Books
Inheritocracy
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 – whether that’s covering the cost of university, stumping up for a house deposit or helping with childcare. 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, I explore the emergence of this inheritocracy in part through my own life story, revealing how my own family’s financial circumstances shaped everything from my education to my dating life, from my career to my ability to absorb mistakes and take risks.
Praise for Inheritocracy
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
"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."
Nell Frizzell, author of Holding the Baby
"Inheritocracy is that most valuable thing: a subtle, thorough, insightful look at a subject we all tend to shy away from. Filby is by turns funny, informative and familiar; we're lucky to have her."
Rachel Cunliffe, The New Statesman
"This historian and writer is revolutionising our understanding of Britain's inheritance economy."
David Willetts, author of The Pinch
“This is a very welcome book on one of the biggest social changes in Britain today - the growing significance of inheritance. Eliza Filby shows with vivid personal examples how this is transforming the relationship between successive generations.”
Rowan Pelling, co-editor of Perspective
“Inheritocracy is both funny and important – it’s like a mash up between Dolly Alderton and The Economist. Filby beautifully unpicks the major obstacles of growing up in the 21st century. It deserves to be read by every young person ...and their parents.”
Robby Doyle, BBC Radio 4 - Start the Week
“Very illuminating”
“Whether we realise it or not, we are living in the inheritance economy where, if you are under 45, your life’s chances and opportunities are to a large extent determined not by what you learn or earn but your access to the bank of mum and dad. Familial financial support is the defining 21st century privilege and the dividing line shaping our past, present and future. If you want to understand the future of work or wealth, you need to understand our Inheritocracy”
Generation Shift
How Generational Evolution is changing the way we think, work and live
This is an edited collection of my essays written between the onset of the pandemic in 2020, and early 2023. It reflect a time when the consequences of that huge disruption were just beginning to be felt in our workplaces, wallets, and in society.