SOCIAL CLASS Commonly defined as:
―A status hierarchy in which individuals and groups are classified on the basis of esteem and prestige acquired mainly through economic success and accumulation of wealth. Social class may also refer to any particular level in such a hierarchy.‖
There was a time when basic demographic characteristics were not always reported in a research report. But today, researchers tend to explain the demographic characteristics of their sample population as they have a strong impact on the research report results. One of the important realizations by psychology researchers over the past few decades is that it is important to take into account whether research participants are males or females, Black or White or Latino or Asian, and older or younger. This long list of demographics continues……. And here is one more important characteristic for sociologists to take into account: social class, whether rendered as educational attainment, occupational status, or income. Other social science disciplines such as anthropology and sociology have shown that social class is indeed a basic contrast among people with far-reaching consequences for how we think, feel, and act. Social class is more than just how much money you have. It's also the clothes you wear, the music you like, the school you go to -- and has a strong influence on how you interact with others. People from lower classes have fundamentally different ways of thinking about the world than people in upper classes. Generally speaking, social class discriminates the individuals of a society from one another and s creates a distance among them. Social class attaches a specific status with an individual of the society which may be achieved status or ascribed status. Status represents another form of inequality – standing, esteem, respect, prestige, may involve physical ability, intelligence, beauty, occupations that are ranked in order of prestige – doctors, – doctors, corporate lawyers, financial experts … to garbage col lectors and janitors.
DETERMINANTS DETERMINANTS OF SOCIAL CLASS
The determinants of social class are subjective or material items mainly but they also consist of some objective interests or belongings. A social class may be distinguished from one another depending upon many factors. These factors/determinants are greatly influenced by one’s belief, religion and personal interests. Some of the commonly commonl y agreed upon determinants of
WEALTH
It refers to money, land, assets held by a member of a society – distinction made between wealth. wealth. A social class may be discriminated on account of monetary value of all own and income earned by its members.
POWER AND INFLUENCE IN SOCIETY
Power and influence are the terms related to the degree to which one has the ability to be in charge or to rule. A social class may have national or international influence on many aspects especially economic factors.
AUTHORITY
Authority, particularly in the face of resistance, also serves as one of the factors for determining the social class.
EDUCATION AND OCCUPATION
Education level of a member of a society associates him/her to a specific social class. Education also has a direct relation with the occupation that he/she holds owing to the social class they belong to. System occupation is very important because it provides financial rewards, stability and benefits like healthcare.
SOCIAL BACKGROUND OF THEIR PARENTS
Social background of one’s parents plays an important aspect in associating an ascribed status with him/her. Usually children belong to the same social class as their parents.
STANDARD OF LIVING
A higher the standard of living is associated with the upper levels of social class hierarchy as it comes only with wealth.
LEISURE PURSUITS
The interests or hobbies of a social class differ greatly from one another. The upper hierarchy of social class has expensive leisure pursuits. Classical music, art, poetry are the leisure pursuits associated with upper class in Pakistan.
ACCENT AND DRESS
Accent and dressing style also varies among different levels of social class. This is the most observable determinant of a social class. Wearing designer clothes, learning different languages such as French and Dutch are highly common among the upper classes of many countries.
SOCIAL CIRCLE
―A man is known by the company he keeps‖, is a common saying. It also applies to determining which group of social class one belongs to. So the social circle acts as one of the factors responsible for determining one’s social class.
This kind of information is certainly useful but, again broadly speaking, many of these factors are in any case closely connected with a person’s wealth, income and occupation. For example, people who are defined as upper or upper-middle class as a result of their wealth ,income and occupation are also likely to to be well educated, to enjoy a high standard of living and expensive leisure pursuits and to mix with the kinds of people who can afford similar life styles, while consumer durables and homes are, in any case, part of individual’s personal wealth. Conversely, it is very unlikely that people in poorly paid manual work with limited personal wealth will enjoy high standards of living and expensive leisure pursuits. Therefore, in assessing people’s social class position, sociologists concentrate on income, wealth and occupation because the other factors which have been listed are in any case usually connected with income, wealth and occupation.
TYPES OF SOCIAL CLASSES
Four common social classes informally recognized in many societies are: (1) Upper class, (2) Middle class, (3) Working class (4) Lower class. THE UPPER CLASS
This class is largely categorized on the basis of o f their wealth and constitutes of employers of employers of a society. 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. They The y do not inherit wealth rather it is a fruit of their hard work or sometimes luck. e.g; Bill Gates, the owner of Microsoft Company, considered to be among one of the richest men in the world did not inherit his wealth rather he struggled and gained it. 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.e.g,Bilawal Bhutto acquired all the wealth of his mother Benazir Bhutto. Wherever their money comes from, both segments of the upper class are exceptionally rich. Both groups have more wealth and money than they could possibly spend, which leaves them with much leisure pursuits. They wear designer clothes, dress elegantly, travel in expensive cars and have their private jets. They live in exclusive neighborhoods, gather at expensive social clubs, and send their children to the finest schools and thus have high standards of living. As might be expected, they also exercise a great deal of influence and power both nationally and globally. Members of this group of social class represent institutional leadership, heads of multinational corporations, foundations, universities, owners of lands, stocks and bonds and other assets – wealth derived from what they own. THE MIDDLE CLASS
This class has been classified on account of education and constitutes mainly of employees. They divide into two levels according to wealth, education, and prestige. The lower middle class is often made up of less 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 of highly educated business and professional people with high incomes, such as doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, and CEOs.
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. Represent scientific and
technical knowledge – engineers, accountants, lawyers, architects, university faculty, managers and directors of public and private organizations. Have both high incomes and high social prestige. THE WORKING CLASS
The working class is those minimally educated people who engage in ―manual labor‖ with little or no prestige. Unskilled workers in the class — dishwashers, dishwashers, cashiers, maids, and waitresses — usually are underpaid and have no opportunity for career advancement. They are often called the carpenters, plumbers, and electricians — are are often working poor. poor. Skilled workers in this class — carpenters, called blue collar workers. 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 LOWER CLASS
The lower class is typified by poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. 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.‖
