Subjective social inequalities: Lay perceptions of merit and puzzles of explanation

Subjective social inequalities: Lay perceptions of merit and puzzles of explanation

Sarah Irwin

As socioeconomic inequalities increase it appears that most people see individualised merit as crucial for getting ahead in life. A wealth of evidence describes this pattern. However, contradictory conclusions emerge. I argue that in social science debate conceptual framings are over-reliant on available measures. Finding a shortfall in expected lay acknowledgement of structural processes, researchers emphasise misapprehensions perhaps due to ideological obfuscation. Drawing on qualitative data I argue that the individualised, and binary framings of merit and non-merit beliefs in conventional accounts under-acknowledge the (varied) ways people recognise structural processes. I also argue that explanation is hampered by over-stating lay misapprehensions, when a focus on what people do see, and what matters in their experience, would support a more nuanced analysis of situatedness and complexity in lay apprehensions of social inequality.