Hierarchy of Social Classes People are grouped into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the upper, middle and lower classes. Each of these social categories is defined below. Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of the wealthiest members of society, who also wield the greatest political power, e.g. the President of South Africa. Features of the upper class • It is a small fraction of the population. • Some inherited wealth (born and bred in riches) but some is out of hard work e.g. the South African TV comedian, Trevor Noah. • Some have college education, some little or no college education. In most cases, those who have inherited wealth have either little or no college education; to them it’s all about gaining experience and being at the top. Consumption behaviour of the upper …show more content…
Lower class refers to a class of people below the middle class, having the lowest social rank or standing due to low income, lack of skills or education, and the like. Features of the lower class • As mentioned above, people in the lower class are unskilled and have no college education. • They are unemployed, if employed they work in manual jobs such as domestic, mining, gardening, or construction work. Consumption behaviour of the lower class • They normally buy groceries once a month, just after the payday e.g. SASSA card holders buy groceries on the 1st of every month – that is why store s targeting lower class are always packed during the first week of the month. • These people spend on the basics; things that they need. Retailers such as GOAL, Striker, and Boxer offer COMBOS (e.g. 10KG of Rice, Sugar, Flour, Maize Meal and 2L of Fish Oil at a price of R399.99). These retailers 12 understand their target market and that is why they try so hard to make them satisfied.
Mantisos in his article, The Class America, talks about how people avoid speaking about social class, describes the economic spectrum, the lifestyles of Americans, and power and oppression. The only class America likes to talk about is the middle class and whether they think it exists or not. People avoid the subject of class because they like to think it does not matter. The trust is it most definitely does and there are so many advantages to being in a higher class than others. The economic spectrum in which we live in is described in depth by Mantisos.
I learnt through a presentation performed by 2 people on Medieval day about the social structure of Medieval European society. The Medieval European feudal system that was used to classify every human in a social class that was used over a period of a 100 years. The amount of goods you provided and how loyal you were to someone of a higher rank allowed you to gain protection and more. What you were decided what class you were considered to fit.
Class is a social system of hierarchy based on economic wealth. Joseph O. Jewell, author of Race, Social Reform, and the Making of a Middle Class: The American Missionary Association and Black Atlanta, 1870-1900, explains class as to “exist in large part as cultures-shared set of rules, ideologies, or
The upper class is on the top of the social class and are the “wealthiest”. Certain stereotypes of upper class have been their appearance of being well dressed with expensive clothing. They are seen to have expensive lifestyles expensive vacations. Their behavior
In America after World War Two, citizens were split between classes based on their economic stability. Americans today still look at these classes and define these people as better off or worse off than the next person. Why do people judge others for having less money than them? Why do employers send lower class citizen away when they need the money the most? These are some question that citizens in the lower or middle class have when they are looking at their position in America’s economic system.
There is lower, middle, and upper class, but there are also subcategories that fill the gaps in between, like the impoverished and the top one percenters. “Class in America”, written by Gregory Mantsios, addresses the myths and realities about socioeconomic class in America and how they affect American lives. His article highlights the unequal divide that has persisted over the course of history and will continue to manifest in the future. To introduce the existence of this issue, Mantsios states that this country’s citizens “don’t like to talk about class...or class privileges, or class oppression, or the class nature of society” (Mantsios 378). This is the case in America today because people are neglecting to acknowledge the existence of these elusive
The first social class is called the lower class. In the lower class, there are two levels; working poor and underclass. The people in the lower class are right above poverty and have trouble being able to hold their own. In the working poor section of the class, the people in it are in the higher part of the lower class.
Often, individuals with higher income have flexible regarding purchases considering that they have enough financial power to use on basic needs and to save. As a result, such individuals are expected to buy the company products in bulk or more frequently irrespective of the price of the products. On the other side, low-income earners are not expected to purchase the company products in bulk or frequently. Nevertheless, consumer income is widely affected by the rate of inflation which determines the amount of money they receive as salaries and wages as well as the prices of the company’s product. Inflation is widely defined as the continued increase in prices of products and consumers.
You are more likely to see the upper class define themselves proudly rather than people of a lower class. The only thing that hasn’t been discussed is the fact that the opportunities given to the higher social classes use that to their advantage. David Brooks argues in his piece “How We Are Ruining America” that the upper-middle class parents’ hinder the same educational opportunities of children of a lower social class because upper-middle class parents make it their priority to invest in their children’s education. Upper-middle class parents want to make sure their kids maintain their status and do not fall
Present at least two different sociological approaches to social inequality and discuss these approaches with reference to a concrete problem area of contemporary relevance. Social inequality can be found in various aspects of society, the question is if inequality is only caused by the lack of economical estate or if other reasons are underlining it. This essay argues how Max Weber distinguishes between social class and strata and how one often leads to the other. Furthermore, it presents Pierre Bourdieu’s notions of habitus, capital and fields as an explanation of how people can achieve different social statuses within different fields because of their capitals. At last, the two different sociological approaches to social inequality is used to analyze the case of non-traditional students at Australian universities and how they are socially disadvantaged compared to traditional students because of their lack economical support, language skills, educational skills and social relations.
Many Americans believe in a simple class system which includes the rich, middle, and poor. People are ranked in social classes based on their yearly income and wages. The “upper class” are the star-bellied sneetches who have prestige. High class people think they are more superior over the working and lower classes. They have more power to control a person’s decision.
The lower class works for their living and spends what money they have on things they need. Whereas the upper class, usually has a higher education and better paying jobs than the other classes in America. Thus, heritage plays a big part in reasons of social classes.
1. How does information technology affect socioeconomic disparities? Explain your answer. Information technology affects socioeconomic disparities because minorities are eliminating socioeconomic disparities rather than reinforcing it by implementing the new technology. Overtime the cost of technology has decreased because of all the advancement, making it easier for minorities to get access to new technology with them being more economically efficient and affordable.
Socioeconomic status is a measurement of a person’s occupation, income and education levels. In most cases, socioeconomic status is perceived as social standing or financial class of an individual. Additionally, it is mostly based on power, influence and control that an individual has over others. Socioeconomic status is a fundamental variable utilized in discerning inequalities particularly in accessing and distributing public resources. Social standing is applicable in a wide range of realms such as behavioral factors as well as social sciences.
Social classes are a form of social stratification that refers to the existence of structured inequalities between individuals and groups in society. A social class is a group of people of comparable status, power and wealth which are usually classified as upper class, middle class, and lower class. For each class, there are some specific opportunities available that influence their social life. We can understand about the particularity of the chances through unequal distribution of these opportunities between individuals in social classes. In here belonging to a social class seems to be an obstacle for some individuals to obtain equal opportunity, unlike upper class people.