If Britain’s richest 10% feel they are ‘struggling’, imagine life for the rest | Letters

Jennifer Brown, Nicole Robinson, Chris Tapp and Berty Dodd respond to an article by Anoosh Chakelian on skewed perceptions of wealth

I found it strangely reassuring to read Anoosh Chakelian's article (Britain's richest 10% don't think they're wealthy - and that's disastrous in the fight against inequality, 24January). If nothing else, the article validated my own frustration at the situation. My partner and I earn about the average salary each and can manage, but certainly not live in luxury. We think about every purchase, and don't waste, while we try to build our savings to the point that we can afford to adopt children. Two recent conversations with friends earning 80,000 and 100,000, in which they discussed struggling and being working class, were painful and have been echoing in mymind ever since.

I am a social worker, so I see the cold face of poverty constantly - the types of situations where a family doesn't know whether to heat or eat. I would never describe my family as struggling. But my friends truly think they struggle as they manage their two very large mortgages, and worry about whether their next holiday will need to be a bit cheaper than the Maldives. I have no answers to this problem, other than to show them my take-home pay and watch as they imagine living on that, then break the news that the minimum wage pays half. They immediately thought-block, though, and tell me about the benefits those people get. I feel a bit hopeless, if I'm honest.
Jennifer Brown
Ruddington, Nottinghamshire