social class identity Flashcards
what is the theoretical approach
sociologist have different ideas about which classes exist and why eg Marxist suggests there are only two class groups,
a) those who own the means of production
b) those who need to sell their labour.
what is stratification
the division of society into a hierarchy layer with the most privileged are at the top and the last favoured are out the bottom
what is the descriptive approach
ranking people in a hierarchy based on a number of social indicators eg the register general scale and the nssec
what is upper class
traditionally, the upper class are those with inherited wealth often in the form of land
the upper class usually operate social closure meaning that their lives are separate from the rest of the population.
what sociologist can we link to the upper class workplace
Macintosh and Mooney
what did macintosh and mooney say occupation effected peoples identity
it helps classify people into social groups.
what sociologist can we link to uc peer groups
scott
what is the role of the life long friendship in upperclass
the role is to keep the upper class connected socially, economically and culturally. they stay with eachother in education, work and invite only social activities
what did scott say about the old boy network
those who share and upper class status and often meet in education help each other in their careers and this adds to social closure
who can we associate with family in upper class
scott
what in the family contributes to social closure
inter marriage into families with the same same social class
and teaching children high culture
who can we associate with upper class education
scott
what type of education is traditional to upper class
private/ public school
high education
oxford and Cambridge
what is the ethos and culture to upper class education
preserves social division and teaches them superiority
develops leadership
who can we associate privately educated girls
kenway
what does private education give girls according to kenway
gives them higher self esteem
they devaluate the status and achievements of sate educated people
what is middle class
majority of the population
traditionally associated with those who have professional or managerial careers. they are likely to be uni educated and own their own homes. middle class isa a very diverse group
who can we associate with middle class famil
king and raynor
what is a key feature of middle class family
child centeredness
deferred gratification focusing on education
what does child centeredness mean
when a family prioritises their child over anything else what the child needs is above anything ekse and put emphasis on education
who can we link to middle class education
Bourdieu
what is the hidden curriculum
lessons you learn that arent in the curriculum and arent openly intended
what does Bourdieu think advantages middle class people in education
they have values knowledge leisure interests levels of language and skills at home that are similar to how school is set up
what is culture capital
how cultured you are e.g. going to museums and the theatre
what is social capital
networking and socialising with others in a similar economic positions to advantage them eg can secure work experience
who can we link to peer groups in the middle class
Goodwin and huppatz
what is a yummy mummy
middle class mothers who spoil their children while being put together, and caring about their image
what phrases do goodwin and huppaz refer to when talking about middle vs working class mothers
yummy mummy vs slummy mummy
what is the centeral focus for middle class mothers when thinking about their childs future
education and school choice and stress about their children working hard
who can we link to middle class media
saunders
why do the media target the middle class for consuming
they have the highest disposable income and they often define their identity by what they leave
what is conspicuous consumption
buying things you dont need to show off your wealth comes from peer presure imitation role models and praise
who can we link to middle class workplace
neo-Marxist wright
what does wright argue with middle class workplace
the middle class occupy a contradictory class position this means they aare both exploited my upper class and can exploit the lower classes
what did willis’ study show
FAMILY- studies 12 working class boys. He argued that the ‘lads’ formed a distinctive ‘counter school sub cultural grouping’ this group of disaffected boys felt superior to the more conformist pupils, and had little interest in academic work. And saw manual work as superior to mental work. And they often follow in their fathers footsteps
what did mac and ghails study show
WORKPLACE- they had a study of the making of men, the study was ethnographic within a predominantly working class, industrial area in the midlands. they studies a range of subcultures in schools and noted that boys from a working class background generally followed their fathers into traditional working class manual labour jobs however when the manual labour jobs were declining they had a crisis of masculinity as they weren’t qualified for office jobs and this meant that women were the main earners in the family
what did bowles and gintis’ study show
EDUCATION: education socialises individuals into traditional working class identity via a hidden curriculum. they argue that educations function is to maintain, legitimise and reproduce class inequalities in wealth and power. they suggest that the education system is designed for the ruling class and it encourages children from the working class backgrounds to be obedient and passive workers in the future. This means that education is teaching the next genera of workers to accept exploitation and alienation by encouraging conformity to a ruling class ideology
what did MERTENS AND D’HAENENS study show
they studied the digital divide in brussels and found a clear link between class and internet usage, those from a lower social class used the internet less and were also found to use it more for entertainment whereas the higher social classes used it more for gaining and boosting knowlage
what did murrays study suggest
MURRAY -
The underclass are poor people who live off mainstream society without participating in it, they take jobs sporadically if at all and do not share social burdens and shirk off fatherhood. The underclass are dishonest, disrespectful, undeserving and feckless. He states that illegitimacy is skyrocketing and crime is at fault of incompetent single mothers. There are a large number of healthy men who chose not to work- voluntary unemployment.
what does jordans study suggest
Jordan disagrees with Murray and argues that the underclass have the same values and attitudes as everyone else in society and that most of them would love to work if they had the chance. He said that they feel a sense of shame that they cannot provide for their families. He says that unemployment often brings shame, guilt, low self esteem, insecurity and poor mental health to an individual.
what does pakulski and walters study suggest
Suggests that there has been a shift from production to consumption in the defining of identities. We are now defined by what we buy, not what we do.
what does offes study suggest
Fewer and fewer individuals share a common unifying experience of full time work- the experience that used to shape the culture of social classes, the days when people had a job for life and we are all able to create our own identities regardless of social class of our family and our qualifications.
what did skeggs study suggest
Found that working class women had an instrumental attitude to work, their job didnt influence their identities they were simply means to an end the new working class also saw capitalism as effective in raising their living standards and therefor they have no sense of class injustice or political loyalty they see society as mediocrity as they believe all individuals have an equal chance of success and can experience social mobility.
what is social class
Social class is a system of stratification which places people in different positions in society. This can be determined by many different factors and there are many different classifications of what social class actually is broadly there are three categories, upper, middle and working.
whats the registrar general scale
it is a descriptive approach to measuring social class based on occupational skill.
what is the nssec
this is a descriptive approach based on occupations and qualifications.
what is an objective definition of class
Objective definition of class, this is when people are placed into social class using a scale or measurement devices
what is teh subjective definition of class
Subjective definition of class, where people place themselves in society and how they define themselves.
structure of a paragraph in 12 mark question
refer to the source
explain the source
study example
refer to question
