Some Christians in the United Kingdom are claiming that their religious beliefs are preventing them from getting the top jobs because they are seen as “potential trouble.”
A report in the Daily Mail based on the breakdown of employment and religious belief produced by the Office for National Statistics from the 2011 census, said Christians are less likely than atheists to be promoted to top jobs.
Nearly a quarter of people with no religious belief live in homes headed by someone with a senior executive position or a job in one of the professions, the report said.
Under a fifth of Christians work in the best-paid and most influential jobs or are married to someone who does, it added.
The figures also show high levels of senior and professional employment among the Jewish and Hindu communities.
“This is a real phenomenon. Christianity is now a bar to appointment or promotion,” the report quoted Barrister Andrea Minichiello Williams, a member of the Church of England’s General Synod.
The number of people claiming to be Christian in England and Wales fell by 4 million in the decade to 2011 to 33 million.
Of these, two thirds only go to church for weddings, baptisms or funerals. However, those with no religion rose 45 percent to 14 million.
Sources
Image: Corbis/Daily Mail