Middle-class values - Definition, Analogy, and Study Resources | Fiveable (2024)

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Middle-class values - Definition, Analogy, and Study Resources | Fiveable? ›

Middle-class values refer to the set of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that are associated with the middle class in society. These values often include hard work, education, financial stability, social respectability, and adherence to societal norms.

Three values associated with the middle class are education, financial stability, and social mobility. Education is highly valued by the middle class as it is seen as a means to upward mobility and better job opportunities.

The development of the middle class refers to the growth and expansion of a social group made up of individuals who are neither extremely wealthy nor extremely poor. It represents upward mobility, increased economic stability, and improved living standards for this segment of society.

With industrialization and the expansion of the labor market, the middle class began to rise and made lasting impacts on society.

Industrial growth transformed American society. It produced a new class of wealthy industrialists and a prosperous middle class.

There is no official financial standard for what constitutes middle class. For most it's more about a standard of living—including owning a home, being able to afford to pay for a college education for your kids, and having enough disposable income to take a family vacation.

Middle-class values refer to the set of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that are associated with the middle class in society. These values often include hard work, education, financial stability, social respectability, and adherence to societal norms.

The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as households that earn between two-thirds and double the median U.S. household income, which was $65,000 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Meaning of middle class in English. a social group that consists of well-educated people, such as doctors, lawyers, and teachers, who have good jobs and are not poor, but are not very rich: The upper middle class tend to go into business or the professions, becoming, for example, lawyers, doctors, or accountants.

In Western cultures, persons in the middle class tend to have a higher proportion of college degrees than those in the working class, have more income available for consumption, and may own property. Those in the middle class often are employed as professionals, managers, and civil servants.

Why is middle class important to society? ›

Politicians typically see the middle class as something to create with the gains of economic growth. But in fact, the opposite is the case: The middle class is the source of economic growth. A strong middle class provides a stable consumer base that drives productive investment.

The middle class is being affected by a variety of factors including inflation, the aging population and remote work, report shows. The middle class is shrinking as a result of several factors including surging inflation, an aging population, and the rise of remote work, according to a new report from ConsumerAffairs.

Historically, a nation's middle class has been representative of its overall economic health. A growing mid-income segment typically signals higher levels of wealth and wellbeing.

Upgraded Basics. While poor families might opt for basic or secondhand items out of need, the middle class will often strive for upgraded versions including mid-tier electronics, slightly premium appliances or cars that balance between luxury and functionality.

The middle class includes: professionals, managers, and senior civil servants. The chief defining characteristic of membership in the middle-class is control of significant human capital while still being under the dominion of the elite upper class, who control much of the financial and legal capital in the world.

To this end, the middle class valued cleanliness, discipline, morality, hard work, education, and good manners. Hard work and education enabled them to rise in life. Middle-class children, therefore, did not work in factories.

The term middle-class values is used by various writers and politicians to include such qualities as hard work, self-discipline, thrift, honesty, aspiration and ambition. Thus, people in lower or upper classes can also possess middle-class values, they are not exclusive to people who are actually middle-class.

To this end, the middle class valued cleanliness, discipline, morality, hard work, education, and good manners. Hard work and education enabled them to rise in life. Middle-class children, therefore, did not work in factories.