7) Social Class And Social Inequalties

Question 1

What is the link between class and workplace

Answer 1

Class is usually defined by a person’s occupation

Question 2

Define social class

Answer 2

A term used to describe the form of social stratification found in modern societies

Members of the same social class share a similar economic position, occupations and levels of education

Question 3

7 social classes of the Hope Goldthorpe social class classification

Answer 3

1) higher managerial and professional (e.g. doctors)
2) lower managerial and professional (e.g. nurses)
3) intermediate (e.g. driving instructors)
4) small employers (e.g. cleaners)
5) lower supervisory, craft (e.g. plumbers)
6) semi-routine (e.g.hairdressers)
7) routine (e.g. road sweepers)
8) long term unemployed, never worked

Question 4

Define subjective social class

Answer 4

Occupational classification is objective and may not conincide with subjective definition of class

E.g. Marshall found that many people saw themselves as WC even though they had white collar jobs