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In the United States, sociologists Dennis Gilbert, James Henslin, William Thompson and Joseph Hickey have brought forth class models in which the working class constitutes roughly one third of the population with the majority of the population being either working or lower class.[1][2][3]
HistoryIn feudal Europe, and other pre-capitalist societies, the working class as such did not exist in large numbers. Instead, society conceived those engaged in manual labour as laboring classes, a group which united different professions, trades and labors together. In Europe, a lawyer, craftsman and unskilled peasant were all considered to be part of the same social unit, a "third estate" of non-nobles who were not church officials. Similar hierarchies existed outside Europe. The social position of these laboring classes was viewed as natural and ordained by deities. This social position was contested, particularly by peasants, for example during the German Peasants War. In the late 18th century, the European society was in a state of change, and this change could not be reconciled with the idea of a changeless god-created social order. Wealthy members of these societies created ideologies which blamed many of the problems of working-class people on the morals and ethics of the working class themselves (i.e. excessive consumption of alcohol, perceived laziness and inability to save money).
DefinitionsDefinitions of social classes reflect a number of sociological perspectives, informed by anthropology, economics, psychology and sociology. The major perspectives historically have been Marxism and Functionalism. The parameters which define working class depend on the schema used to define social class. For example, a simple stratum model of class might divide society into a simple hierarchy of lower class, middle class and upper class with working class not specifically designated. Due to the political interest in the working class, debate has been raging over the nature of the working class since the early 19th century. Two broad schools of definitions emerge, those aligned with 20th century sociological stratum models of class society, and those aligned with the 19th century historical materialism economic models of the Marxists and Anarchists. As the concept of the working class is important in Marxist, Anarchist and Socialist thought, there is a great deal of political interest in the precise definition of who the working class is. Key points of commonality amongst various ideas include the idea that there is one working class, even though it may be internally divided. The idea of one single working class should be contrasted with 18th century conceptions of many laboring classes. Marxist DefinitionKarl Marx defined the "working class" or proletariat as the multitude of individuals who sell their labor power for wages and do not own the means of production, and he believed them responsible for creating the wealth of a society. For example, the members of this class physically build bridges, craft furniture, fix cars, grow food, and nurse children, but do not themselves own the land, factories or means of production. A sub-section of the proletariat, the lumpenproletariat (rag-proletariat,) are the extremely poor and unemployed, such as day laborers and the homeless). Marx himself argued that it was the goal of the proletariat itself to displace the capitalist system with socialism, changing the social relationships underpinning the class system and then developing into a future communist society in which: "..the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all." Communist Manifesto. Key issues in Marxist arguments about working class membership include:
The Answers are:
Other DefinitionsIdentification of a person as a member of the working class is often based on the nature of the work performed (blue collar/white collar) by the person, the income of the person, and the extent of formal education that the person has completed. However, studies of social class generally include other traits, such as the basis for the person's access to the means of production, or amount of control that the person has over his work environment. Working class people are generally paid wages, usually on a weekly or monthly basis. In popular American political discourse, medium-income skilled laborers and tradespeople are termed "middle class" despite having minimal investment income, as are college-educated white collar workers. Explanations for the situation of the working class have varied dramatically over the centuries and are still hotly contested. The main points of contention are what causes an individual to be a member of the working class, and what are the causes for troubles faced by the working class. American Working Class
In the United States, the concept of a working class remains vaguely defined. As many members of the working class, as defined by academic models, are often identified in the vernacular as being middle class, there is considerable ambiguity over the term's meaning. Sociologists such as Dennis Gilbert and Joseph Kahl see the working class as the most populous in the United States,[2] while other sociolgists such as William Thompson, Joseph Hickey and James Henslin deem the lower middle class slightly more populous.[1][3] In the class models devised by these sociologists, the working class comprises between 30% and 35% of the population, roughly the same percentages as the lower middle class. According to the class model by Dennis Gilbert, the working class compromises those between the 25th and 55th percentile of society. Those in the working class are commonly employed in clerical, retail sales and low skill manual labor occupations. It should be noted that low-level white collar employees are included in this class. Economic and occupational insecurity have become a major problem for working class employes. While out-sourcing has brought considerable economic insecurity to working class employess in the "traditional" blue collar fields, there is an ever increasing demand for service personnel, including clerical and retail occupations.[2]
The socio-economic disposition of this class is largely a result of lacking educational attainment, which has become more and more essential in the American economy. Members of the working class commonly have a high school diploma and few have some or any college education. With the increasing complexity of the nation's economy, more and more employers require their clerical staff to attain at least some post-secondary education, which in turn provides increased opportunity for working class employees. Due to differences between middle and working class culture and value systems, working class college students may face "culture shock" upon entering the post-secondary education system.[4] Research conducted by sociologist Melvin Kohn showed that working class values emphasized external standards, such as obedience and a strong respect for authority as well as little tolerance for deviance. This is opposed to middle class individuals who emphazised internal standards, self-direction, curiosity and a tolerance for non-conformity.[2] A class-cultural difference between working and middle class culture noted by other social scientists and professors such as Barbara Jensen shows that middle class culture tends to be highly individualistic while working class culture tends to center around the community.[4] Such cultural value differences are closely linked to an individual's occupation. Working class employees tend to be closely supervised and thus emphasize external values and obedience. One does need to note, however, that there were great variations in cultural values among the members of all classes and that any statement pertaining to the cultural values of such large social groups needs to be seen as a broad generalization.[2] According to Rubin (1976) there is a differential in social and emotional skills both between working class men and women and between the blue-color working class and college-educated workers. Working class men are characterized by Rubin as taking a rational posture while women are characterized as being more emotional and oriented towards communication of feelings. This constellation of issues has been explored in the popular media, for example, the television shows, Roseanne or All in the Family featuring Archie Bunker and his wife Edith Bunker. These popular television programs also explored generational change and conflict in working class families.
Culture and Personal CharacteristicsAs the working class is divided among nations, and internally divided along very broad lines of rural, blue collar and white collar occupations, there is no one unitary culture. Working class cultures tend to be identified on national and occupational bases, for instance, Australian rural working class culture or New Zealand white collar working class culture. There are however many stereotypes of the working class. See also
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