Social class identities

Question 1

What are the five key terms of Social Class Identities?

Answer 1

1. social class: a group that occupies a particular social and economic position in society
2. life chances: the opportunities we have to achieve good health, status and wealth
3. social mobility: our ability to move up the social class system
4. class culture: the values, tastes and preferences of a social class
5. underclass: the poorest and most under-privileged section of society

Question 2

Define Class

Answer 2

Most sociologists use occupation as a measure of social class.

The current system of class categorisation is the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Social class scheme

Question 3

What did Bourdieu argue about the definition of class?

Answer 3

Bourdieu argued that class is also defined by class culture: the values, tastes and preferences of a particular social class.

Individuals’ subjective class identity may be different from their objective class identity.

Question 4

What is the main group of traditional Upper Class?

Answer 4

Landowning aristocrats

Question 5

What is the Culture and Identity of the traditional Upper Class?

Answer 5

Inherited wealth

Social closure promoted through:
• Intermarriage
• Elite education at public schools (Scott: socialises them into common culture that promotes u/c values)
• Old school-tie networks give them contacts and self-confidence
• Exclusive leisure activities e.g. expensive sports (polo), high culture (opera, ballet)

Question 6

What are the Values of the traditional Upper Class?

Answer 6

• Tradition and conservatism
• Authority and hierarchy
• Breeding and background

Question 7

What is the main group of New Upper Class?

Answer 7

• Entrepreneurs
• Jet Set

Question 8

What is the Culture and Identity of the New Upper Class - Entrepreneurs?

Answer 8

• Self-made: Gained wealth from owning and running businesses
• Lives centred around work
• Use exclusive social occasions to network

Question 9

What are the Values of the New Upper Class - Entrepreneurs?

Answer 9

• Work

Question 10

What is the Culture and Identity of the New Upper Class – Jet Set?

Answer 10

• Self-made: gained wealth through careers in sport and entertainment

Question 11

What are the Values of the New Upper Class – Jet Set?

Answer 11

• Publicity / Fame
• Conspicuous consumption

Question 12

What is the definition of Middle Class?

Answer 12

Non-manual. Diverse backgrounds and jobs

Question 13

List the categories of Middle Class in the notes:

Answer 13

• Professionals. Eg. Doctors and Lawyers
• Managers
• Small-scale entrepreneurs
• Routine-white-collar
• Other Middle Class

Question 14

What is the Culture and Identity of the Middle Class - Professionals?

Answer 14

• Savage: intellectual identity from long successful education

Question 15

What are the Values of the Middle Class - Professionals?

Answer 15

• Savage: value cultural assets (e.g. art) and cultural capital (e.g. knowledge of classical music)
• Altruism

Question 16

What is the Culture and Identity of the Middle Class - Managers?

Answer 16

• More likely to have worked their way up the company
• Savage: define status and identity through standard of living and leisure pursuits

Question 17

What is the Culture and Identity of the Middle Class – Small-scale Entrepreneurs?

Answer 17

• Roberts: Individualistic

Question 18

What are the Values of the Middle Class - Small-scale Entrepreneurs?

Answer 18

• Roberts: Hard work and discipline
• Belief in independence from the state

Question 19

What is the Culture and Identity of the Middle Class – Routine-white-collar?

Answer 19

• Often children of manual workers
• Pay and status in decline
• Rarely mix with manual workers

Question 20

What are the Values of the Middle Class - Routine-white-collar?

Answer 20

• Do not hold typical w/c values: share many values of the new w/c, so it is increasingly difficult to differentiate between them

Question 21

What is the Culture and Identity of the Middle Class – All Middle Class?

Answer 21

Roberts:
• Likely to have a mortgage and to live in the suburbs
• Private education or top state schools
• Selection by mortgage
• Dominate in achievement in education and at university

Question 22

What are the Values of the Middle Class – All Middle Class?

Answer 22

Roberts:
• Home ownership
• Education
• Meritocracy
• Deferred gratification – making sacrifices to achieve qualifications

Question 23

What is the definition of Working Class?

Answer 23

Manual labour and other low-paid work

Question 24

List the categories of Working Class in the notes:

Answer 24

• Traditional Working Class
• New Working Class
• Underclass

Question 25

What is the Culture and Identity of the Working Class – Traditional Working Class?

Answer 25

• Active or politicised identities: class consciousness
• Manual labour
• Collectivist: Close-knit communities and close ties with family
• Political – vote Labour, involved in trade unions
• Mistrust and hostility towards superiors at work (us and them)
• Traditional roles at home

Question 26

What are the Values of the Working Class – Traditional Working Class?

Answer 26

• Family
• Community
• Left-wing values
• Loyalty to one another
• Mutual support

Question 27

What is the Culture and Identity of the Working Class – New Working Class?

Answer 27

• Passive class identities
• Tend to work in newer types of high-tech manufacturing industries
• Privatism: base their lives around the home and family activities
• Apolitical: vote for whichever party will further their interests; unlikely to be involved in trade unions
• Changing gender roles at home and at work

Question 28

What are the Values of the Working Class – New Working Class?

Answer 28

• Work only valued as means to an end
• Weak political values
• Materialism: value the ability to spend on consumer goods and holidays
• Emphasis on social mobility: getting on and getting ahead
• Leisure is a central life interest

Question 29

What is the Culture and Identity of the Working Class – Under Class?

Answer 29

Murray:
• Long-term unemployed
• Single parents with inadequate parenting skills
• Dependant on state benefits
• Living in run-down council estates

However, Jordan:
• Do not enjoy a high standard of living, lack basics, in debt, excluded by society (jobs are not available)

Question 30

What are the Values of the Working Class – Under Class?

Answer 30

Murray:
• Anti-authority
• Anti-education
• Immoral
However, Jordan:
• Same values of work and family as everyone else