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Social Problems Of Social Class

Decent Essays

Social classes are categories individuals are put into based on income, lifestyles, opportunities, job occupations, behaviors, and attitudes. Virtually all societies have a class system, and America is no exception. To prevent mixing of class systems “Class boundaries are maintained by limiting social interaction, intermarriage, and mobility into another class” (Tischler, 2014, P.181). How many social classes exist in American society is debatable, however many believe that there is only five. The five American social classes are upper class, upper-middle class, middle-middle class, lower-middle class, and lower class. The first class is the upper class, which consist of wealthy individuals who maintain an exclusive lavish lifestyle. This class has a great influence on the majority of society's primary political and economic structures. Those in the upper class like to be separate from other classes, and do this by having, and belonging to prestigious private schools and clubs. The upper class is relatively small, “It is estimated that in the United States, the upper class consist of from 1 to 3 percent of the population” (Tischler, 2014, P.181). Modern day people of the upper class can be represented by entrepreneurs, such as William Gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg, or Larry Ellison. The next class is the upper-middle class, people in this class are usually successful professional and business people as well as their families, and are just below the upper class,

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