Social class identities Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the five key terms of Social Class Identities?

A
  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
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2
Q

Define Class

A

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

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3
Q

What did Bourdieu argue about the definition of class?

A

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.

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4
Q

What is the main group of traditional Upper Class?

A

Landowning aristocrats

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5
Q

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

A

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)

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6
Q

What are the Values of the traditional Upper Class?

A

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

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7
Q

What is the main group of New Upper Class?

A

• Entrepreneurs
• Jet Set

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8
Q

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

A

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

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9
Q

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

A

• Work

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10
Q

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

A

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

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11
Q

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

A

• Publicity / Fame
• Conspicuous consumption

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12
Q

What is the definition of Middle Class?

A

Non-manual. Diverse backgrounds and jobs

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13
Q

List the categories of Middle Class in the notes:

A

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

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14
Q

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

A

• Savage: intellectual identity from long successful education

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15
Q

What are the Values of the Middle Class - Professionals?

A

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

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16
Q

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

A

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

17
Q

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

A

• Roberts: Individualistic

18
Q

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

A

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

19
Q

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

A

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

20
Q

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

A

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

21
Q

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

A

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

22
Q

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

A

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

23
Q

What is the definition of Working Class?

A

Manual labour and other low-paid work

24
Q

List the categories of Working Class in the notes:

A

• Traditional Working Class
• New Working Class
• Underclass

25
Q

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

A

• 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

26
Q

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

A

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

27
Q

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

A

• 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

28
Q

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

A

• 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

29
Q

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

A

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)

30
Q

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

A

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