Social Class Identity

Question 1

What is upper class

Answer 1

Top of the social class heirachy with the highest status in society defined by wealth and economic power as opportunities and privileges. Divided in the traditional upper class and the super rich

Question 2

What are the traditional upper class ?

Answer 2

Aristocrats, royalty and Land owners

Question 3

What is the super rich ?

Answer 3

Made through fortunes through hard work or talent e.g David Beckham so achieved rather than ascribed

Question 4

What is the norms and values of upper class ?

Answer 4

Tradition - conservative
Authority - social heirachy
Social closure - time, education and lesuire time separate from rest of population

Question 5

What is middle class ?

Answer 5

Below upper class on social heirachy and largest social class such as professionals, manager in private buisnesses and entrepreneurial group

Question 6

What is the norms and values of the middle class ?

Answer 6

Social capital , home ownership , cultural capital

Question 7

What is working class ?

Answer 7

Below the middle class made up of manual workers and practical trades and skills and low skilled jobs e.g cleaner or factory worker

Question 8

Norms and values of the Woking class ?

Answer 8

Left wing , immediate gratification , cheaper housing

Question 9

Studies for creation and reinforcement of social class identities ?

Answer 9

• Pierre Bourdeui : cultural capital : family and education
• Diane Reay : cultural capital : family
• Paul Willis : subcultures : peer groups

Question 10

What is cultural capital according to family and education: cultural capital Pierre Bourdeui ?

Answer 10

Knowledge, taste , norms and values and skills that gives a person advantage in life normally associated with preference of the middle class e.g opera , museums, ballet

Question 11

family and education: cultural capital Pierre Bourdeui , what does he say shit cultural capital dor middle class and working class and what does education do ?

Answer 11

Pass it down to children and whereas working class have less cultural capital so cannot transfer to advantage children so education is biased as favors middle class and devalue knowledge and skills of working class

Question 12

family and education: cultural capital Pierre Bourdeui, how is education for middle class

Answer 12

Middle class are equipped with cultural capital at school as their norms , values and experiences of school fit with middle class and middle class children advantaged as they internalise skills and knowledge form parents

Question 13

family and education: cultural capital Pierre Bourdeui, Education for working class ? What specific work does working class experience

Answer 13

Working class experience cultural deficit as school attaches little importance to their experience and values so alienated form school and eliminate themselves by failing exams

Question 14

What does Diane Reay: family cultural capital say about working class and middle class

Answer 14

Middle class mothers influence children schooling more than working class mothers as have more cultural and social capital

Question 15

Diane Reay: family cultural capital example of working class mothers having less social and cultural capital ?

Answer 15

Working class mothers have less time to devote to children demands as balancing childcare , housework and paid employment and lack confidence in understanding school system so negative experience of school making it difficult to assist children education

Question 16

Studies for social class identity changing ?

Answer 16

• Lyon : pick and mix identities
• Clarke Saunders : what we earn to how we spend
• pakulski and water : death of class

Question 17

What does Lyon : pick and mix identities argue ?

Answer 17

Individuals can pick and choose styles that was once associated with one distinct social class e.g football was seen as working class sport but enjoyed by all despite social background
Burberry use to be associated with Rich but now associated with working class chavs

Question 18

• Clarke Saunders : what we earn to how we spend for changing social identities ?

Answer 18

People once built identity around work but now on lesuire time and what they spend money on so no longer focus identity on how much people earn but on how they spend it

Question 19

• pakulski and water : death of class say is no longer important and example ?

Answer 19

Politics is no longer important but ethnicity , gender and religion and cultural differences more important now in society. E.g people care more about fighting for saving the environment than fighting about class

Question 20

pakulski and water : death of class , what are people judged based on ?

Answer 20

Due to more distribution of wealth more people consume products more than they need and people judge others on their consumption than class e.g those who are aware of environmental issues will look down at those who have money but consume products that damage the environment