A Report on Polly Toynbee's Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain

This report provides an in-depth analysis of Polly Toynbee's book, "Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain." It begins with an introduction to the use of reports in academic settings and then delves into the book's context, discussing the social, political, and economic climate of Britain at the time of its publication. The report highlights Toynbee's background as a journalist and her perspective on social issues. It explores her methodology, which involved participant observation, and discusses the advantages, disadvantages, and ethical considerations associated with this approach. The report summarizes the book's content, which includes Toynbee's personal experiences in low-wage jobs and the challenges faced by low-paid workers. It also examines the structure of the book, which is divided into chapters detailing her various job experiences. The report aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of Toynbee's work and its implications for health and social care practice.

Report

INTRODUCTION
Use of reports and other research work is made to develop knowledge and
effective understanding about a particular topic. The main purpose and aim of this
report is to develop a clear understanding about the various theories and to have a
better academic knowledge that will yield a better link into health and social care
practice. The main aim of this report is to lead the academic skill development thus, this
report includes a review on the book “Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain by Polly
Toynbee” which provides a description about the life of an individual and various
challenges faced during working at low paid jobs in UK. For writing this report use of
Descriptive Investigation is made to get a factual, accurate and systematic description
about the task and associated topic. In this report, the context of book together with a
description about the author is included. This report also consists a background and
perspective of author which aim at reflecting the main implication and viewpoints.
Beside this, a discussion about the methodology and the book itself is also included
along with the knowledge about the legacy created by the book.
The context of the book
The book, Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain by Polly Toynbee was first
published in 2003 by Bloomsbury Publishing house and the copyright on this book is
hold by Polly Toynbee. While writing this book all the moral rights of the author has bee
effectively asserted by the Polly Toynbee. This Book accounts for and provide a
description about challenges faced in life associated with minimum wage rate. Hard
Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain by Polly Toynbee is mainly focused on the political, social
and economical atmosphere prevailed in the Britain which was faced by author herself
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(Bradshaw, 2019). This book by Toynbee provides a critical evaluation and information
about the moral falling of capitalism prevailing across the Britain and support and
advocates for those individuals who work essentials and low paid jobs only to receive
morally just pay. Thus, Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain by Polly Toynbee is
exhibiting plenty of sympathy for struggling masses prevailing in the many estate of
Britain reflecting the information about the social and economical culture of Britain. At
that time, Britain is facing a high level of inequality in its society in which some people
are very rich and some are very poor. Beside this the Iraq war has made the cultural
and social situation of Britain more pathetic and unhealthy as lager number of people
were adversely affected by its implications (Britain’s Role in Iraq War: What to Expect
From Chilcot Report, 2020).
The Author
Polly Toynbee is well known journalist and a writer and also a columnist in a well
known Guardian newspaper from the year 1998. She born on 27 December 1946 at the
place Yafford situated on the Isle of Wight. Toynbee went to Badminton School, which is
a independent school for girls and located at Bristol, together with Holland Park School
which is a state encompassing school situated in London (Polly Toynbee, 2020). She
passed A- level examination and get a scholarship to study history in the St Anne's
College but she left out from this university after 18 months. During this gap in the year
1966, she worked for an organisation, Amnesty International situated in Rhodesia. Polly
Toynbee has published her first novel Leftovers in 1956 which is based on and
providing a detail about questionable funding for Amnesty International by the
government of British. Further this a lot of books has been written by Polly Toynbee that
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includes Hard work (2003), Unjust Rewards (2008), Cameron's Coup (2015), The
verdict(2010) and many more.
Polly Toynbee was get awarded with Political Journalist award of the Year for
2003 and She is one of the most impassioned supporters of the secular cause. She has
also worked as a social affair editor for the channel BBC and also for some independent
newspaper. Polly Toynbee been also appointed as vice president of Humanists UK and
also served president between 2007 and 2012. Beside this, Polly Toynbee is a social
democrat as well as a member for Social Democratic Party in general election of 1983.
along with this, Polly Toynbee was also get awarded as Columnist of the year during he
British Press awards of 2007 (Gedalof, 2018).
The Background and Perspective
Polly Toynbee is basically a Guardian columnist and her books are mainly
focused on and includes Dismembered i.e. knowledge and sympathy for vulnerable and
weaker section of society. Polly Toynbee worked as a observer before joining the
channel BBC where she had worked as a social affairs editors from 1988 to 1995, thus,
she is having a viewpoint in support of new labour and socially deprived and vulnerable
groups thus, She often write about the issues related with the concerns of humanists.
The perceptive and main focus of Polly Toynbee is always on the topics associated
with rise of equality, religious fundamentalism,secularism, faith schools, etc. and has a
written a vast number of social commentary books which also includes her famous book
Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain, that is basically based on an experimental period
showing the challenges and supporting the voluntarily surviving on the minimum wage.
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The main purpose of Polly Toynbee behind writings is to lead and create a
sense of equality and socialism in the Britain and all over the world through providing a
refection about the life of deprived and poor people. Polly Toynbee believes that
everyone has been born with an inbuilt moral and ethical purpose thus her work
basically springs from evolution of mankind as a acting collaboratively, social being, with
altruism and good community hard-wired (Henman, 2019). Polly Toynbee is having a
view point that Humanism is not basically a specified absence and lack of religion but
also includes a affirmative value that brings people,individuals and the whole societies
at the heart of life thus, her work are fully dedicated to mankind and betterment of
society. The work of Polly Toynbee is aiming at betterment of society and deprived
individuals and making harsh comments on the political influence and economical
conditions of Britain which is important for making people aware about the negative
influence and Biasness of government polices. Thus, work of Polly Toynbee plays an
important role in creating and enhancing equality, mankind and humanism in society
which is necessary for creation of a better world. The main focus of book of Polly
Toynbee is on the vulnerable and poor section of society who were suffering from the
cruse and pain of low level of wages.
Methodology and Methods
The methodology and methods used by Polly Toynbee in her writing is
participant observation. This method of writing which is also called as auto-
ethnographic research and under this method sociologist themselves become a part of
a group of particular or specific society on which they are conducting research or
studying with the aim of collecting authentic data and having a better understanding of
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social phenomenon or problem (Participant Observation, 2020). While making use of
this writing method, the author Polly Toynbee needs to play two distinct roles at the
same time that includes a subjective participant and objective observer. The data
collected through this method is totally based on the personal experience and day to
day observation of the author thus, provides a deep understanding and familiarity with a
specific group of people, their values, beliefs, and way of life. The data collected by
Polly Toynbee by making use of this methodology is mainly associated with the grater
society and have its main focus on religious, occupational, or particular community
group. The main pros and cons of participant observation used by Polly Toynbee are as
follows:
Advantage Disadvantage
 The biggest advantage of participant
observation method is its validity. Use of
this method facilitates production of a rich
qualitative data which reflects or show the
real picture and actual position of the lives
of people, thus, provides a best way for a
social researcher or author.
 This method of writing also provides a deep
insight and allows to gain empathy and real
feeling through gaining personal
experience. Thus, yield or give a authentic
data about the insight, view point, value and
 The biggest disadvantage of
this writing methodology is
that it is associated with
high time consumption as it
is a very time consuming
process to have a practical
understanding and real
experience of any society.
 Some time it also become
difficult to personalise or
generalise the feelings and
complex data and
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problems.
 Participant observation is also allow
flexibility in research and writing work. Thus
makes, an author able to follow up various
direction and ideas if something new or
interesting occurs while writing.
 The another advantage of participant
observation is associated with its practical
advantages as the writing and research
data is based on practical and real
experience of author.
experience gained.
 Beside this, risk of getting
involved with the society
and place also creates a
threat of biased data and
reflection.
Beside of all the advantages and disadvantages of participant observation
method, various ethical issues are also there. Unethical and improper use of participant
observation method can raise to or create many ethical difficulties related with claims of
people regarding deceiving individuals to gain information on them and presenting it in a
wrong manner (Jarvis, 2016). Beside this, participating and supporting illegal or immoral
activity in the course of research or observation is also enhance the ethical issues.
Thus, it become necessary for Polly Toynbee and all other authors and researcher
making use of participant observation method of writing to provide due importance to
ethical concerns and should take into account all ethical moral and principles while
carrying out their observation and experiments for writing. The content or matter
collected or presented should include an informed consent and properly recognised as
an integral part of ethics and should adopt a respective and responsible method of
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publication to meet their ethical responsibility and duty. While writing, Hard Work: Life
in Low-Pay Britain , Polly Toynbee has provided due concern over all the moral rights
of the author and all these rights and duties are effectively asserted by her.
The book itself
The book selected for this report work is Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain by
Polly Toynbee which was first published during the 2003 by Bloomsbury Publishing
house. The copyright on the book is hold by its writer or author Polly Toynbee. The
Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain Book basically provides a description and deep
insight about the various challenges faced by an individual in its life which are mainly
associated with minimum wage rate. Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain by Polly
Toynbee is mainly including social and economical factors of atmosphere prevailed in
the Britain which was faced and experienced by author, Polly Toynbee herself. The
book “ Hard Work” is consists of 15 chapters which includes deep discussions about life
experiences of an individual working at low wage job in London. The various heading of
chapter are a home, starting out, the agency, portering, spending, job hunting, dinner
lady- always happy, never sad, clapham park neighbours, nursery, cold -calling, cakes,
car home, early morning cleaning, it does not have to be in this way and finally a
chapter that makes a comparison between circumstances then and now.
For writing this book Polly Toynbee had sacrificed her comfortable and luxurious
life and took up a residence, a small flat in one of the seediest block in one of the
pessimal council estate situated in Lambeth, Clapham Park East. She had joined up
various jobs like dinner lady, telemarketer,cake packer,nursing, hospital porter home
care assistant to have an practical experience and in-depth knowledge about the life in
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devalued pay of Britain. The book includes a overall discussion about the the life of low
paid workers like as a baby minder at the the nursery of foreign officer, Polly Toynbee
felted both relieved and snubbed and bound to a flock of tots. At the night in the council
flat Polly Toynbee make calculation about income and expenditure made by her and
totting up of all the necessities that she could dream of acquiring and gathering over
time if it was really her actual life (electric kettle, lampshades, hair dryer,) and the quite
longer list of all the luxuries that seemed out of reach. Thus, the main aim of this writing
of Polly Toynbee is providing a kind of upstairs and dowtdatis encoutered y the the low
wage economy which includes the poor who are falling further and further behind
because of unethical and biased society and working policy of Britain who has taken
these vulnerable people as those who are given birth at the unlucky phase of life and
not making efforts for there betterment. The book basically includes a harsh comment
over the longest work hours, greatest poverty and lowest social spending prevailed in
many parts of Britain. In this Book, Polly Toynbee has made some toughest line while
tracing and seeing the degeneration of the public sector. "Acquiring-out has been
considered as an act of national hooliganism", she also writes through citing an
investigation of 2002 which reflects that, among the past secured workers of public
sector and recently hired contract labour which are doing similar jobs, 62% of the last
mentioned are earning less, 73% are having fewer number of holidays, 53% have worse
sick pay, 51% are having worse pensions, 44% are having less job security. The
privateers are having understanding to a fewer things related with the profit, more than
a few about union power and class power. Their hate was considered pure and thus,
they had cut their strategies accordingly.
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Thus, overall the book Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain by Polly Toynbee
issues associated with beliefs of low wage workers and also consists various arguments
over policies and strategies of government of Britain which has created many
challenges and negative implication on life on individuals like long working hours, low
wages, lack of medical and adequate amount of leaves which is effecting and creating
negative implication on both health and personal life of workers. Thus, basically this
book, Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain provides a passionately reasoned and
compelling account on life of workers that should be read by every member of cabinet to
apologise on the wrong the working policies and acts and cabinet member and other
associated party should act on making them correct to rectify negative influences
created on life of workers. The main heading of chapters of this book includes a home,
starting out, the agency, portering, spending, job hunting, dinner lady- always happy,
never sad, clapham park neighbours, nursery, cold -calling, cakes, car home, early
morning cleaning, it does not have to be in this way and finally a chapter that makes a
comparison between circumstances then and now. Thus, overall this book provides a
detailed information about various experience of Poly Toynbee while she was
performing various jobs with minimum wage rate.
The legacy of Book
The book, Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain has left out a legacy in as the
Guardian and well known journalist Polly Toynbee who has taken up the situation of
living a normal life in one of the pessimal administrative unit and estates of Britain and
picking all random jobs that was offered to her to evaluate, analysis and determine the
exhausted feeling of these workers. The findings made during and written in this book
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are shocking describing in as a dinner-lady in a hospital porter or, telesales and cake
factories, she also worked at a dangerous pace on a minimal wages, together with
struggling retirees and working mothers. The book has created a legacy through playing
an important role in uncovering the the service sector that is managed by seedy
agencies that are offering no potentiality, no screening and no sincerity towards it s
workers. The content and research matter of this book is very significant in opening
eyes of cabinet ministers and government of Britain and making them that the workers
and employees are poorly paid and are effectively earning less than they did thirty years
ago. Thus, this book is having grate significance and legacy in making people aware
about the iniquity level and worst condition of low paid workers so that better steps can
be taken to help them out (Merrill, 2019).
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above report it can be concluded that use of various theories and
method are made by individuals to get better knowledge and understanding about social
and health care practises. Use of participant observation method is made by a
researcher or author to have practical experience about working and feeling of any
specific society to encounter and have a discussion about the issues and challenges
faced by them. With respect to findings of above report it can be summarised that the
low pay workers of Britain are facing challenges associated with lack of leaves and long
working hours together with inadequate amount of pay and wages.
REFERENCES
Books and journals
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