social class identity Flashcards
4 different social class groups
- upper class
- middle class
- working class
- under class
social class
It is a contested concept because it’s very difficult to define which social class someone belongs to but there are indicators of an individuals social class position
economic capital examples
economic resources
- occupation
- wealth/assets
- money/income
- housing
- cars
cultural capital
the knowledge, attitudes, skills, education and advantages that a person has, which give them a higher status in society
- language/accent
- education
- norms and values
social capital
resources based on group membership, relationships, networks of influence or support
- holidays
- hobbies/activities
Pakulski and water
changing class identities
POSTMODERNISTS
- class in todays society is dead
- shift from production to consumption
- defined by what we buy, and not what we do
bourdieu
- the rich stay rich as they have more capital
- their friends can help get their children into important proffesions
- cultural capital is the most significant
- marxist
Offe
changing class identities
- fewer individuals experience full time work
- we now dont just have one job our whole lives
Upper class members are those with…..
inherited wealth, often in the form of land and money from inheritance
There are 3 main groups within the upper class which include
- Traditional
- Owners of industry and commerce
- Entertainment stars
Some features of the upper class include
- Private education (usually within boarding schools and the top universities)
- Military service
- Employing domestic staff (maids, chefs, cleaners)
- High culture (the wealthy elite)
Some activities enjoyed by the elite (upper class) include
- Polo
- Shooting
- Ballet
- Going to the opera/theatre
- hunting
Mackintosh,Mooney and Scott
upper class
pointed out that the upper class operate ‘social closure’
social closure
upper class
meaning that their education,leisure time and daily lives are separated and partially invisible from the rest of the population
‘Old Boys Network’
upper class
shows how education connects the upper class together to create a ‘social capital’ these connection enable for the rich to remain wealthy and powerful as they use their connection to maintain their status for their children as well
Bourdieu’s ‘Cultural capital’
upper class
parents socialise their children into the attitudes and knowledge needed to succeed in high society.This may include the right ways of speaking,etiquette and confidence in different social situations
who are the super rich?
- People whos economic capital are from their achievements not their inheritance
- Much more significant type of upper class
- Usually start from humble beginnings
- Success from hard work
- Friends with other super rich celebs
- Example - ELON MUSK (money without connections)
characteristics of the super rich
- Flashy (Bling Bling)
- Conspicuous consumers with branded labels (Gucci, YSL, Louis Vuitton)
- Flash cars (Bugatti)
Bourdieu
super rich
- Large economical capital
- Low social capital
- High social status
characteristics of middle class
- The middle class is a large class made up of a wide range of different groups with emphasis on respectability and self control.
- The middle class has expanded rapidly in recent years, making it difficult to generalise within it due to its broad nature.
- Children are raised with a commitment to education and career success
- They have a higher social capital
two main categories in middle class
- The established middle class, who are a larger group with a higher social and cultural capital
- The technical middle class, who are a smaller, socially isolated group with lower social and cultural capital
5 major groups of non-manual jobs
middle class
- The professions e.g. lawyers,doctors,teachers
- Managers e.g. government officials
- Self employed e.g. business owners
- Financial and creative e.g. finance workers,stockbrokers
- Lower Middle Class (‘white collar workers’) e.g.non manual work, sales staff
The middle class are socialised to have into norms and values like
- Deferred gratification
- Commitment to education
- Concern on own fitness, health and wellbeing
- Respect for high culture, more than popular culture
- Focus on future orientation
Wynne
middle class
argued that the middle class possessed economic, cultural and social capital. They are different from the working class.
savage and robberts
middle class
argued that it is difficult to generalise middle class identity
fish
Bourdieu
middle class
argues that middle class children at university are seen as ‘fish in water’ and working class children are seen as ‘fish out of water’ as they are not as focused on education
Traditional working class
- Associated with the North of England and Scotland
- Founded on traditional, long established, basic industries. E.g: mining, docking, iron and steel, fishing, shipbuilding
Cultural features of traditional working class
- Close-knit community (extended family structure)
- Men= breadwinners. Women= housewives (Parsons ‘sex role theory’- men= instrumental roles and women= expressive roles)
- Obtaining a skill, getting a job and money were seen as more important than an education
- Strong sense of working class identity and loyalty to their social class
- Strong commitment to the old labour party
- Enjoyment and participation in popular culture
Bourdieu
traditional working class
saw working class individuals who attended university as “fish out of water”
willis
traditional working class
found hard manual labour central to a man’s (hegemonic) masculinity.
He states the working class aspirations are based on their parents careers and that they want to “follow in their father’s footsteps”.
Hoggart
traditional working class
found that the working class had very strong moral values, maintaining respectability in the community was closely linked to ‘doing the right thing’. The security of life, with chances of promotion at work, risks of unemployment, injury, ill health and poverty led to three attitudes:
- immediate gratification
- present orientation
- a sense of fatalism
cultural features of the new working class
- Emerged from the South of England, and has spread to became the largest section of the working class
- Privatised, home-centred family lifestyle
- Work = means of making money
- Little sense of loyalty to their class
- Changing gender roles - more men at home and more women at work
- Emphasis on consumer goods
changes between old and traditional working class
- Lives are more privatised
- Shared gender roles
- Rise in number of homeowners
Skeggs (1997)
new working class
Studied 12 working class women who enrolled on courses in the caring profession - women distanced themselves from the traditional working-class norms and values. They wanted to be seen as respectable - having careers, owning homes
Savage et al (2005)
new working class
Strong culture of manual labour (Cheadle, Manchester). Men = manual labour, social clubs. Women = organised social lives around local families (social capital). Most = homeowners, 41% = no clear class identity, 40% = working class, 21% = strong class identity, 18% = middle class
underclass definition
the lowest social stratum in a country or community, consisting of the poor and unemployed
characteristics of the underclass
- Bottom of society
- Lack of opportunities
- Unqualified and unemployed
- Reliant on the government/benefits
- Idle
- Lazy
- ‘Welfare scroungers’
- Single parent families
- Irresponsible parenting
- Low payed and unskilled jobs
- Poor health
- Associated with criminality and poverty
- Marx referred to them as ‘lumpenproletariat’ (lump at the bottom of the pile, below the rest of society)
MOUNT AND MURRAY
underclass
these sociologists argued that the people in the underclass are actually happy to be dependent on the state and receive compensation such as benefits. Because of the lack of socialisation in families (especially single parent mothers) children of these underclass families turn to crime and deviance, drink and drugs. Murray especially highlighted that the main issues with the underclass stems from single parent mothers and sons, saying that they don’t have an effective role model and therefore no want for any type of gratification.
GIDDENS AND RUNCHIMAN
underclass
says that the underclass can be structurally identified
CHARLESWORTH
underclass
- as a form of compensation the underclass will often turn to drink and drugs
DENNIS AND ERDOS
underclass
boys growing up with a single mother or from single parent families turn to crime and deviance as they do not have an appropriate role model for them to look up to and for them to aspire to be like. The lower class want to ‘follow in their father’s footsteps’ but the underclass lack this role model and motivation
MACDONALD
underclass
‘underclass’ is used to describe people who are ‘structurally separate and culturally distinct from the regularly employed working class’.
Marxist theory
underclass
Marxists described the underclass as ‘lumpenproletariat’ they were seen in a negative light by Marxists due to their lack of contribution to things such as capitalism and consumerism, they dont aid the rich staying rich due to the lack of motivation and money.
Marshall
90% of people in the UK could place themselves in a social class when prompted
Woodward
Increased choices in identity construction but there are still restrictions and constraints, so identities are changing for some but not for others.
