Aspirations come from Mum

Following on from our last blog about aspirations and social mobility, I heard a snippet of information on the radio … “children’s educational aspiration is directly linked to their mother’s educational aspiration level.”

This ‘sudden statement’ from Radio 4 meant, in my mind, that science and the Beeb, and therefore by default, the government, had finally caught up with what any of us working in any kind of ‘women’s development’ area have known for ages!

I began some research into the subject and according to academic reports, if a Mum goes back to ‘learning’ of any kind it has a really positive impact on her children’s attitude to education. In other words, “If Mum can do it, it must be OK, so I want to do it!”

I then started thinking about enterprise, as we work in the promotion, support and creation of women’s enterprise activity. If Mum returning to education can have such a positive, and now acknowledged impact on their children’s learning aspirations, then the same can surely be said of enterprise. If Mum decides to start a business, no matter what that business is, then her children are more likely to view enterprise in a positive light and see it as something that they can do – and might actually WANT to do.

So, to all the policy makers out there: to all the funders and decision makers who are steering the ship of economic development through the wreckage of previous attempts to ‘raise aspirations’, ‘create an entrepreneurial society’ and ‘effect change at grass-roots level.’ It all seems blindingly obvious: Support a woman to start a business and you will change the entrepreneurial aspirations of her children. I’d take it a step further … support a woman in any way to develop herself socially, economically, educationally, financially, and you will positively impact on, and change the attitude and aspirations of her children.