Module 5: PA and Income/Social Class

Question 1

Income

Answer 1

amount of money received through paid labour and/or investments

Question 2

Social class

Answer 2

a grouping based on social factors, including income, wealth, education, and occupation

Question 3

Upper Class

Answer 3

• wealthiest and most powerful class
• divided further into old money and new money

Question 4

Middle Class

Answer 4

• most tend to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree or two year college degree
• comfort is a key descriptor of middle class
• not based on your income, means being able to live comfortably
• white collar (performs non manual labour/tasks) and blue collar workers (performs manual labour/hourly wage)

Question 5

Upper middle class

Answer 5

bachelor’s or postgraduate degree, comfortable incomes, allowing holidays, children receive quality education

Question 6

Lower middle class

Answer 6

bachelor’s or associates degrees (community or tech college), hold jobs supervised by upper middle class, decent lifestyle but struggle to maintain it, more likely to lose their jobs and thus grip on being middle class, also threatened in recent years by higher taxes/education costs/shelter costs/pandemic – called the middle class squeeze

Question 7

Lower class

Answer 7

have less education and usually earn smaller incomes than the middle class
- working class, working poor, and underclass

Question 8

Working class

Answer 8

• perform blue collar jobs requiring little skill or experience with benefits, perform routine tasks under close supervision, blue collar work, physically demanding
• perform pink collar occupations: low paying, semiskilled positions traditionally held by women (ex. nanny/childcare, domestic skill jobs)

Question 9

Working poor

Answer 9

perform blue collar jobs requiring little skill or experience without benefits, usually seasonal and temporary, many have not graduated from high school, earns less than a living wage

Question 10

Underclass

Answer 10

live mainly in inner cities, unemployed or underemployed, homeless, rely on government assistance

Question 11

Social mobility

Answer 11

ability to change social class positions

Question 12

Intergenerational mobility

Answer 12

differences in social classes between family generations

Question 13

Intragenerational mobility

Answer 13

differences in social classes between different members of the same generation

Question 14

Structural mobility

Answer 14

societal changes enable a whole group of people to move within the social ladder

Question 14

Participation in PA and the Upper Class

Answer 14

1. social exclusivity (private clubs, only a small number of accepted people)
2. conspicuous consumption
3. control over time: flexibility in work hours
4. sport and PA as purely “leisured” activity

Question 15

Participation in PA and the middle class

Answer 15

1. team sports – cheaper, higher number of players
2. structured leisure
3. home-based PA

Question 16

Participation in PA and the Lower Class

Answer 16

1. PA related to job
2. Reject workplace fitness programs
3. Prole sports (avoided by the upper class – ex. boxing, wrestling)
4. team sports (like middle class)
5. Watch pseudosports: non-legitimate or made-up activities for audience entertainment

Question 17

Barriers to PA

Answer 17

• costs
• work schedule of parent(s)
• daily needs of food, shelter, clothing
• unsafe, low walkable neighbourhoods
• low income neighbourhood schools
• limited/no playgrounds and green spaces