Social Class Identity

Question 1

What is social class?

Answer 1

1. System of stratification which places people in different positions in society.

Question 2

What are the 3 categories of class?

Answer 2

Upper, middle and working class

Question 3

What is stratification?

Answer 3

1. Division of society hierarchically
2. Most privileged at top and least favoured at bottom

Question 4

What are the 12 indicators of class?

Answer 4

1. Income
2. Wealth
3. Area lived in
4. Educational qualifications
5. Occupation
6. Type of house
7. Car
8. Political party supported
9. Speech
10. Dialect
11. Clothing
12. Leisure activities

Question 5

What are the 2 different approaches to measuring social class?

Answer 5

Theoretical and descriptive

Question 6

What is the theoretical approach?

Answer 6

Sociologists have different ideas about which classes exist and why

Question 7

What is the descriptive approach?

Answer 7

Ranking people into a hierarchy based on a number of social indicators

Question 8

What is an example of a theoretical approach?

Answer 8

Marxists suggest there are only 2 social groups: those who own the means of production and those who need to sell their labour power

Question 9

What is an example of a descriptive approach?

Answer 9

Registrar generals scale and NSSEC or BBC class calculator

Question 10

What Is the registrar generals scale?

Answer 10

1. Model used from 1911-90
2. Based on person’s standing in the community (first 60 yrs)
3. In 1981, criteria altered to occupational skills
4. Model suggests 2 class model

Question 11

What is the national statistics socio-economic classification?

Answer 11

1. Model used from 1997
2. In 2001, changed from 13 categories to 8
3. Ranks occupations according to similarity of training, skills and experience

Question 12

What is subjective class?

Answer 12

Ask people to rate themselves

Question 13

What is objective class?

Answer 13

Involved measurement of class by an indicator