More than a year after a viral BBC article exposed classism at the University of Edinburgh, Scottish students still report being victims of accent bias on campus. Accent bias, also called linguistic discrimination, is defined as “the unfair or prejudiced treatment of individuals based on their accent.” Stemming from classism, it is deeply embedded in British society. Currently, social class and accents are not ‘protected characteristics’ under the 2010 Equality Act, so discrimination on the basis of these is not punishable by law.
Scottish, Northern English, international, and working-class students are the major student groups affected by accent bias at this university. The discrimination against Scottish students seems a particularly incomprehensible phenomenon, given that the university is located in Scotland.
When questioned, Scottish students widely report accent bias and an unwelcoming atmosphere at the university. This is due in part to the relatively small proportion of Scottish students at the university, which tends to isolate them. Moreover, the university’s student body is disproportionately composed of students from private schools, creating a ‘posh’ atmosphere that leads to the marginalisation of working-class students.
A number of Scottish students also raise the point of not paying tuition fees as a reason the university would not want them here. They feel that the university makes no effort to appeal to Scottish students, during Open Days, for example, because the university does not make any profit off of them. When asked about this, the university responded: “All students are equally welcome, supported and have the same access to education, facilities and extracurricular opportunities no matter what their fee status or background. The number of Scottish students that universities can accept are capped by the Scottish Government.”
Scottish students report feeling that they are underrepresented, which discourages them from speaking up in class and participating in societies. One Scottish student commented that: “It’s specifically hurtful. Like, Edinburgh’s pointed out as this beacon of high learning and acceptance, and I can come and get discriminated for my accent.”
All the Scottish students I interviewed reported knowing cases where students suffered heavily from accent discrimination. One of them mentioned knowing someone who “was bullied so severely [for her accent] that she dropped out last year.” These stories contribute to Scottish students’ belief that the University of Edinburgh might not be for them, and to an expectation of discrimination that hinders their social life.
The University of Edinburgh has commented that it is aware of the issue posed by accent bias: “we have a responsibility to tackle these types of prejudices within our own staff and student community. […] We offer training and guidance for students and staff on diversity, inclusion and unconscious bias.” It has also incorporated accent bias into its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy.
This is certainly a first step, although students feel that the university has a tendency to make statements without taking action. On the other hand, Dr Ilbury, who has provided accent bias trainings to staff for the past three years, says: “I know to students that might seem pretty insignificant, but for me, as director of EDI for my school, I know unfortunately how slow things are and how difficult it is to get the university to comment on stuff like this. And Peter Mathieson commented on this.”
The trainings, provided in cooperation with the 93% club, have helped raise awareness of this issue amongst staff. Dr Ilbury believes that these have had a positive impact, with members of staff realising that accent bias is not a joke, whilst others felt that it validated their experience of accent bias. Overall, trainings have brought awareness to the existence of this issue to staff and pointed out its systemic nature. Dr Ilbury has also recently helped launch a university website to raise awareness on accent bias.
Although this university, and British society generally, still have a long way to go with accent bias, students and staff are hopeful that things are changing and will continue to change. One student reports noticing considerable change between last year and this year in terms of visibility of Scottish students and the issue of accent bias. Whilst other students are more conservative on how much has changed in a year, there is a general consensus that accent bias is increasingly recognized as a serious issue. Dr Ilbury encourages students to try and not let it affect their confidence; a paper he will soon publish reveals that confidence can eclipse the effect of accent, so accent bias can be overcome.
Scottish students and staff have started the discussion on accent bias, and it’s now up to the university and the student body to continue it – even if it is uncomfortable and forces everyone to reckon with their own biases – to create a university that is more accepting of its local students.
Image by Spencer Siles for The Student.