Socio-Economic Class 2
Sociology: AQA GCSE, topic 5.1.4
Weber and 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.
The labour market
- Max Weber argued that classes are formed in the labour market, where one class of people hires labour and another sells their labour.
- The process of hiring labour and rewards (or life chances) from this hiring and selling of labour are crucial in explaining class.
Defining class
- According to Weber, a class is a group of people who have similar life chances, such as being successful in life and opportunities in education, health, and other areas.
Four social classes
- Weber identified four main social classes:
- Property owners.
- Professionals.
- The petite bourgeoisie (such as shopkeepers.)
- The working class.
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Life chances
- Different classes have different market situations or life chances in the labour (job) market.
- Working class people share similar life chances in the labour market but have different life chances from property owners.
Economic resources
- Weber agreed with Marx that class is based on the distribution of economic resources such as wealth.
- He also stressed the importance of non-economic factors like status and power (political influence) in determining life chances.
Non-economic factors
- Different groups are identified by the prestige attached to their lifestyle and each of the four classes had a different amount of status, wealth and power.
- A person’s status may differ from their class, or economic, position – even members of the aristocracy may not be wealthy landowners but their title (such as Lord or Lady) give them status.
Social Class in Contemporary Britain
In Britain today, social class is more often referred to as socio-economic status and it is seen as the main form of stratification.
Social class
- In Britain today, social class is more often referred to as socio-economic status and it is seen as the main form of stratification.
- Social class in Britain is based in economic factors (e.g. occupation).
Occupation
- Occupation is used to measure class because it is linked to levels of pay, working conditions and status.
Subjective class
- Subjective class refers to how people see themselves in class terms.
Social class in Britain
- There are three social classes in Britain:
- The working class.
- Middle class.
- Upper class.
- Although some New Right thinkers argue that Britain also has an underclass.
Sources of inequality
- In class-based societies, gender, ethnicity and age are all sources of inequality.
- E.g. middle-class men and women may have different life chances in relation to pay and promotion at work.