5.1.3

Socio-Economic Class

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The Marxist Perspective on Social Class

Socio-economic status is the social standing or class of an individual or group and is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation.

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Socio-economic classes

  • Society is divided into different socio-economic classes.
  • Socio-economic status is the social standing or class of an individual or group and is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation.
  • Sociologists have different opinions on socio-economic status dependent on the particular perspective they adopt.
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Marxist perspectives

  • Karl Marx lived and wrote during the 19th century and many of his ideas are heavily influenced by the society of that time.
  • Marx identified two main classes in capitalist society:
    • The bourgeoisie (the middle classes).
    • The proletariat (the working classes).
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Means of production

  • Membership of a particular class is determined by economic factors, such as ownership and non-ownership of the means of production (e.g. factories).
  • The wealthy bourgeoisie own the means of production and the proletariat sell their labour (or work for) the bourgeoisie in order to survive.
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Alienation

  • The proletariat experience alienation under capitalism because they lack control over production and the products of their labour.
  • In other words, they don’t directly earn money from the things they produce but are provided with a wage from their bourgeoisie employers.
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Other classes

  • Other classes include:
    • The lumpenproletariat (drop-outs and criminals).
    • The petite bourgeoisie, such as small business owners.

The Marxist Perspective on Social Class

Marx identified two main classes in capitalist society: the bourgeoisie (the middle classes) and the proletariat (the working classes).

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Opposing interests

  • The two main classes have opposing interests:
    • The bourgeoisie want to increase their profits.
    • The proletariat want higher wages.
  • If the bourgeoisie raise wages, their profits will suffer, so they continue to exploit the proletariat, leading to conflict.
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Ruling class ideology

  • The position of the bourgeoisie is justified by the ruling class ideology (capitalism).
  • This ideology uses ideas like competition and the free market which disguise the reality of the exploitation.
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False class consciousness

  • The ruling class ideology leads to false class consciousness among the proletariat.
  • In other words, they are unaware of the true nature of social relationships under capitalism and that they are victims of exploitation (i.e. their employers make all the money).
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Changes

  • According to Marx, over time, the bourgeoisie would get smaller and much richer while the petite bourgeoisie would be unable to compete and become proletariat.
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Revolution

  • Marx argued that while the bourgeoisie became richer and smaller, the proletariat would get bigger and poorer and eventually rebel.
  • After the revolution, the means of production would become communally owned (owned by everyone), resulting in a classless society.

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1The Sociological Approach

1.1Introduction to Sociology

1.1.1What is Sociology?

1.1.2Culture & Socialisation

1.2Sociological Approaches

1.2.1Marxism

1.2.2Marxism 2

1.2.3Functionalism

1.2.4Feminism

1.3The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.1The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.2End of Topic Test - The Sociological Approach

2Families

2.1Functions of Families

2.1.1Functionalist Views on Family

2.1.2Marxist Views on Family

2.1.3Feminist Views on Family

2.2Family Forms

2.2.1What is a Family?

2.2.2Nuclear Family

2.2.3Families in a Global Context

2.2.4The Rapoports & Family Diversity

2.2.5Causes of Family Diversity

2.2.6End of Topic Test - Family Forms

2.3Conjugal Role Relationships

2.3.1Conjugal Roles

2.4Changing Relationships Within Families

2.4.1Timeline

2.4.2Domestic Abuse

2.4.3Symmetrical Family

2.5Criticisms of Families

2.5.1Functionalist Views of Families

2.5.2Marxist Views of Families

2.5.3Feminist Views of Families

2.5.4Declining Marriage Rate

2.5.5End of Topic Test - Criticisms of Families

2.6Divorce

2.6.1Reasons For Rise in Divorce Rate

2.6.2Consequences of Divorce

2.6.3Functionalist Views

2.6.4Marxist Views

2.6.5Feminist Views

2.6.6End of Topic Test - Divorce

3Education

3.1Roles & Functions of Education

3.1.1The Functionalist Approach

3.1.2Evaluating Different Perspectives

3.1.3Types of School

3.1.4Alternative Education

3.1.5State & Private Schools

3.2Processes Within Schools

3.2.1Internal Processes

3.2.2External Processes

3.3Educational Achievement

3.3.1Measuring Educational Success

3.3.2Social Class & Education

3.3.3Social Class & External Factors

3.3.4Gender & Education

3.3.5Ethnicity & Education

3.3.6Parental Choice

3.3.7History of UK Education Policy

3.3.8Recent UK Education Policy

3.3.9End of Topic Test - Education

4Crime & Deviance

4.1The Social Construction of Crime

4.1.1Defining Crime & Deviance

4.1.2Sociological Explanations of Crime

4.1.3Interactionist Explanations of Crime

4.1.4Alternative Explanations of Crime

4.2Social Control

4.2.1Informal Social Control

4.2.2Formal Social Control

4.2.3End of Topic Test - Social Construction of Crime

4.3Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

4.3.1Explanations of Crime

4.3.2Social Class & Crime

4.3.3Gender & Crime

4.3.4Ethnicity & Crime

4.3.5Age & Crime

4.3.6Criminal Responsibility

4.3.7The Prison System

4.3.8Media Reporting of Crime

4.3.9Functionalist Explanations of Crime

4.4Data on Crime

4.4.1Measuring Crime

4.4.2End of Topic Test - Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

5Social Stratification

5.1Social Stratification

5.1.1What is Social Stratification?

5.1.2Functionalism

5.1.3Socio-Economic Class

5.1.4Socio-Economic Class 2

5.1.5Life Chances

5.1.6The Affluent Worker

5.1.7End of Topic Test - Social Stratifictaion

5.2Poverty as a Social Issue

5.2.1Defining Poverty

5.2.2Factors Affecting Poverty

5.2.3Explanations of Poverty

5.2.4Impact of Globalisation

5.2.5End of Topic Test - Poverty as a Social Issue

5.3Power & Authority

5.3.1Weber

5.3.2Sociological Perspectives

5.3.3Power Relationships

5.3.4End of Topic Test - Power & Authority

6Sociological Research Methods

6.1Research Methods

6.1.1Research Design

6.1.2The Scientific Method

6.1.3Other Considerations

6.1.4Primary Sources

6.1.5Secondary Sources

6.1.6Surveys

6.1.7Sampling

6.1.8Questionnaires

6.1.9Interviews

6.1.10Observation

6.1.11Statistics

6.1.12Case Studies

6.1.13Longitudinal Studies

6.1.14Ethnography

6.1.15Experiments

6.1.16Small Scale Research

6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods

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Functionalism

Socio-Economic Class 2