Social class and identities Flashcards
What is the most convenient indicator of class?
Occupation
How would you judge someone’s social class apart from occupation?
Income, Possessions, House, Lifestyle, Holidays, TV viewing, dress, Speech and Norms and Values
What are the three major classes
upper, middle and working
The upper class
Those who possess great wealth and privilege, they have a strong sense of identity based on public school education and family connections
The middle class
People in non-manual jobs. It’s hard to generalise about middle class identity as the people and jobs in it are so diverse & different. Professionals value education highly and take part in a wide range of leisure activities.
The working class
Those in manual jobs (practical trades). Traditional working class culture emphasised class consciousness (being proud of your roots), community and the extended family. ‘New’ working class culture focuses on leisure and the home
The Underclass
The unemployed and those dependent on welfare benefits. This group has developed its own norms and values. Others argue against this view and say the underclass has similar values to the rest of society.
Savage et al (2001)
looked at social class, they found that relatively few respondents thought Britain was becoming a classless society.
Mackintosh and Mooney (2000)
one crucial way occupation is linked to identity is social class. Our judgements about our own and other people’s jobs involve classifying of ourselves and others into Social Classes. They argue that Social class can provide us with a sense of belonging
concentration of wealth
in the hands of the few is likely to lead to awareness among the Upper class that economic power is a tremendous source of opportunity, privilege and power over others which is worth reproducing and protecting.
Family in ascribed status
The upper class share a common back ground that’s made of members of a small number of wealthy extended families interconnected by marriage
Social closure
a process by which advantaged groups preserve opportunities for themselves while restricting them for others denying upward social mobility for others
How many processes of social closure are there?
two
What is the first process of social closure?
Encouragement of children to choose marriage partners from other upper-class families rather than other social structures
John Scott (1982) on social closure
members of the upper class “marry off their children to those who are eligible socially, economically and politically guarantee the perpetuation of an intensive kinship network”
What is the second process of social closure?
immersion of children into a culture of privilege which clearly distinguishes this class from other social groups (high culture) giving them a sense of superiority
What is education like for the upper class?
Share common background of education in public schools and Oxbridge
What does John Scott (1982) say about the education of the upper class?
the education attained in such institutions is less important than the socialisation into the ethos or culture of such schools, which is based on justifying privilege in terms of public service and common good
What did Mike O’Donnell (1992) say about the education of the upper class?
The demanding and competitive regimes of boys’ public schools i.e. homework and sport results in the cultural characteristics of self-control, application and hard work. Can be supported through Deborah Roker’s (1994) study
Deborah Roker (1994) Study on private girls schools
The majority of girls strongly supported the conservative party and were well aware of their policies but state educated girls were uninterested in politics and the views of the private school girls reflected their parents as they wish to repay their parents investment in education
What is networking like for the upper class?
The public and oxbridge experience creates life long friendships and networking beyond school and this interprets the elite making an ‘old boys network’.
Contacts operate informally though membership of London clubs and social events
Why is it difficult to make general statements about the middle class identity?
They come from a diverse background due to expansion of the middle class, from 30% in 1951 to 60% in 2000. It is open to anyone. It includes a wide range of jobs
How many classes are there in the ONS Social class scheme?
8
What is Class 1 of the ONS Social class scheme?
Higher managerial and professional
What is Class 2 of the ONS Social class scheme?
Lower managerial/ professional
What is Class 3 of the ONS Social class scheme?
Intermediate (clerical workers)
What is Class 4 of the ONS Social class scheme?
Small business owners/ self employed
What is Class 5 of the ONS Social class scheme?
Supervisors, craft and related
What is Class 6 of the ONS Social class scheme?
Semi routine (hairdressers/cooks)
What is Class 7 of the ONS Social class scheme?
Routine
What is Class 8 of the ONS Social class scheme?
Unemployed
Roberts (2001)
“The present day middle-classes are distinguished by the fact that there are so many lifestyle variations among them, some related to age, gender, ethnicity and education.”
“They take more holidays, play more sports, make more visits to theatres and the countryside, and eat out more frequently.
What does Roberts (2001) say the main values of middle class identities are?
Autonomy at work; career advancement opportunities; meritocracy
How many middle class identities does Savage (1995) say there are?
Four
What are the four types of middle class identities (savage (1995))?
Professionals, Managers in private business, Self employed owners of small businesses, Entrepreneurial group
Professionals as a middle class identity
(Doctors or lawyers) adopt an intellectual identity from a successful education and value cultural assets like knowledge, qualifications, life styles and values and want to pass it to their children (cultural capital)
Managers in private business as a middle class identity
Define success in terms of their standard of living and leisure pursuits. Their jobs are more insecure than professionals. Encourage their children to make the most of their education in order to follow professional rather than managerial careers.
Self-employed owners of small businesses as a middle class identity
traditionally operated as individuals. Insecurity from the economic recession has recently led to collective action a traditional characteristic of the working-class.
The entrepreneurial group as a middle class identity
Works in the city or media. Their identity revolves around mixture of high and popular culture. They may go to the Royal Opera House as well as going to Premier League football matches or spending a night “clubbing”
David lockwood (1966)
identified the proletarian traditionalists who lived in close-knit working-class communities and had traditional working-class culture
What were the main features of the traditional working class/ proletarian traditionalists?
Loyalty to work mates, spending leisure time with them, pursuing goals collectively, fatalistic attitudes, present time orientation with a focus on immediate gratification, see class with a us vs them mentality, segregated conjugal roles
What do people argue is happening that goes against Marx’s prediction of an increasingly homogeneous and class conscious working class?
The working class is becoming smaller, more fragmented and less class conscious
How have sociologist argued that the working class is becoming smaller more fragmented and less class conscious?
- Since 1945 manual work has fallen by 54% and jobs in services have increased by 45%
- Deindustrialisation has affected the jobs that produced proletarian traditionalists
- The expansion of non-manual jobs has created opportunities for social mobility
- Overall standard of living has risen
- working class is more divided by occupation
Which sort of jobs produced proletarian traditionalists?
Mining ship building and steel work
Embourgeoisement
Increasing number of manual workers entering the middle stratum and becoming middle class
What was the process of embourgeoisement accelerated by?
the demands of modern industry for a mobile labour force breaking up traditional close knit working class communities
Who is the underclass comprised of?
people under the class structure that are economically, politically and socially marginalised and excluded. they live between unemployment and the labour market of casual and temporary work. they live on benefits
Darhendorf (1987)
estimated 5% of the british population fell in the underclass and this percentage was growing rapidly
Lumpenproletariat
(social scum of vagrants, misfits and dregs) ‘respectable people trapped in a cycle of deprivation’
Why is the use of the term underclass problematic?
‘Underclass’ is often used as an abusive phrase that lumps together many different kinds of experiences and stigmatises them. It is the most recent term - in a long line - for blaming the poor for their poverty.
