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.

Socio-economic classes

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.
Marxist perspectives

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).
Means of production

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.
Alienation

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.
Other classes

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).

Opposing interests

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.
Ruling class ideology

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.
False class consciousness

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).
Changes

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.
Revolution

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.
Jump to other topics
1

The Sociological Approach

1.1

Introduction to Sociology

1.1.1What is Sociology?1.1.2Culture & Socialisation
1.2

Sociological Approaches

1.2.1Marxism1.2.2Marxism 21.2.3Functionalism1.2.4Feminism
1.3

The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.1The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate1.3.2End of Topic Test - The Sociological Approach
2

Families

2.1

Functions of Families

2.1.1Functionalist Views on Family2.1.2Marxist Views on Family2.1.3Feminist Views on Family
2.2

Family Forms

2.2.1What is a Family?2.2.2Nuclear Family2.2.3Families in a Global Context2.2.4The Rapoports & Family Diversity2.2.5Causes of Family Diversity2.2.6End of Topic Test - Family Forms
2.3

Conjugal Role Relationships

2.3.1Conjugal Roles
2.4

Changing Relationships Within Families

2.4.1Timeline2.4.2Domestic Abuse2.4.3Symmetrical Family
2.5

Criticisms of Families

2.5.1Functionalist Views of Families2.5.2Marxist Views of Families2.5.3Feminist Views of Families2.5.4Declining Marriage Rate2.5.5End of Topic Test - Criticisms of Families
2.6

Divorce

2.6.1Reasons For Rise in Divorce Rate2.6.2Consequences of Divorce2.6.3Functionalist Views2.6.4Marxist Views2.6.5Feminist Views2.6.6End of Topic Test - Divorce
3

Education

3.1

Roles & Functions of Education

3.1.1The Functionalist Approach3.1.2Evaluating Different Perspectives3.1.3Types of School3.1.4Alternative Education3.1.5State & Private Schools
3.2

Processes Within Schools

3.2.1Internal Processes3.2.2External Processes
3.3

Educational Achievement

3.3.1Measuring Educational Success3.3.2Social Class & Education3.3.3Social Class & External Factors3.3.4Gender & Education3.3.5Ethnicity & Education3.3.6Parental Choice3.3.7History of UK Education Policy3.3.8Recent UK Education Policy3.3.9End of Topic Test - Education
4

Crime & Deviance

4.1

The Social Construction of Crime

4.1.1Defining Crime & Deviance4.1.2Sociological Explanations of Crime4.1.3Interactionist Explanations of Crime4.1.4Alternative Explanations of Crime
4.2

Social Control

4.2.1Informal Social Control4.2.2Formal Social Control4.2.3End of Topic Test - Social Construction of Crime
4.3

Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

4.3.1Explanations of Crime4.3.2Social Class & Crime4.3.3Gender & Crime4.3.4Ethnicity & Crime4.3.5Age & Crime4.3.6Criminal Responsibility4.3.7The Prison System4.3.8Media Reporting of Crime4.3.9Functionalist Explanations of Crime
4.4

Data on Crime

4.4.1Measuring Crime4.4.2End of Topic Test - Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5

Social Stratification

5.1

Social Stratification

5.1.1What is Social Stratification?5.1.2Functionalism5.1.3Socio-Economic Class5.1.4Socio-Economic Class 25.1.5Life Chances5.1.6The Affluent Worker5.1.7End of Topic Test - Social Stratifictaion
5.2

Poverty as a Social Issue

5.2.1Defining Poverty5.2.2Factors Affecting Poverty5.2.3Explanations of Poverty5.2.4Impact of Globalisation5.2.5End of Topic Test - Poverty as a Social Issue
5.3

Power & Authority

5.3.1Weber5.3.2Sociological Perspectives5.3.3Power Relationships5.3.4End of Topic Test - Power & Authority
6

Sociological Research Methods

6.1

Research Methods

6.1.1Research Design6.1.2The Scientific Method6.1.3Other Considerations6.1.4Primary Sources6.1.5Secondary Sources6.1.6Surveys6.1.7Sampling6.1.8Questionnaires6.1.9Interviews6.1.10Observation6.1.11Statistics6.1.12Case Studies6.1.13Longitudinal Studies6.1.14Ethnography6.1.15Experiments6.1.16Small Scale Research6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods

Practice questions on Socio-Economic Class

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    According to Marxism, which social class would small business owners fall into?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Socio-economic classes according to Marx:Fill in the list
  3. 3
    Opposing interests of the social classes:True / false
  4. 4
    Marx's predictions:Fill in the list
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Functionalism

Socio-Economic Class 2