Socila Class Indentuty Flashcards
Who are the upper class?
Traditional
These are the ‘old’ titled families which include aristocrats, royalty and also large landowners. These families inherit their wealth and their titles (Dukes, Duchesses etc), but may have initially made their historical family fortunes in retail such as the Sainsbury and Guinness families.
Super rich
or talent (like David and Victoria Beckham). Their status, therefore, is achieved rather than ascribed. They are also distinctive from the traditional upper class because of the media focus on them as celebrities – many of them achieved their success in sports, film and music. The media may also focus on their conspicuous con
Norms/Values that are traditionally associated with the upper classes inclu
Tradition
The old upper class are conservative in their values and politics. They wish to preserve the historical traditions and customs of British society.
Authority
A belief in social hierarchy. They think society works best when it is organised into different levels or ranks. People should show proper respect to those in positions of au
Mackintosh and Mooney
Mackintosh and Mooney (2004) have pointed out that a key feature of the upper class is their invisibility. The upper class operate ‘social closure’, meaning that their education, leisure time and daily lives are separated from and partially invisible to the rest of the population – they socialise with mostly members of their own social class. They may send their children to boarding schools, socialise in exclusive clubs
Who are the middle class
are broadly agreed to be the largest social class - majority of the population by many. Tony Blair famously said, ‘We are all middle class now’. Traditionally, the middle class is associated with those who have professional or managerial careers and do not undertake manual work
Savage’s research
1) Professionals - such as doctors and lawyers - tend to adopt an
intellectual identity gained from a long and successful education. They
value cultural assets such as knowledge and qualifications, and feel it is
important to pass these on to their childre
Managers in private businesses work for either their own company or other large corporations. This category could include managers of large business or small self-employed business owners
The entrepreneurial group works mainly in the City or in the media. This group has an identity that revolves around the consumption of a mixture of high and popular culture. This group is mainly made up of younger individuals who have jobs in radio, T
Middle-class culture and identity
Traditionally the norms and values of middle-class culture centred around:
Social capital: strong networks with people in other middle-class professions
Educational achievement and a university education
Home ownership: owning homes in desirable places
Cultural capital: Foreign holidays and an appreciation of high culture.
Deferred gratification: the middle classes believed that if they saved hard in the early stages of their careers they would reap the benefits later
Social anxiety: A concern about what other people think which leads to the middle class keeping themselves to themselves.
Child-centredness: King and Raynor suggest that in the middle class, resources are deliberately provided by parents to further the development of the child, who grows up with a positive attitude to
Who are the working class
was traditionally made up of manual workers and those
Now include low skilled jobs such as cleaning and factory work
Working-class culture and identity
Jobs based in manual and unskilled labour: The shipbuilding or coal industries dominated the employment opportunities of many northern towns and cities.
Traditional gender roles within the family: the male breadwinner who provided for his wife and children and the female homemaker who cared for her husband and children.
Clear employment paths: Boys were encouraged to follow the employment pathways of
significant male role models in their families, often gaining employment in the same factories or industries.
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Strong communities: A feeling of unity, solidarity and togetherness often characterised these groups. Working-class communities were supportive and looked after their own kind. Outsiders were often distrusted.
Left-wing: Politically they had strong links with the Labour Party and trade unions, who protected their rights as workers. This meant that a mentality of ‘them and us’ existed.
Immediate gratification: The working class were seen to live for the moment and to want
this meant that the working classes were less likely to save money for the future.
Cheaper housing: Working-class housing was located in cheaper and less desirable areas. Few of the working class woul
Skeggs (1997) studied working-class women
humiliated by the ways in which others, such as teachers and doctors, judged and dismissed them due to their working-class background. As a result, the women in her study made a strenuous effort to show they were respectable’, taking care in how they dressed (‘Do I look common in this?’),
Bourdie
Education in school merely builds on middle- class culture; it does not start from scratch but assumes prior skills and prior knowledge. This gives middle class children an advantage because they have already internalised these skills and knowledge from their parents. They therefore possess ‘the key to unlock the messages transmitted in the classroom; they possess the code of the mess
a cultural deficit. They soon realise that school and teachers attach little importance to their experiences and values. In order to succeed, such children have to acquire the sorts of skills associated with cultural capital rapidly. Most fail to do this and are alienated by the middle-class nature of schooling. Such pupils often come into conflict with the school and either lose interest and eliminate themselves, or are eliminated skol exam
Diane reay
Diane Reay’s (1998) research shows how middle-class mothers are able to influence their children’s primary schooling more than working-class mothers because they have more cultural and social capital.
working-class mothers had less
time to devote to their children due to the demands of balancing housework, childcare and paid employment, but crucially they lacked confidence and understanding of the school system. S
Peer Group: Paul Willis and the Lads
Peer Group: Old boy networks
“Old Boy Networks”
Bullingdon Club - an exclusive but unofficial all-male students’ dining club based in Oxford University. It is noted for its wealthy members, grand banquets, boisterous rituals and destructive behaviour, such as the vandalising (“trashing”) of restaurants and students’ rooms. The club has attracted attention, due to former members later becoming part of the British political establishment
Bervetly Skegness et al
Media
Beverley Skeggs et al. (2007) also discuss how reality television shows that highlight moral failures among the lower classes (in areas like childcare, employment or personal care) and, by extension, the moral superiority of the middle classes,
Supernanny: a middle class woman who demonstrates how to control unruly (lower-class) children
- Benefits Street: a show exploring ‘workshy’ lower-class layabouts. Programmes such as this arguably perpetuate the stereotype that the working class are “scroungers
Postmodernism: Fragmentation: Identity
Postmodernism: Fragmentation: Identity
Postmodernists argue that class identity has fragmented into numerous separate, unclear identities. This means, often, that there is no “one” way of being a particular social class, but many. Young people, in particular, have more choice today as to how they construct their identity. For example, a young male might experiment with identit
