social class

Question 1

Scott Upper Class

Answer 1

Scott suggests the old boy network operates for the upper class by giving each other an advantage ie contacts securing business deals, and promotions. There are also intermarriages sharing common backgrounds, immersion/socialisation into high culture and private schooling resulting in them exercising social closure to prevent social mobility example, royal family.

Question 2

Kenway Upper Class

Answer 2

Kenway: private school girls socialised into a culture of success, Exclude others by devaluing comprehensive students

Question 3

Saunders Middle Class

Answer 3

Saunders: conducted a study on consumption(buying patterns)suggesting that those who satisfy their needs through ownership of various goods are influenced by advertising and media. The media targets the middle class because they take part in the most conspicuous consumption due to having the most disposable income.

Question 4

King and Raynor Middle Class

Answer 4

King and Raynor: The family reinforces middle class identity as it encourages achievement and values. They also suggest that parents socialise middle class identities by reinforcing attitudes and values surrounding the importance of educational success through use of role models,positive and negative sanctions and imitations. They also suggest child centeredness is a distinct feature of middle class: focus on grades,paying for leisure activities, part time, tutors

Question 5

Mac an ghail Working Class

Answer 5

Mac an ghaill: carried out a study on working class and found boys from working class backgrounds followed father into manual labour. Studied the macho lads subculture that circulated around heavy lifting within manual labour so their work became a way for them to reinforce their hegemonic masculine identity: deindustrialisation led to the crisis of masculinity : part time jobs suited to women due to lacking academic qualification to fill new

Question 6

Willis Working Class

Answer 6

Willis: studied 12 working class boys in a midlands secondary school and found they identified as lads and formed an anti school subculture as a result. They maintained an attitude of superiority in comparison to conformist students. They also took part in deviant activities like drinking,smoking, using sexist or racist language. They say labour as superior to gaining qualifications. Shop floor: in factories later. Lads also displayed strong hegemonic masculinity/fathers also came from the same background where manual labour was the norm so follow in their footsteps(anti school)

Question 7

Murray

Answer 7

Murray: the underclass allegedly consists of individuals who are long term unemployed and single parents or drug addicts. He also claims the working class lazy,workshy,immoral,criminal and dependent on benefits and it’s their own fault they are in this position because they live in a meritocracy therefore they could change their lifestyle if they wanted to: culture of failure and criminality.

Question 8

Skeggs Postmodern Changing

Answer 8

Skeggs: found working class women had instrumental attitudes to work, their jobs didn’t influence their identities. The new working class also saw capitalism as effective in rising their living standards and therefore have no sense of class injustice. They see society as meritocratic and think all society have a chance to become socially mobile. They also believe in individualism, putting themselves first rather than their community. Also have identities based around pop culture and consumption.

Question 9

Pakulski and waters Postmodern changing

Answer 9

suggests there has been a shift from production to consumption in defining identities. We are now defined by what we buy rather than what we do.

Question 10

GOODWIN - Middle class

Answer 10

GOODWIN - Middle class ‘yummy mummies’ - Gain status through inclusion / status symbols

Question 11

WRIGHT - Middle class

Answer 11

WRIGHT - Middle class in a ‘contradictory class position’ - Exploited by upper class. Exploit working class