Identity-Social Class Flashcards
Name examples of characteristics that are used to judge social class
Money, house, holidays, style, accent, occupation, lifestyle, car
Describe who the ‘upper class’ are
High level of wealth, often inherited, and common background in terms of elite education at expensive public schools; occupy highest stays and positions in society
What does Mackintosh and Mooney say about the upper class?
They operate ‘social closure’ in which their lives are largely invisible and made inaccessible to the majority to secure position in society; high cultural pursuits and private education are made highly exclusive, through introducing memberships and expensive school fees, which only the rich can afford and therefore attend
What does Scott say about the purpose of private schools?
Mould ideas and outlooks of pupils so that they realise their common upper-class interests and socialise them into common culture promoting values o, tradition, nationalism etc and produce ‘old boy network’ who use contacts to further adult careers
Describe who the ‘middle class’ are
Those w/ managerial or professional careers, uni-educated and own their homes and a variety of incomes, attitudes and lifestyles that are more well off than the working class but less so than the upper class
What does Fox say about the diversity of the middle class?
Uses terms ‘upper middles’, ‘middle middles’, and ‘lower middles’ to highlight the differences between those in the middle class- different levels of wealth, status etc
What values does Roberts argue the middle class have in common?
Meritocracy- believe that high status can be achieved by hard work and discipline; they are willing to deter gratification( e.g rewards) in the pursuit of further education
How does both Savage and Saunders support the idea that the middle clans is hard to define?
•Savage=cultural differences between professionals and managers, as professionals are more likely to be interested in the arts
•Saunders=differences between professionals employed in state( e.g teachers) and the private sector( e.g managers) as the former tend to be altruistic but the latter individualistic
Describe who the ‘working class’ are
Traditionally made of manual workers, romanticised as hardworking, straight talking, ‘salt of the earth’ identity; stereotypically seen as living in council estates and receiving lower salaries for less skilled work
How does Hutton argue that the working class identity is disappearing?
Decline in trade memberships and manufacturing sector, plus decrease in traditional heavy industries( e.g mining),leading to dispersal of working class communities and erosion of working class identity and loss of solidarity
What did Skeggs find about working class women and they’re responses to being judged for being ‘working class’ ?
They felt humiliated by the ways in which others judged and dismissed them, resulting in the strenuous effort to show they were ‘respectable’: taking care of style, leisure pursuits and home decorations
According to Murray, who are the underclass?
People who receive over-generous benefits from the government, encouraging some to develop a ‘dependency culture’ in which they do not take responsibility for their own actions and have the expectation that they will be looked after; often represented negatively in the media e.g the Jeremy Kyle show
Why do Pakulski & Waters say class is no longer a way to define identity?
There has been a shift from production and consumption- we are now defined not by what we do but rather by what we buy
