Social class refers to a group of people with similar levels of wealth, influence, and status. Sociologists typically use three methods to determine social class:
- The objective method measures and analyzes “hard” facts.
- The subjective method asks people what they think of themselves.
- The reputational method asks what people think of others.
Results from these three research methods suggests that in the United States today approximately 15 to 20 percent are in the poor, lower class; 30 to 40 percent are in the working class; 40 to 50 percent are in the middle class; and 1 to 3 percent are in the rich, upper class.
The lower class is typified by poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. People of this class, few of whom have finished high school, suffer from lack of medical care, adequate housing and food, decent clothing, safety, and vocational training. The media often stigmatize the lower class as “the underclass,” inaccurately characterizing poor people as welfare mothers who abuse the system by having more and more babies, welfare fathers who are able to work but do not, drug abusers, criminals, and societal “trash.”The working class are those minimally educated people who engage in “manual labor” with little or no prestige. Unskilled workers in the class—dishwashers, cashiers, maids, and waitresses—usually are underpaid and have no opportunity for career advancement. They are often called the working poor. Skilled workers in this class—carpenters, plumbers, and electricians—are often called blue collar workers. They may make more money than workers in the middle class—secretaries, teachers, and computer technicians; however, their jobs are usually more physically taxing, and in some cases quite dangerous.The middle class are the “sandwich” class. These white collar workers have more money than those below them on the “social ladder,” but less than those above them. They divide into two levels according to wealth, education, and prestige. The lower middle class is often made up of less educated people with lower incomes, such as managers, small business owners, teachers, and secretaries. The upper middle class is often made up of highly educated business and professional people with high incomes, such as doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, and CEOs.Comprising only 1 to 3 percent of the United States population, the upper class holds more than 25 percent of the nation's wealth. This class divides into two groups: lower‐upper and upper‐upper. The lower‐upper class includes those with “new money,” or money made from investments, business ventures, and so forth. The upper‐upper class includes those aristocratic and “high‐society” families with “old money” who have been rich for generations. These extremely wealthy people live off the income from their inherited riches. The upper‐upper class is more prestigious than the lower‐upper class.Wherever their money comes from, both segments of the upper class are exceptionally rich. Both groups have more money than they could possibly spend, which leaves them with much leisure time for cultivating a variety of interests. They live in exclusive neighborhoods, gather at expensive social clubs, and send their children to the finest schools. As might be expected, they also exercise a great deal of influence and power both nationally and globally.
FAQs
Fussell's nine hierarchical classes are: top out-of-sight, upper, upper middle, middle, high-prole, mid-prole, low-prole, bottom out-of-sight, and Class X—this last being the classless class to which Fussell assigns himself.
What are the 5 different social categories? ›
Similarly, someone who is LGBTQ+ may experience discrimination or violence due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. There are many different social categories, some of which include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic class and religion.
What are the 4 types of classism? ›
There are four types of classism: individual, institutional, cultural, and internalized. Individual thoughts or behaviors that result in differential treatment based on social class is called individual classism.
What are the five socioeconomic classes? ›
The New York Times has used income quintiles to define class. It has assigned the quintiles from lowest to highest as lower class, lower middle class, middle class, upper middle class, and upper class.
What are all the society levels? ›
Sociologists disagree on the number of social classes in the United States, but a common view is that the United States has four classes: upper, middle, working, and lower. Further variations exist within the upper and middle classes.
What are the different levels of people in society? ›
In modern Western societies, social stratification is defined in terms of three social classes: an upper class, a middle class, and a lower class; in turn, each class can be subdivided into an upper-stratum, a middle-stratum, and a lower stratum.
How do we categorize people? ›
Social categorization is the process through which we group individuals based upon social information. The “Big Three” are sex, race, and age, but numerous other dimensions are categorized as well, such as social status, occupation, and even perceptually ambiguous categories such as sexual orientation.
What is my social status? ›
Social status is the position which one holds in society. This can be ascribed to them by other people or can be earned by them through their achievements.
What is my social category? ›
A social category is a group of people who share common traits or characteristics but do not interact with one another. Commonalities can range from age, gender, race, income level, education level, favorite color, leisure activities, religion, etc. Sharing interests or features puts people in the same social category.
What are the social classes in today's society? ›
Despite controversies over the theory of class, there is general agreement among social scientists on the characteristics of the principal social classes in modern societies. Sociologists generally posit three classes: upper, working (or lower), and middle.
Examples include: feelings of inferiority to higher-class people; disdain or shame about traditional patterns of class in one's family and a denial of heritage; feelings of superiority to people lower on the class spectrum than oneself; hostility and blame towards other working-class or poor people; and beliefs that ...
Why are people classist? ›
Because of societal messages around poverty and class, people are discriminated against , excluded , and ridiculed around perceived social class. Many workplaces, organizations, and education spaces are built on classist structures, making it difficult for lower socioeconomic (SES) people to navigate and succeed.
How do I know my social class? ›
How a person perceives their own social class extends beyond what a W-2 income form claims they earn, experts say. You can look at income, education, marital status, location, family history, gut instinct and a host of other factors to find out where you fall.
What are the five broad social classes? ›
Gallup has, for a number of years, asked Americans to place themselves -- without any guidance -- into five social classes: upper, upper-middle, middle, working and lower. These five class labels are representative of the general approach used in popular language and by researchers.
What is the hierarchy of social class? ›
Social class is commonly organized into a three-class model, by which individuals are separated into upper, middle, and lower classes. The upper class consists of the wealthy and powerful individuals who own and control the means of production.
What is society Grade 9? ›
Answer: A society is a group of people participating in continuous social connection, or a broad social group occupying the same social or spatial territory, normally exposed to the same political power and cultural standards that are dominant.
How many classes are there in society? ›
Sociologists generally posit three classes: upper, working (or lower), and middle. The upper class in modern capitalist societies is often distinguished by the possession of largely inherited wealth.
What are the 10 characteristics of society? ›
CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIETY:
- Society is abstract: ...
- Likeness and difference in society: ...
- Cooperation and conflict in society: ...
- Society is a process and not a product: ...
- Society as a system of stratification:
In an economic model of social classes, classes are stratified by economic factors such as labor, wages, and the production and possession of goods and services. These socioeconomic classes are generally divided into the upper, middle, working, and lower classes.
