The term ‘BAME’ (Black and Minority Ethnic) has been commonly used as a collective term to describe Britain’s non-White population. When understanding relative socioeconomic outcomes between Britain’s ethnic groups, ‘BAME’ outcomes at the broad level are often compared to White outcomes. However, it is time to acknowledge that the ‘BAME’ category has lost virtually all analytical value. Put simple: a ‘BAME’ person simply does not exist.

Britain’s ethnic minority groups (who made up around 14% of England and Wales’ population at the last Census) have considerably varying socioeconomic outcomes. It is increasingly the case that some ethnic minority groups are outperforming White British individuals in some areas, while others fall woefully behind. There are also often larger socioeconomic disparities between Britain’s ethnic minority groups (e.g. between Asian and Black groups) and within them (e.g. between Black African and Black Caribbean) than there are between the ‘BAME’ and White population.

It is time for us to have a grounded debate about socioeconomic disparities that fully appreciates not just the ethnic diversity of Britain, but the diversity of outcomes faced by its ethnic minority groups. This includes understanding the success stories. Whilst we are getting better at collecting and analysing this data, we need to get better at understanding the ways in which outcomes manifest differently for individuals of different ethnicities in Britain in order to more effectively address disparities.

Summary of recommendations

1. The government should commit to reporting ethnicity data at the ethnic subgroup level – based on the 18 ethnic group classification – in all cases where it is possible to reliably do so, rather than using the broad BAME category.

Education

2. The Department for Education should create ethnicity attainment gap hub schools to enable schools with exemplary outcomes to share best practice. Facing the facts: ethnicity and disadvantage in Britain

3. The Department for Education should encourage and support higher education open data organisations to publish data on university access and outcomes at the ethnic subgroup level.

4. The Department for Education should urge the Office for Students and the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes to lead on establishing, as standard practice, a more granular approach to ethnic disparities in higher education.

Employment

5. The government should establish a COVID-19 labour market inequality commission to  review the relative economic impact of the pandemic on groups which are traditionally disadvantaged in the labour market.

6. The government should expand the remit of the Race Disparity Unit, moving it beyond data collection and analysis, to include the evaluation of ways in which policies and government bodies can maximise their capability to level-up ethnic inequalities, with a focus on the labour market.

Family

7. The Government Equalities Office should include in future strategic plans a commitment to look into disparities in family breakdown across social and ethnic groups, and establish a package of measures to support families at higher risk of family breakdown. 8. The government should develop a pathway that increases fatherhood engagement in the perinatal period, with a focus on groups more likely to experience family breakdown.

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