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Unlock This CourseSocial class is one of the most important concepts in sociology. It helps us understand how society is organised and why some people have more advantages than others. In the UK, social class continues to shape many aspects of our lives - from education and health to the jobs we do and even how long we live!
Key Definitions:
Understanding social class helps us explain why some people have better access to education, healthcare and jobs than others. It also helps us understand patterns of inequality and how they might be addressed through social policies.
Social class affects almost every aspect of our lives - from the schools we attend and the jobs we do, to our health, the way we speak, our hobbies and even our life expectancy. It's not just about money, but also about culture, connections and opportunities.
Sociologists have different ways of understanding social class. Let's look at three major perspectives:
Karl Marx (1818-1883) saw society as divided into two main classes:
The capitalist class who own the means of production (factories, businesses, land). They make profit by exploiting workers.
The working class who sell their labour to survive. They have little control over their work and are exploited.
For Marx, class was based purely on economic factors - specifically, your relationship to the means of production. He believed that class conflict between these two groups would eventually lead to revolution and a classless society.
Max Weber (1864-1920) expanded on Marx's ideas, arguing that class was more complex and involved three dimensions:
Economic position based on wealth, income and market position.
Social prestige and honour, which might not always match economic position.
The ability to get your way despite resistance from others.
Weber's approach helps explain why someone might be high in one dimension but lower in others - like a university professor who has high status but a moderate income.
Functionalists like Talcott Parsons see social stratification (including class divisions) as necessary and beneficial for society. They argue that:
Critics say this view ignores how privilege is passed down through generations and justifies inequality.
How do we actually measure social class? In the UK, several different systems are used:
For many years, sociologists used these categories:
The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification is now widely used in official statistics and research. It categorises people based on their occupation and employment status:
In 2013, the BBC conducted the largest ever survey of social class in the UK, with over 161,000 respondents. Working with sociologists, they identified seven new social classes based not just on occupation and income, but also on social and cultural capital:
This research showed that class in modern Britain is more complex than traditional models suggest, with cultural tastes and social networks playing important roles alongside economic factors.
Your social class significantly affects your opportunities and outcomes in life. Research consistently shows class-based inequalities in:
Children from working-class backgrounds are less likely to achieve high grades, attend university, or enter prestigious institutions compared to middle-class peers.
People from lower socio-economic groups have shorter life expectancy (up to 9 years difference), higher rates of chronic illness and poorer mental health.
Working-class people face higher unemployment rates, less job security, lower wages and fewer opportunities for advancement.
Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals or groups from one social class to another. It's often seen as a measure of how fair and open a society is.
Research suggests that social mobility in the UK is lower than in many other developed countries. Your parents' social class remains a strong predictor of your own life outcomes. The Social Mobility Commission has highlighted that:
Social class remains a powerful force in British society, though it has changed in many ways:
This influential book showed that more unequal societies (with bigger gaps between social classes) tend to have worse outcomes across a range of measures including health, education, crime and social trust. The researchers found that reducing inequality benefits everyone in society, not just those at the bottom. Their work suggests that class divisions affect the wellbeing of entire societies, not just individuals.
Social class remains one of the most significant factors shaping people's lives in the UK today. While some argue that class boundaries have blurred in recent decades, research consistently shows that your family background continues to influence your education, health, income and life chances. Understanding social class is essential for making sense of patterns of inequality and developing policies to create a fairer society.