“People assumed I was less intelligent because of the way I spoke” – An interview with Kara Evans on being working class at university

I was fortunate to interview The Boar’s previous Deputy News Editor, now qualifying journalist, Kara Evans. In this interview, we discuss the challenges of coming from a working-class background and what inspired her to start a new podcast, “Breaking the Class Ceiling”, her first episode released last Sunday (7 December) and is available on Spotify.

Evans grew up in a working-class family in Dudley but told me, “no one ever knows where that is, so I just say Birmingham.” She was the first generation of her family to attend university and ultimately achieved a first-class degree in Politics and International Studies (PAIS) at Warwick.

It wasn’t the financial side that was the hardest; it was the cultural side.

Kara Evans

When most people think of class, it is usually the financial side that concerns them. However, Evans pointed out that “it wasn’t the financial side that was the hardest; it was the cultural side. The shock came from how people viewed you.” One particular example she raised occurred during freshers. “Someone asked where I was from, and when I said Birmingham, he literally went, ‘Ugh! No way.’” This encounter “destroyed any little sense of belonging I (Evans) had.”

This is a damning indictment of the prevalence of class prejudice, particularly within the university bubble. In fact, she believes “people automatically assumed I was less intelligent because of the way I spoke.” The compounding nature of repeated similar situations led her to “almost drop out of Warwick in the first term.”

Politicians use the working class as a convenient talking point.

Kara Evans

We then discussed the taboo nature of class politics within the UK. She believes “class has been erased from politics over the last 20 years, especially since the Blair government.” She said, “I don’t hate people for not being working class. I just dislike when they (politicians) refuse to acknowledge that class still shapes people’s lives.”

In particular, she finds it concerning that “politicians use the working class as a convenient talking point. Starmer’s ‘my dad was a toolmaker’ thing — it’s like, really? Your job doesn’t make you working class.” Evans pointed out that “politicians don’t have to be working class. I just want people to acknowledge it’s a big thing in society, and that many of us are disadvantaged because of it.”

Evans’ Warwick research project, entitled ‘Speaking of Privilege’, found that “over 60% of students interviewed said they’d experienced classism especially when it intersected with accent bias.” 

As an aspiring journalist, she explained that coming from a working-class background has proven to be a real statistical disadvantage with “only 14% of journalists identifying as coming from that background.” On a personal note she said “the financial aspects of me getting to London is unachievable, unfortunately.” In fact Evans told me her “first time going to London was this year for a networking event.” This highlights a significant disparity between her lived experiences and future aspirations in this current reality.

With the focus of the interview shifting to her podcast, I asked what her main inspiration was to transform this frustration into a passion which would raise awareness about this issue. She told me it stemmed from her Warwick research project, entitled ‘Speaking of Privilege’, which found that “over 60% of students interviewed said they’d experienced classism especially when it intersected with accent bias.” After finding this out, she realised “people from the Midlands, like me, often have thick accents that others mock. I thought I was the only one who felt like that, but I wasn’t.”

“Every episode will look at class from a different angle: education, linguistics, even the word ‘chav’ and whether it’s still problematic.”

Kara Evans

Evans mentioned another key incident which shaped her understanding of class, “I was sat in someone else’s accommodation, and there was someone whose dad was a Tory MP. She told us that she’d lied on her Student Finance application and was getting more student loan than I was.” Although it was funny to that individual, to Evans it most certainly was not. She was “living off” the student loan and did not have extra money to spare. Evans mentioned the intersectionality that also comes with “being a girl studying politics” and how it made her opinions feel even less respected. There was a clear disconnect between her experiences and many others whom she encountered.

I was then curious to learn about her podcast’s vision, what topics would be discussed, and how they would be presented. “Every episode will look at class from a different angle: education, linguistics, even the word ‘chav’ and whether it’s still problematic.”

The fact that voices like Evans’ can be shared openly to a huge audience is thanks to the success of the podcasting sector, and this shows why the area is growing.

She made it clear that perfection and sound bites are not the priority; instead, she said, “I just want people to talk about this more, to make class less taboo.” When I pointed out that many independent podcasters are unable to monetise their shows, she made clear, “I’m not looking to make money from it. If one person listens and thinks, ‘Wow, I’ve never thought about this before,’ that’s enough for me.” In fact, she said, “I’m filming the first episode on my iPhone with a little TikTok tripod. It doesn’t need to be fancy!” Even now, as she continues her journalism qualifications,  the podcast is not her only time commitment. She is “working two 10-hour shifts over the next few days” and so can’t guarantee timely uploads as a result.

In recent months, the over-saturation of the podcasting sector has been brought into the light, but the low barriers to entry of this media form are also its greatest strength. The fact that voices like Evans’ can be shared openly to a huge audience is thanks to the success of the podcasting sector, and this shows why the area is growing.

Finally, I asked her about the future of the podcast as it hopefully continues to grow. She made it clear that “If I can build a network of people working on social mobility and class issues: academics, activists, journalists, that would be amazing.”

This podcast is clearly just the starting point for Evans, as she aims to open a much wider door which invites discussion and encourages openness about this often-unspoken theme in UK culture.

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The Boar would like to thank Kara Evans, on behalf of Mihir Popat, for taking the time to sit down with us and speak on a personal topic.

You can find her podcast here.