about Brick Lane, East End is in a book I am reading at the moment called East End Gangland) .
2. Many people say that Pakistani and Bangladeshi people do badly in the UK in things like education, money they get paid, jobs, housing etc. People also say the exact opposite for Chinese people and Indian people, they do well in education, have well paid jobs, nice houses etc.
Evidence to show that the statement about Pakistani and Bangladeshi people is correct, is the following:
- More than 80% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi people live in households whose income is below half the national average. They are easily the poorest group in Britain.
- Those Pakistani and Bangladeshi men in work are likely to earn only as much as two thirds of the earnings white men do doing the same job.
- On average Pakistani and Bangladeshi households have a smaller income than a white household but they also have to support a lot more people usually than in a white household.
- Pakistani and Bangladeshi men are two and a half times more likely to be unemployed than white men.
- In Pakistani and Bangladeshi housing there is serious overcrowding.
Evidence to show that the statement about Chinese and Indian people is correct, is the following:
- Indian men are well presented in professional and managerial jobs, and among prosperous small businesses.
- Indian and Chinese men are doing a lot better than Pakistani and Bangladeshi men because although their average earnings isn’t as high as white men it is a lot higher than Pakistani and Bangladeshi men.
- Indian and Chinese women are getting high above average earnings of those average earnings of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women.
- Most members of the Indian or Chinese groups are doing a lot better than 10 or 20 years ago.
- Chinese women especially have a good employment rate and have a small higher average earning than that of a white female.
3. a.) Miles says that ethnicity can shape identity by being a member of an ethnic group and developing a strong sense of self and others, which is likely to be an impact on others in the ethnic group. People function to what their own ethnicity is seen as so they can shape what their identity is purely due to their ethnicity.
b.) Racism can affect identity by:
- Systems that make people believe that every single person of that identity is the same.
- Cultures have different traditions and in some cultures people judge different ethnic identities on their religion.
- Music can affect your identity heavily. Reggae music is known to be listened to by Rastafarians. Rap music is often criticised as being listened to by the black youth community.
c.) Butler says ethnic identity such as young female British-Asians negotiate there associations with traditions and religion. E.g. this may mean adopting Western ideas about education and careers whilst retaining respect for their traditional religion and culture.
d.) Johal’s ideas focus on the second and third generation British-Asians. He says that they have a dual-identity in that they inherit the Asian identity and adopt a British one to. He notes that British-Asians often adopt a position of cultural selection where they chose which culture they prefer and switch from their traditional one to the new one.
