What determines social class? Which one do you classify yourself to?

Question

I hear people say lower class, upper-middle class, middle class, etc. What does it all mean?

Answer 1

Traditionally, social class related very closely to income which also related very closely to occupation. But some years ago, Vance Packard wrote a book, THE STATUS SEEKERS, which included a number of other factors. You might find that book at Salvation Army or Goodwill, or on e-bay or Amazon.

First, let us start at the beginning. In England, your ancestors were everything. If your ancestors were royalty, you were on the top if the heap even if you were dumber than a rock. If your ancestors were comoners, you were s**t no matter how talented you were.

In the U.S., wealth was the divider, and the ambitious poor could become wealthy. So, it was preached that the US had no social class. In the 50's, our high school class advisor, one of the worst social class snobs I have ever known, told us that in class. She treated the middle class townies really good, and was just plain ornery to use poor rural kids, but she honestly believed social class did not exist.

In the 1920's, Mr. and Mrs. Lynd studied Muncie, Indiana to see what effect social class had on that city. Their book, MIDDLETOWN, USA is still required reading for anyone who wants to study social class in any manner, and is also available at times from Salvation Army or Goodwill.

They took a list of many people widely known in the city, and asked residents of all parts of the society to rate in order the social standing of the list. AND IN A NUTSHELL THAT IS WHAT SOCIAL CLASS IS: WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL WOULD BE RATED BY MOST OF HIS FELLOW CITIZENS IN RELATIONSHIP TO EVERYONE ELSE.

For example, it is rather obvious that most people would rate a college professor or M.D. higher than the person who sweeps the street.

Going by memory here, Lynds thought you could rate people by occupation. Upper class, again rather obviously the wealthy uppercrust in any community. In those days, the white collar workers were middle class. And, the blue collar workers were considered lower class, and the dirty collar workers were lower-lower class.

Packard changed that. He said there were other factors. For example, a steam fitter might make twice as much as a college professor, but a man who went bowling and guzzling beer and having f**t contests with his buddies, is still working class, and the professor is still a few notches up the ladder.

So, he added education; neighborhood where they live; recreation; political activity; and more. Packard also said at that time Blacks had their own social class structure separate from whites, and so did Farmers. He said intellectuals were able to move in any social class.

Later, Molloy wrote DRESS FOR SUCCESS which showed how people obtained good jobs or not, based on the social class appearance of their clothes. He based it on solid research.

Later yet, he wrote LIVE FOR SUCCESS in which he added posture and such things as visual signs of social class which meant people who were highly intelligent and educated and qualified might not get good jobs for how they walked or sat.

If you have ambitions, better get these books and learn them forwards and backwards.

In the factory where I worked there was terrible snobbery. I was a production worker, I got a college degree summa c-u-m laude, and passed the CPA exam, but chose not to change careers due to my new hyperactive son who needed all my attention. I was a political activist, my youngest daughter was an official of the Republican party, and the governor knew my young son by name because the little rascal volunteered for a Senate campaign. Yet, to our management and office support staff, we were lower class, and they would not let their kids play with mine. Seriously.

Not long ago, I went to the Yahoo Finance message board for that company and thanked those smart alecks for not letting their stupid brats play with mine. My eldest son is now a Ph. D.; my youngest son is in medical school; his sister -- who is dyslexic -- is working on her second Master's Degree. Their stupid brats might have contaminated my brilliant kids. Heh, heh.

If you want more detail, get a sociology text book, or read the books I have referenced. Social class is the most important determinant of your occupation and your income, and ditto for your kids after you.

By the way, my best friend in Mexico is an important doctor, who is considered upper class in his town. I am still the same Bohemian slob I have always been, but he is my best friend. He assumed from US TV that blacks are all ghetto bums. He was totally amazed when I told him at least 50% of all blacks in the US are college educated and live middle class lives. With all the politically motivated bias, our news people prefer not to make this obvious. He thought to be black meant to be a ghetto bum who sells drugs.

Answer 2

American Social Classes:
The Welfare Poor
The Working Poor
The Poor who call themselves Middle Class
The Middle Class
The Upper Middle Class that think they're Rich
The Upper Middle Class who other people think are Rich
The working Well-to-do
The Rich who think that they are taxes too much and the Middle Class isn't taxed enough.
The Rich that can afford the good accountants and pay no taxes.

I am truly Middle Class.

Answer 3

I classify myself as upper-lower class which means...we don't have to eat beans everynight, but we can only afford steak once a week.

I just checked back on some of my answers, and I have to say BRAVO RETIRED!!! That is, I believe, the most well thought out and referenced answer I have come across. My hat's off to you, buddy.

Answer 4

income, education, family...most people determine social class through income. Most of the time Lower class people would be considered poor and uneducated, upper-mid=educated, fairly wealthy, upper class=well educated, very wealthy.

It's not necessarily like this but most people see it this way.