Social class and identity

Overview

Social class and status symbols.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Define social class.

   Model answer

   A social class is a group of people sharing a similar economic position, occupation and standard of living, and often a similar way of life and outlook.

2. 2

   How did Marx define class?

   Model answer

   Marx defined class by the relationship to the means of production, dividing capitalist society into the bourgeoisie, who own it, and the proletariat, who own only their labour power.

3. 3

   How did Weber's account of class differ from that of Marx?

   Model answer

   Weber accepted that economic position matters but added status and party, arguing that prestige and organised power create divisions that ownership alone cannot explain.

4. 4

   How does the school a person attended signal their class position?

   Model answer

   Attendance at an independent or selective school confers networks, accent and cultural confidence that continue to mark class position long after schooling ends.

5. 5

   How is social class measured officially in Britain?

   Model answer

   The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification groups people by occupation and employment conditions, from higher managerial and professional work through to routine occupations and the long-term unemployed.

6. 6

   How does Bourdieu explain the reproduction of class identity?

   Model answer

   Bourdieu argued that each class has a habitus of tastes and dispositions, and that the dominant class's cultural capital is rewarded by schools and employers, so advantage is passed on as though it were merit.

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