Unit 1- Acquiring culture- Class identity Flashcards
The traditional working class points
practically disappeared in today’s society but was mainly found within areas with traditional industries such as mining shipbuilding
features of the traditional working class (7)
- close knit community
- traditional gender roles
- manual work
- strong sense of working class identity and solidarity
- strong commitment to the labor party
- an us v the attitude towards their partners
- enjoyment of popular and folk culture
The new working class points
- largest section of the working class
features of the new working class (6)
- privatized, home centered lifestyle
- little involvement for the community
- instrumental approach to work (see it as a source of income instead of identity)
- little loyalty to those of the same class
- women likely to be paid in employment
- emphasis on consumer goods and consumption
How is class identity still important in today’s society? (3)
- many people continue to identify themselves using their social class (British social attitudes survey in 2012 found 95% of people identified themselves with a social class)
- peoples identity is usually based around the activities they do which are determined through their income.
- Influences peoples standard of living, educational success, health and life expectancy , home-ownership, risks of poverty and employment, as well as many other aspects
What did sugar man identify were the 3 main attitudes of the traditional working class?
- immediate gratification (enjoying pleasures of today without putting them off for later)
- present time orientation ( focusing on the present rather than the future)
- Fatalism (accepting their situation)
upper class points
- main owners of societies wealth
3 main groups of upper class
- traditional upper class (old rich)
-owners of industry and commerce
-stars of media, entertainment and sport
who developed the idea of the features of the old rich
scott (1991)
what does Scott (1991) say about the features of the old rich? (7)
- socialization through a family life providing exclusive upbringing and lifestyles, relations to similar families
- secondary socialization through private boarding schools, Cambridge, oxford, military service
- employment of domestic staff
- taste for high culture (opera, ballet)
- particular manners and taste
- leisure activities- horse racing, hunting and shooting
-sense of leadership, self confidence
features of other 2 upper-class groups (2)
- often inherited wealth
- buying expensive assets (cars, houses, clothing)
underclass points
- bottom of social class
- embers and cut off or excluded from the rest of society (social exclusion)
What do new righters see the features of the underclass as
- high levels of illegitimacy and lone parenthood
-drunkenness and yob culture - crime, benefits, fraud and drug abuse
- Exclusion from school and educational failure
- work shy attitudes and living off benefits
middle class points
- non-manual work, typically performed in offices
- wide range of groups, occupations, qualifications, incomes and lifestyles.
- savage and Roberts says that it is difficult to generalize
Features of middle class (7)
-commitment to education leading to career success
-recognition of the importance of an individuals effort to succeed
- a sense of individual and family self interest
- planning for future
- deferred gratification (putting of today’s pleasures for future success
- greater respect for high culture than popular culture
- individual concern for health fitness and wellbeing
