When most people finish school, they have a choice; apply to university or go straight into work. But there seems to be another option for a small portion of the population, the middle-class population should we say - the gap year (also affectionately pronounced 'gap yah').
I personally never took a gap year, I didn't have thousands of pounds of inheritance to go and 'find myself' by paying for plan tickets halfway across the world and excusing myself from working for 12 months. Although I was privileged to have University as an option, I definitely wasn't in the same field as those with the 'self-discovery route' option.
The 'Memes about 'rich kids' who take these gap years are infinite, as seen below;
However, these don't deter the bourgeoisie from taking them. I have met countless people who embarked on this so-called spiritual journey, and let me tell you - they cannot wait to tell you all about it.
Okay sure, storytelling is a part of life and has been since the dawn of civilization. But, the way in which these people discuss their gap year is quite particular in my opinion.
It's not just the oral storytelling, it's the use of social media ...
Increases their cultural capital yes.... but as Bordieu's theory suggests, this can be turned into economic capital - travelling looks good on a CV, UCAS application etc. It might help them get a better job, earn more money, especially if they've learned another language. Meanwhile, the lower working class may not go to university, have the option of a gap year, which means they're less travelled, or perhaps have not travelled at all, which is favoured in the cosmopolitan elite city life where people earn more money etc. The richest are already at an advantage because of their economic capital, which has got them social capital in terms of where they grew up, schools etc, which has then allowed them to gain cultural capital in the form of travelling.
This only reinforces an unequal social hierarchy at university, within an already unequal socio-economic structure on a societal level. And that is how the Gap Year is classist as it not only has an effect on the individual but also on those of us who have not embarked on such a journey as a group as we battle against those 'gappers' for jobs, university places and internships in future.
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