Professionals from working-class backgrounds are paid around £6,800 less a year than those with more privileged upbringings, a new study says.
Academics from the London School of Economics and University College London based their findings on the UK Labour Force Study and the responses of more than 90,000 professionals in Britain.
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They found the disparity "was partly caused by differences in educational background, along with the tendency among the middle classes to work in bigger firms and head to London", says The Independent.
But "even when professionals had the same educational qualification, role and experience as their colleagues, those from poorer backgrounds were paid an average of £2,242 less than their peers".
Alan Milburn, the government's social mobility tsar, said the research showed the UK remained a "deeply elitist" society, with women and ethnic minorities facing a "double disadvantage" that meant their earnings were hit even harder.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: "From the boardrooms of our businesses to parliament, far too many professions are still dominated by a wealth and connected elite."