Running head: BRITISH CULTURE

British culture

Name of the student:

Name of the university:

Authors note:
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Introduction:

For understanding a culture and the values deep rooted to a community, communicating

with the people of that society can be identified as the most appreciable idea as no secondary

resources can interpret the ideologies or thinking of a certain culture, better than its community

people. Hence, for grasping the cultural concept of the UK, I have interviewed Alicia Lewis, a 20

years old girl who lives in Beywater in the City of Westminister. It is one of the most

cosmopolitan areas of the central London with a concentration of diversified cultural population,

which has influenced the identity and cultural value base of my respondent (Data.gov.uk 2017).

Alicia is studying A- Level History in the Westminster Kingsway College. She is a five ft. six

inches tall, dark brown haired girl who is confident, positive and open minded individual. She

lives with her parents. Her father is an architect, and her mother is a freelance writer.

Multiple identities:

As described by Allan, Garriott and Keene (2016) in the socio-political context, people

represent themselves according to their beliefs and socialisation pattern. It builds our identity

depending our ideas of nationality, political viewpoints and social beliefs. According to Graves-

Brown, Jones and Gamble (2013) socialisation and the outlook regarding the national identity

shape our identity for others.

She believes that the core of the British values is reflected in the core of British politics,

i.e. liberal democracy. As identified by Holmes (2015) in spite of being a formal homogenous

society, Britain can be identified as one of the major cosmopolitan and multicultural country

with its accommodation of large immigrant population since World War II. Alicia prefers to be

called as English and upholds a liberal attitude and a global outlook as a manifestation of her
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English identity. In spite of the existence of popular belief, that the English population

promotes conventionalism and orthodox ideas, Alicia believes that a true English is always pro-

change, liberal in attitude and believe and support personal freedom.

However, she has failed to ignore the class system that is ingrained to the British value

base. As mentioned by Childs and Storry (2013) in the British culture, "class" is not the typical

idea related to the economic identity. In Britain, the class identification includes the complex

variables of manners, demeanour, economic status and etiquette. Alicia has identified herself as a

member of middle-class society. Socio-economic class of an individual categorises him/her as a

person with certain qualities and behavioural norms (Allan, Garriott and Keene, 2016).

Alicia is studying at Westminster Kingsway College, where the students are needed to be

personally financed for attending classes. It can be identified as a proof of the economic stability

of her family. Moreover, in the interview, Alicia has mentioned that

In the context of religious identity, Alicia looked a bit confused. She has confirmed that

she is a Christian. As mentioned by Broad (2013) in England, almost 64% people manifest the

Christian religious identity. However, Alicia has mentioned that she cannot find herself in any

particular religious belief and no major difference in the core of the religious beliefs. She

believes that God wants everyone to be happy, and we need to look inside us to find God. She

states that God reside in every positive thing and we do not need any particular religious identity.

However, she believes that everyone has the right to celebrate his or her religious identity.

Hence, it can be mentioned that religiously she has a Christian identity, but the multicultural

socialisation has broadened her religious views.

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As opined by Thompson (2017) the value base of individual largely reflects in their

political identity, and the political outlook creates a separate identity for a person in his social

context. Being a student of History, Alicia has a special interest in British and global politics.

She follows the regular progression of national and world politics. She has stated that she

supports policies of the conservative party and had voted against Brexit. As estimated by the

BBC, in 2016, 48.1% British voters voted against Brexit (BBC News. 2017). Alicia has a

standpoint that she is a global citizen and leaving the EU may lead England to experience an

economic slowdown.

Femininities:

According to Pozzebon, Visser and Bogaert (2015), the gender roles are one of the major

parts of our identity. The society associates certain responsibilities, behavioural norms, and even

values to our biological sexual identity. Though Alicia refuses to comply with these norms, she

accepts that the British society looks down upon women, even today.

Alicia has stated that in England, femininity is being imposed upon girls. As described by

Light (2013) from dresses to work, the British society has been engendering these factors since

more than hundred years. According to Alicias opinion, in England, the position of women is

relatively lower than men. According to Kan and Laurie (2016) the British Society has identified

the household chores as the responsibility of women. On the other hand, according to the survey

of Steinbach (2013) in 1990, 1,740,800 women worked as domestic servants. In 2002, when the

female employment in the EU was 12.9 million and the UK held the third highest rate, most of

the employment was in the personal service sector (Data.gov.uk. 2017). Hence, it can be stated

that the idea of Alicia regarding the imposed femininity is true. There is a discriminatory idea
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exists that women perform better in the personal and household services than the commercial

sectors, which is also debarring the professional growth of women (Botelho and Thane 2014).

Alicia has stated that in the professional sector, it is easier for men to grab a job and

attain faster professional growth. In 2014, only 22.8% women were in the post of directors of

FTSE top 100 companies in England. In the same year, the gender pay gap stood 19.1%

(Data.gov.uk. 2017). This statistics supports Alicias opinion regarding womens status in

England. Alicia believes that women should focus on their professional career and the household

responsibilities are needed to be shared between both women and men. Alicia has stated that she

will appreciate a woman who is independent and enthusiastic to live a free-spirited and

meaningful life.

As disused earlier, Alicia appreciates the idea of shared responsibilities among men and

women. As opined by Benjamin (2013) the theory of feminism supports equal accessibility of

rights to both the men and women. Alicia supports this core value of feminism. She has stated

that she has learnt about feminism from books and social media, and she does not believe in the

supremacy of any gender and supports equal accessibility of rights and status for all.

Masculinities:

As discussed by Ogletree, Fancher and Gill (2014) our socialisation and the cultural

environment shape our idea of gender identity. Masculinity is the behavioural norms, roles and

attributes those are associated with men depending on the socialisation and biological

differences. According to Gains and Lowndes (2016) the traditional British culture, men are the

main breadwinner in the family. In the interview, Alicia has stated that in her family her father

plays the role of a patriarch. In spite of the fact that her mother is economically independent,
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she expects her husband to take the lead in every familial matter. This is an expectation of

masculinity which her mother is exercising. However, her family does not implement typical

gender discrimination, and her mother has decision making power as well. However, Kruger,

Fisher and Wright (2014) have identified the traditional British families as typical patriarchal.

Even in the global periphery, there are set dress code for men and the women.

Alicia does not conform to the set idea of masculinity. She has learnt from her family and

society that people must not have a gender-specific identity. According to her, people should

have freedom of choice regarding their dress and their ways of presenting themselves to the

world. She has stated that skirts are not just for women and dresses should not be engendered. As

discussed by Hentschell (2016) since the 18th century to the modern times, the clothing culture of

Britain has changed a lot. Not much difference can now be found in the way the British women

are dressing. Alicia appreciates this change in the fashion. However, she has a very liberal

attitude towards it, and she believes that dresses cannot identify masculinity.

Alicia has mentioned that she does not expect her husband to earn more than her and take

the leading role in the family. She believes in shared responsibilities and wants a responsible and

cultured partner. In last 15 years, the UK families are experiencing a commendable increase in

the number of male homemakers (Jackson, Ho and Na 2013). Alicia does not associate strength

with masculinity and expects her husband to know the so called feminine art of cooking and to

be family oriented.

From this above discussion and the attitude of Alicia, it can be stated that the UK society

is continuously experiencing a change in the model of femininity and masculinity. Alicia wants

her partner to be "presentable", and she is not much bothered about his outward appearance.
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Cultural capital:

As described by Pierre Bourdieu, the idea of cultural capital includes the collection of symbolic

elements such as skills, tastes, posture, clothing, mannerisms, material belongings, credentials,

etc. that one acquires through being part of a particular social class (Grenfell, 2014). My

respondent Alicia comes from a cosmopolitan neighbourhood. Alicia has a slight American

accent and loves American literature mainly the creations of Earnest Hemmingway. However,

she is a genuine appreciator of British Football legacy, and a supporter of Manchester United

F.C. Alicia identifies herself as a true fan of John Lennon.

On the other hand, she has a special appreciation for the British classics of William Shakespeare.

According to her, the Shakespearean dramas are "intriguing", and she finds them as valorous. In

classics, she takes classes on British ballet as she states that Ballet can connect her to the

classical British culture. She has also mentioned Virginia Woolf as her one of the most preferred

writers as she finds her writings as modern and liberal.

Alicia is a student at the Westminster Kingsway College, the Department of History. Her formal

education is making her aware of the rich cultural background of Europe. Moreover, in the

familial setup, her parents are educated, and her mother is herself a writer. It has created a strong

intellectual bent within Alicia. Hailing from an educated English family, Alicia has a preference

for British etiquettes as she finds them courteous in communication.

In her clothing, Alicia does not follow the conservative rules of feminine dressings. Moreover,

she has a tattoo of a butterfly on her neck. Alicia has stated that it is her sign of solidarity to her

girls group. In the UK almost 84 % people, between the age group of 18 to 24, appreciate
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tattooing (Data.gov.uk. 2017). As identified by Leader (2016) in many communities people opt

for tattooing as a mark of their communal identity.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, it can be stated that the modern British culture is continuously becoming

liberal which is the core essence of British values. The British culture has a strong sense of

femininity and masculinity. However, with progressive socialisation and exercise of

cosmopolitan attitude, the modern generation of England is more liberal and global than ever.

Alicia is more modern than a traditional British girl. She is a free-spirited and independent girl

with modern outlook towards life.

Comment:

In spite of some orthodox drawbacks, the British society is advancing towards a

progressive and liberal society. I support this idea of interviewing young British population to

obtain an insight into the modern British culture. From this assignment, I have come to know that

the modern British society is a cosmopolitan and multicultural civilisation. In the socio-

economic sector, the country is experiencing gender inequality. However, the young generation

is broadening their ideas and opting for a liberal and progressive attitude towards life and

society. This assignment has assisted me in obtaining an authentic insight into the British culture

and its changing paradigm in the coming generations.

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