Social Class

• Define 'class':

  Group who share similar economic/social situations
• Define 'social class':

  • Group based on economic/other inequalities
  • Associated w/ divides between occupational groups
• Who notes that a key feature of the upper class is their i___________.

  Mackintosh & Mooney - invisibility
• What is social closure?

  When a social groups daily lives are separated/partially invisible to the rest of the population.
• What are some ways that social closure is practiced?

  • Sending kids to private/boarding skls
  • Participating in unknown/inacessible leisure activities
• What are 3 typical MC characteristics?

  • Professional job
  • Uni degree
  • Owning own home
• Who discussed 'upper middle'/'middle middle'/'lower middle' to describe the diffs in MC?

  Fox
• What 2 factors did Hutton say contributed to the erosion of the WC identity?


  1. Decline in trade union memberships
  2. Dispersal of WC
• Who studied how WC women felt humiliated by others who dismissed them due to their b.g., and consequently felt they had to present themselves as 'respectable', by controlling their appearance + leisure time?


  Skeggs
• T/F: Ppl are likely to identify themselves as a member of the underclass.

  False
• What does Murray think encourages ppl to form an underclass?

  Overgenerous state benefits
• What are some characteristics of the underclass?


  • Relying on benefits
  • Not taking responsibility for own actions
  • Expecting that the state will look after them
• How are the underclass + NEETs portrayed in media?


  Negatively - esp. in TV shows e.g. The Jeremy Kyle Show, Shameless
• Postmodernists P- & W- say that there's been a shift from the production to consumption of identities. 


  Pakulski & Waters
• According to Offe, what unifying experience that used to shape social classes are we lacking in today's society?


  Full-time work
• AO2: Social Mobility & Child Poverty Commission:

  7% of the UK pop. attended fee-paying schools BUT make up 71% of senior judges + 44% of Sunday Times ‘Rich List’