HISTORIAN of generations and contemporary values
Sunday Times top 10 Bestseller
Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad
Many of us grew up believing in a meritocracy, where hard work brings rewards. Go to university, get a job, put in the hours and things will be OK. That’s what we were told – but the reality is that life chances and opportunities are no longer shaped by what we learn or earn but by whether we have access to the Bank of Mum and Dad. We’re living in an inheritocracy, where parental support is what matters most - and let’s be honest, this isn’t something we like to talk about with our friends, families or as a society. It’s a modern taboo.
In these pages, Eliza explores the emergence of this inheritocracy through her own life story, revealing how her family’s financial circumstances shaped everything from her education to her dating life, from her career to her class identity. Inheritocracy is a thought-provoking and candid blend of memoir and cultural commentary, told through Eliza’s humorous and insightful voice.
"Eliza Filby’s nuanced, witty and evidence-driven book explains how we arrived where we are as a country... this book offers a compelling analysis from start to finish."
- Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
“Very illuminating”
- Roddy Doyle, BBC Radio 4
It is not just that the generational gap feels wider than ever, the life-cycle is also transforming in the 21st century.
We are speeding up childhood, delaying adulthood, denying middle-age, redefining old age, even seeking to dodge death.
The generational divide in tech, attitude towards work, social values is there but also needs to be seen alongside the level of economic interdependency that now exists within families.
Generations within families have never been closer; generations at work, society and politics have never been so far apart.
Demographic disruption (changing beliefs, experiences, habits and values) is transforming the world.
I study society through the prism of age and generations - from Baby Boomers to Generation Alpha - examining how the traditional lifecycle, family life and individual values are being reordered and remade in the 21st century.
Read More
READ MY LATEST ARTICLES
Newsletter
Like what you see? Why don’t you join over 5000 subscribers and sign up to my WEEKLY newsletter where you will have EXCLUSIVE preview access to my essay, latest podcast announcements, videos as well as interesting bits and bobs from me on the future of work, society and generational change.
What People Are Saying
“Eliza did a fantastic session at our relationship manager offsite – talking about the different views, attitudes and opinions of multiple generations. Eliza is an expert and highly engaging speaker and her subject matter is vital for all businesses to grapple with if we’re to adapt to ever more complex times.”
— David Durlacher, CEO, Julius Baer International Ltd
“Eliza presented to our London partners on navigating a multi-generational workforce. The talk was incredibly engaging with content clear, concise and informative. The feedback from the partners was uniformly positive with a number remarking that it was the best presentation that they had attended in years! I can’t recommend Eliza highly enough”
- Jason Glover, London Managing Partner, Simpson Thacher
“ Eliza has engaged our key leaders at all levels and in all sizes of groups; from one or two to six or seven hundred. She naturally takes people with her, makes them think again and come away talking and acting. At our AGM she was able to hold the attention of 700 people in the last session of the day. At a time when other presenters would have lost their audience figuratively and physically, Eliza engaged, entertained and educated. Our franchisees, managers and suppliers left as enlightened about their own families as they were about the opportunities and imperatives for our business”
- Alastair MaCrow, CEO McDonalds UK