⒈ Class In America Analysis
American society is stratified into social classes based on wealth, income, educational attainment, occupation, and social networks. Income Distribution by Education : Class In America Analysis graph illustrates Class In America Analysis unequal Breaking Up America Case Study Class In America Analysis income between groups with different levels of educational Bilrusher The Vero River Analysis. Are there any Class In America Analysis where various classes intermingle? In relation to this. Many have college degrees, usually from the less prestigious colleges, but many also have 2-year degrees or only a high school degree.
How Class Works -- by Richard Wolff
Social classes are hierarchical groupings of individuals that are usually based on wealth, educational attainment, occupation, income, or membership in a subculture or social network. Social class in the United States is a controversial issue, having many competing definitions, models, and even disagreements over its very existence. Many Americans recognize a simple three-tier model that includes the upper class, the middle class, and the lower or working class. Some social scientists have proposed more complex models that may include as many as a dozen class levels. Meanwhile, some scholars deny the very existence of discrete social classes in American society. In spite of debate, most social scientists do agree that in the U.
A team of sociologists recently posited that there are six social classes in America. This model has gained traction as a tool for thinking about social classes in America, but it does not fully account for variations in status based on non-economic factors, such as education and occupational prestige. This critique is somewhat mitigated by the fact that income is often closely aligned with other indicators of status; for example, those with high incomes likely have substantial education, high status occupations, and powerful social networks.
United States Social Classes : While social scientists offer competing models of class structure, most agree that society is stratified by occupation, income, and educational attainment. A commonly used model for thinking about social classes in the U. In the above outline of social class, status clearly depends not only on income, but also occupational prestige and educational attainment. In other words, membership in a particular social class is based on educational and career accomplishments. Many sociologists dispute the existence of such class mobility and point to the ways in which social class is inherited.
Likewise, being born into a particular social class may confer advantages or disadvantages that increase the likelihood that an adult will remain in the social class into which they were born. Social theorists who dispute the existence of social classes in the U. In other words, there is inequality in America, with some people attaining higher status and higher standards of living than others. But there is no clear place to draw a line separating one status group from the next. Whether one ascribes to the view that classes are discrete groups or levels along a continuum, it is important to remember that all social classes in the United States, except the upper class, consist of tens of millions of people.
Many politicians, heirs to fortunes, top business executives such as CEOs, successful venture capitalists, and celebrities are considered members of the upper class. Some prominent and high-rung professionals may also be included if they attain great influence and wealth. The main distinguishing feature of this class is their source of income. While the vast majority of people and households derive their income from salaries, those in the upper class derive their income primarily from investments and capital gains. Other contemporary sociologists, such as Dennis Gilbert, argue that this group is not part of the upper class but rather part of the upper middle class, as its standard of living is largely derived from occupation-generated income and its affluence falls far short of that attained by the top percentile.
The super-rich, according to Beeghley, are those able to live off their wealth without depending on occupation-derived income. This demographic constitutes roughly 0. The top. The upper-middle class refers to people within the middle class that have high educational attainment, high salaries, and high status jobs. According to the rubric laid out by sociologist Max Weber, the upper-middle class consists of well-educated professionals with graduate degrees and comfortable incomes. In , sociologist C. Wright Mills conducted one of first major studies of the middle class in America. According to his definition, the middle class consists of an upper-middle class, made up of professionals distinguished by exceptionally high educational attainment and high economic security; and a lower-middle class, consisting of semi-professionals.
While the groups overlap, differences between those at the center of both groups are considerable. Among modern sociologists, the American upper-middle class is defined using income, education, and occupation as primary indicators. The U. The most common professions of the upper-middle class tend to center on conceptualizing, consulting, and instruction. They include such occupations as lawyer, physician, dentist, engineer, professor, architect, civil service executive, and civilian contractor. Many members of the upper-middle class have graduate degrees, such as law, business, or medical degrees, which are often required for professional occupations.
Educational attainment is a distinguishing feature of the upper-middle class. In addition to autonomy in their work, above-average incomes, and advanced educations, the upper middle class also tends to be powerful; members are influential in setting trends and shaping public opinion. Moreover, members of the upper-middle class are generally more economically secure than their lower-middle class counterparts. Holding advanced degrees and high status in corporations and institutions tends to insulate the upper-middle class from economic downturns.
University Campus : Advanced education is one of the most distinguishing features of the upper-middle class. The lower-middle class are those with some education and comfortable salaries, but with socioeconomic statuses below the upper-middle class. In developed nations across the world, the lower-middle class is a sub-division of the middle class that refers to households and individuals who are somewhat educated and usually stably employed, but who have not attained the education, occupational prestige, or income of the upper-middle class. In American society, the middle class is often divided into the lower-middle class and upper-middle class. The lower-middle class also sometimes simply referred to as the middle class consists of roughly one third of households—it is roughly twice as large as the upper-middle and upper classes.
The lower-middle class is among the largest social classes, rivaled only by the working class, and it is thought to be growing. Individuals in the lower-middle class tend to hold low status professional or white collar jobs, such as school teacher, nurse, or paralegal. These types of occupations usually require some education but generally do not require a graduate degree. Lower-middle class occupations usually provide comfortable salaries, but put individuals beneath the top third of incomes. Elementary School Teacher : Primary school teachers are generally considered lower-middle class. They usually hold college degrees, but often do not hold graduate degrees; they make comfortable incomes, but have low accumulated wealth; their work is largely self-directed, but is not high status.
According to some class models the lower middle class is located roughly between the 52 nd and 84 th percentile of society. The working class consists of individuals and households with low educational attainment, low status occupations, and below average incomes. Explain how differences in class culture may affect working-class students who enter the post-secondary education system. Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs as measured by skill, education, and income , often extending to those who are unemployed or otherwise earning below-average incomes.
Working classes are mainly found in industrialized economies and in the urban areas of non-industrialized economies. In the United States, the parameters of the working class remain vaguely defined and are contentious. In the class models devised by sociologists, the working class comprises between 30 percent and 35 percent of the population, roughly the same percentage as the lower middle class. Those in the working class are commonly employed in low-skilled occupations, including clerical and retail positions and blue collar or manual labor occupations. Low-level, white-collar employees are sometimes included in this class, such as secretaries and call center employees. Education, for example, can pose an especially intransigent barrier in the United States.
Brett Wilkins. As the bombshell Pandora Papers continue to expose dubious details about how the world's superrich hide their fortunes and avoid paying their fair share of taxes, Bloomberg on Friday published an analysis of U. According to Bloomberg :. According to the Fed data, 1. The middle class' share of real estate, equities, and private businesses has also steadily declined in recent decades. The Bloomberg report also comes amid ongoing revelations from the Pandora Papers, a tremendous trove of nearly 12 million documents whose contents include details about how the U.
Because of people like you, another world is possible. There are many battles to be won, but we will battle them together—all of us. Common Dreams is not your normal news site. We don't survive on clicks. We don't want advertising dollars. We want the world to be a better place. But we can't do it alone.
DeNavas-Walt, C. Some prominent and high-rung professionals Class In America Analysis also be included if they attain great influence and wealth. As we saw earlier, the degree of vertical social mobility is a key distinguishing feature of systems of stratification.