How Much Does Your Socio-Economic Background Affect Your Confidence?
Growing up, I might have thought that being confident was limited to meaning you were the loudest in the room. If you’re confident, you’re unafraid and you can hold other people’s attention because people want to listen to you. Nowadays, I tend to think of ‘loudness’ as a potential side effect of confidence, but that definitely is not all that it is. You don’t have to be the loudest in room to create an impact.
A little older still and I start to think confidence isn’t about who’s the loudest, it’s about having a back bone. You’ll stand up for yourself (and for others) and it has increasingly very little to do with needing to be the loudest in the room. Now when I reflect on the different routes I have taken so far, and the routes that my peers have chosen, patterns stick out for me, and with that my understanding of confidence has broadened.
Now when I think about confidence, I think being confident also means living the most authentic version of yourself. Being confident means being able to believe in yourself, even defiantly, and to do what you need to become the person you want to be, or in any case to be at peace with the person you are. Because you know whatever happens, you’re going to be alright.
But in developing this understanding of confidence, I began to question to myself; can everyone afford to be the most authentic version of themselves? Of course, I know that many external and internal challenges can influence or even challenge this ability to live ‘confidently’ (as I understand it). For one, I’ve never had to hide my sexuality or second guess my actions for fear I was being treated differently because of the colour of my skin or because I’m disabled.
However, certainly reflecting on my own upbringing and background, I know I have not always taken the options I wanted to or denied myself opportunities to avoid feeling like a financial burden, whether that would have been the case or not. I now realise many of these activities that some may take for granted, would have definitely improved my confidence and self-awareness/esteem and I think the same could probably be said for many. This is not an uncommon experience, and the ‘sacrificial scale’ varies a lot from individual to individual. For example, I suppose not feeling like you can ask for music lessons is quite different to knowing you can’t because you have to assist your family after school, whether that’s financially or with care responsibilities. Either way, both experiences would have an impact on how you perceive your sense of self and even your goals in life.
It turns out that your socio-economic background does have a significant influence on your confidence. Multiple studies (found: here, here, here, here, here, here and many more) have found links between low/high self- esteem as a mechanism for reproducing class structures, and in doing so also replicate class inequalities accordingly. This is because your ‘class’ or socio-economic background has a profound influence on the expectations one sets for themselves (whether you set the bar ‘high’ or ‘low’ for yourself). These studies on confidence look at the influence of early childhood and teen development, family, role models, geography, community influences and the impact these factors has on our decision making, risk taking and self-esteem – which all influences one’s ability to feel confident in themselves.
So whilst part of being ‘confident’ may equate to believing in yourself, the ability to persevere and to live authentically to your goals and your truth, i.e. our ability to ‘flourish’, the truth for many who come from low socio-economic backgrounds, is that you know you may not be “alright” whatever happens, because you know how ‘bad’ bad can get. The consequences of failure for people living on or near the breadline are far more hazardous, dangerous, and mentally draining than for those who can afford to fail, to fall and to have energy and resources to bounce back up again.
If the threat of failure is perceived as very real, then of course the larger the propensity to avoid it. However, if in taking less risks we inhibit ourselves from being proactive (at the risk of falling on hard times), the less likely we are to progress and in doing so, the less ability a person has to improve their circumstances. Realistically, our financial security is strongly intertwined with our ability to feel stable and confident in our ability to progress. But it’s expensive being poor and many cannot afford to think long term to achieve their goals. Financial constraints force short term solutions - the bills need to be paid now. Simply put, trying to better yourself is a risk some can’t afford to take. But the implications of a whole subsection of society constantly being trapped in this loop is insidious and will perpetuate a cycle of social hierarchy, not to mention it being a heavy emotional burden for individuals themselves.
Of course you can persevere in the face of adversity and our destinies are not pre-written. However this often comes with a high cost and riskier outcomes the lower down the socio-economic food chain you are. This is especially the case for high-flying careers, be it in journalism, politics and other high-managerial professions that often require the basics of a quality education (a degree), connections, and a good degree of confidence to get you to your aspired career. Even if you’re trying to become financially self-sufficient, being able to rely on your family in the meantime and/or in case of the worst, is not a luxury that some can afford. Some people can’t afford to wait for their aspirations to come true and even university is increasingly being recognised as not the great equaliser it was once considered to be.
However, a report from LSE and Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that individuals coming from lower income families are better equipped to deal with adversity by being more pragmatic and by setting realistic expectation, to counter their unpredictable circumstances. A consequence of this however, is that many limit their expectations in life, which has knock on effects not only for a person’s career goals but concerningly, also their ability to prioritise their financial progress, health and social relationships. Overall this extensive report concluded similarly and depressingly similar to other reports, the lower your socio-economic background, the more poorly a person evaluates their self-worth and “one’s ability to behave in ways that might actually matter for one’s life outcomes”.
Whereas, a study by the US Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that when asking participants how they think they performed in a series of cognitive tests, those from high socio-economic classes displayed high levels of confidence about their abilities, in comparison to lower-class counterparts, even if they achieved the same results on the tests. Stronger confidence also resulted in being perceived as more competent.
I realise all of this sounds incredibly depressing and I don’t want to be defeatist about this, but to deny the reality of the situation is naïve, if not wilfully ignorant. Having a strong sense of confidence is so important and clearly linked to a person’s ability to improve their circumstances to fit their ideals. These studies didn’t equate confidence with happiness but there’s also a link to be found there. We all deserve a chance at trying to reach for our goals and feel confident harm won’t befall us for trying (such as, the fear of not being able to pay bills, homelessness, anxiety, and other mental health issues).
The positive is we have a lot of great policy ideas to help improve social mobility for future generations and the inclusion of the psychological and behavioural aspect into these policies also allows for strategies that are based on real experience and not pre-conceived notions of worthiness that would continue to perpetuate class inequalities. Clearly, the problem is structural and can’t always be put to a question of personal character and in a person’s confidence in their ability to prevail against the odds.
Written by Clara Martinelli
Hi, I’m Clara. I’m an International Relations and Politics graduate currently doing volunteer work in London and looking to make my corner of the world a better place one step at a time. When I’m taking a break from being existential you can find me on the sofa watching police dramas and eating stupid amounts of pasta.