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,
“The percentage of Americans who say they are in the lower-middle or lower class has risen from a quarter of the adult population to about a third in the past four years, according to a national survey of 2,508 adults by the Pew Research Center” (http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/09/10/a-third-of-americans-now-say-they-are-in-the-lower-classes/). Today’s adults stating that they are in the lower class are most likely to have had a rough life growing up, and can now not escape the lower class. Social class is the idea of “a division of a society based on social and economic status” (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/social-class). Social class has the greatest impact on who a person turns out to be and what decisions they make because those
Have you ever referred to someone as “high class,” “middle class,” or “low class?” The article “Class In America” is a very educated read and describes the way people are characterized by their “class.” I think that this article informs all types of readers and allows people to see how people are grouped based on themselves. “Class in America” is written to show and prove to society that people do not talk about “class” anymore, because of the way the world looks at it today. Gregory Mantosis is the author of the article, and he uses many facts and data to prove his points.
Despite the debates about social class, the United States is usually described as having four major social classes, the elite or upperclass, the middle class, the working class, and the lower class (Goldscmidt). Classes are generally differentiated by income, education, and occupation although other factors do have an effect. The upperclass consists of about 1% of the population making 750,000 dollars or more a year as investors, top executives, or heirs to large fortunes (Hughes and Jenkins). There tends to be no question about who is in the upperclass as they are pretty clearly isolated in their power and wealth. The middle class makes up about 40% of the population making anywhere from 40,000 to 749,999 dollars a year (Hughes and Jenkins). The large disparity in income and wealth have led to a further division of this class into upper-middle class and middle class in some circles. The middle class usually work white collar jobs as professionals and managers, however some highly skilled blue collar workers are included. Those in the middle class have usually obtained higher education degrees and place a high value on individual responsibility for one’s class (Goldschmidt). The working class is composed of about 50% of the population earning 13,000 to 39,000 dollars a year (Hughes and Jenkins). Some also divide this class into a working class and a
In reality class always matters and it shapes our interests in life. We all come from different background and ethnicity. I believe that class is shaped mainly by income and occupation. However, many people think if a person is wealthy, therefore, he belongs in the upper class. But there are other factors that define class and it is more than just how much money you have. It can be the network of people that surrounds, traditions, and academic status that can also define class. Many of it has to do in which family you have been born and network that creates it. All of my family members have been born and raised in Russia; they completed universities, got jobs, and had enough income to support a family. “Each of us is born into a family with a particular class identity and class history—sometimes it is a mixed or hybrid identity—but almost always it is part of a network of other relationships—to other families in a community, to work and jobs, and to institutions” (Zandy 112).
Social class is defined as a label that categorizes individuals based on their economic status, wealth, and
In the U.S there are several different methods used to categorize Americans. One of those methods is class. Class is defined as, the system of ordering a society in which people are divided into sets based on perceived social or economic status. Class matters because whatever class we are a part of affects the education we receive, Marriage, parenting and even the areas we get to live in.
The concept of social class has been around for ages and is still a part of today’s society. Social class is not only based on the individual’s wealth but also on their social standing such as; monarchs, priests, nobles, merchants, and peasant class. The peasant class was practically ignored, which means that the higher classes would only pay attention to each other. This can be the case in society today, there are some people who feel that their career makes them higher than a janitor. Even though humans have been around for centuries, social class is still a big issue.
People consider that social stratification in the United States contains social classes such as upper class, middle class, and lower class. People who are categorizing in upper class not only have power and control over their own lives but also their social status gives them
The very poor class contains all citizens that have a very low economic status. Most have no economic security, are unemployed, and have no education after high school. American citizens in this class have just enough money to survive. The poor class includes any American citizen who does not have enough money to have basic necessities. The working class includes American citizens who have enough to provide basic needs for their family. They do not have some of the simple luxuries; if they do; they have to save up to buy it. In the middle class, most citizens go to college. People in the middle class do not necessarily live paycheck to paycheck, but have enough money to spend on leisure. The next social class in America is the upper middle class, whose citizens mainly attend private or charter schools. ( Hancock, 1998). They hold professions such as doctors and
Since the beginning of time there has been separation of economic classes; the poor, middle class, working class, and upper class. Most people are considered or identifies as middle class or the working class.
Social class is a division of a society based on social and economic status which can include levels of wealth, success, power of authority, and influence. Status is can be defined or grouped having common economic, cultural, or political interests.
According to Gregory Mantsios many American people believed that the classes in the United States were irrelevant, that they believed we reside(ed) in a middle class nation, that we were all getting richer together, and that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed in life. But what many believed, was far from the truth. In reality the middle class of the United States receives a very small amount of the nation 's wealth, and sixty percent of America 's population receives less than 6 percent of the nation 's wealth, while the top 1 percent of the American population receives 34 percent of the total national wealth. In the article Class in America ( 2009), written by Gregory Mantsios informs us that there are some hu
There are four categories of class in contemporary American society: upper, middle, working and lower. Of these four categories of classes, two are subdivide. These two are: upper class and the middle class.
This class, like the middle class, consists of sub-groups of people. These include the skilled, the semi-skilled and unskilled workers. Social mobility has, however, affected the number of people in this class. Many people born in this class have been able to rise to the middle class, and as a result, there exists a case of embourgeoisement.
In today’s society the social classes are separated by four different social classes. The first being, the upper class which is only about 1 to 3 percent of the United States’ population, but all together they hold more that 25 percent of the nation’s worth. This class itself divides into two separate groups, the lower-upper and the upper-upper class. The lower-upper class is those who have ‘new money’, people who have acquired their wealth through business venture and investments and so forth. The upper-upper class is those who have ‘old money’, this includes the families that have been rich more many generations. These are