Socio-economic Class » Class Divisions in Society

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

How socio-economic class is defined and measured
The main class divisions in UK society
How class affects life chances and opportunities
Different sociological perspectives on class
How to analyse class inequality using sociological concepts

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Introduction to Socio-economic Class

Socio-economic 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 and many other countries, your class position can affect almost every aspect of your life - from your education and job prospects to your health and even how long you might live!

Key Definitions:

Social class: A way of categorising people based on their economic position, occupation, income, wealth, education and social status.
Social stratification: The way society is divided into different layers or strata.
Life chances: The opportunities people have to improve their quality of life.
Social mobility: The movement of individuals or groups from one social class to another.

📈 How is class measured?

Sociologists use different ways to measure class:

Occupation-based: What job you do (most common method)
Income-based: How much money you earn
Wealth-based: What assets you own (property, savings, etc.)
Education-based: Your qualifications and education level
Cultural factors: Your tastes, interests and lifestyle

👥 Why class matters

Your class position can affect:

Educational achievement
Job opportunities
Income and wealth
Health and life expectancy
Housing quality
Access to services
Political power and influence

Class Divisions in UK Society

The UK has traditionally been seen as having a class system. While it's changed over time, clear divisions still exist. Let's look at how sociologists categorise these divisions.

Traditional Class Model

Historically, sociologists often used a three-tier model of class:

👑 Upper Class

The wealthy elite who own significant property, businesses or inherited wealth. Often associated with aristocracy, landed gentry and the super-rich. Makes up about 1-2% of UK population.

💼 Middle Class

Professional and managerial workers with higher education qualifications. Includes doctors, lawyers, teachers, managers. About 30-40% of UK population.

👷 Working Class

Manual and routine workers, often in jobs requiring less formal education. Includes factory workers, retail staff, cleaners. Traditionally about 60% of UK population.

Modern Class Classifications

Today, sociologists use more detailed models that better reflect our complex society. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) uses a system with 7 categories:

Higher managerial and professional (e.g., CEOs, doctors, lawyers)
Lower managerial and professional (e.g., teachers, nurses, middle managers)
Intermediate occupations (e.g., office workers, secretaries)
Small employers and own account workers (e.g., small business owners)
Lower supervisory and technical (e.g., plumbers, electricians, supervisors)
Semi-routine occupations (e.g., shop assistants, care workers)
Routine occupations (e.g., cleaners, labourers, bar staff)

Case Study Focus: The Great British Class Survey (2013)

In 2013, the BBC conducted a massive survey with over 161,000 people to map class in the UK. Working with sociologists, they identified 7 new class categories:

Elite: The most privileged group with high levels of all three types of capital (economic, cultural and social)
Established middle class: The second wealthiest group, with high cultural capital
Technical middle class: A new, small class with high economic capital but fewer social connections
New affluent workers: A young, socially and culturally active group
Traditional working class: Often older people with lower levels of all capitals
Emergent service workers: A new, young urban group with low economic capital but high social and cultural capital
Precariat: The most deprived class, facing multiple disadvantages

This study showed that class is more complex than just income or occupation - it includes your social connections (who you know) and cultural interests (what you like).

Sociological Perspectives on Class

Different sociological theories have different views on class and its importance:

📝 Marxist Perspective

Karl Marx saw class as based on your relationship to the means of production (factories, businesses, etc.):

Bourgeoisie: The ruling class who own the means of production
Proletariat: The working class who sell their labour

Marx believed this relationship creates exploitation and conflict. He predicted the working class would eventually overthrow capitalism in a revolution.

📖 Weberian Perspective

Max Weber had a more complex view, seeing class as based on:

Class: Economic position and market situation
Status: Prestige and honour in society
Party: Political power and influence

Weber saw these as separate but related aspects of inequality, making his view more nuanced than Marx's.

Functionalist Perspective

Functionalists like Talcott Parsons see class inequality as necessary for society to function properly. They argue:

Different jobs require different skills and training
More important jobs deserve higher rewards
Inequality motivates people to work hard and gain skills
This creates a meritocracy where people are rewarded based on their abilities and efforts

Critics say this ignores how privilege and disadvantage are passed down through generations, limiting true meritocracy.

Class and Life Chances

Your class position significantly affects your opportunities in life. Research consistently shows class-based inequalities in:

🏫 Education

Children from higher social classes are more likely to achieve better grades, go to university and attend prestigious schools. For example, in 2019, 26.3% of students eligible for free school meals achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs, compared to 49.9% of all other pupils.

🏥 Health

People from lower social classes tend to have worse health outcomes and shorter life expectancy. Men in the most deprived areas of England live 9.4 years less than those in the least deprived areas, while for women the gap is 7.6 years.

💰 Income

Income inequality in the UK remains high. The richest 10% of households hold 44% of all wealth, while the poorest 50% own just 9%. The gap between the highest and lowest paid has grown wider over the past 40 years.

Social Mobility in the UK

Social mobility refers to how easy it is to move between social classes. The UK has relatively low social mobility compared to other developed countries:

Only 12% of people born to low-income families make it to high-income groups as adults
Children from professional backgrounds are 3 times more likely to get professional jobs than those from working-class backgrounds with the same qualifications
The Social Mobility Commission calls the UK a "postcode lottery" where your chances depend heavily on where you grow up

This suggests that despite the idea of meritocracy, the UK class system remains quite rigid, with advantages and disadvantages often passed down through generations.

Class in Contemporary Britain

While some argue that class is becoming less important in modern Britain, evidence suggests it still shapes our lives in significant ways:

Changing work patterns: The decline of traditional industries has changed the nature of the working class, with more people in service jobs rather than manufacturing
Precarious work: The growth of zero-hours contracts, gig economy jobs and temporary work has created new forms of class insecurity
Cultural capital: Class is increasingly expressed through cultural tastes, lifestyle choices and consumption patterns
Intersectionality: Class interacts with other factors like gender, ethnicity and disability to create complex patterns of advantage and disadvantage

Understanding class divisions remains essential for making sense of inequality in UK society. While the way we talk about and experience class may have changed, the fundamental divisions between those with more and less resources, opportunities and power continue to shape our social world.

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