Defining and Measuring Class

Question 1

Giddens

Answer 1

Focuses on market capacity, which are ways people make a living. Distinguished between 3 types of market capacity:
Upper class - Capital ownership
Middle class - Educational credentials
Working class - Labour power

Would use The Registrar General’s scale 1911-2000, ranked 6 classes based on the occupation of the head of the household.
Class 1 - Professional (accountants),
Class 2 - Lower managerial, professional and technical skills (teachers),
Class 3 - Skilled non-manual (office workers).

Bias towards non-manual occupations, as seen with classes 3 and 4.

Question 2

Wright

Answer 2

Focuses on Contradictory Class Locations, concerned with the growth of middle classes in between the proletariat and bourgeoisie. Takes into account ownership of economic resources.
Bourgeoisie (can hire workers/don’t work)
Small Employers (can hire workers/must work)
Petty Bourgeoisie (works for self, can’t hire workers)

Class 1 - Higher professionals (managers of large companies)
Class 2 - Lower professionals (supervisors of non-manual workers)
Class 3 - Routine non-manual workers (clerical and sales)

It was still based on three male head of the household.

Question 3

Runciman

Answer 3

Focused on Economic Power and how their were 3 different sources:
Ownership of the means of production
Control of labour or capital
Marketability from possessing an attribute that is of value

1990 class sizes
Upper - 0.1 to 0.2%
Upper middle - Less than 10%
Middle middle - 15%

Would use the NS-SEC (National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification)
Class 1 - Higher managerial and professional (CEOs)
Class 2 - Lower managerial and professional (Nurses)
Class 3 - Intermediate (Secretaries)

Those that don’t work but still have access to wealth aren’t included.

Question 4

Bourdieu

Answer 4

Focused on Symbolic Capital which is comprised of:
Economic (income/wealth)
Cultural (educational qualifications)
Social (people’s contacts)

Would use the GBCS (Great British Class Survey)
Elite - V. High economic capital, High social capital, V. High cultural capital
Established middle class - High economic capital, High status of contacts , Emerging cultural capital
Technical middle class - High economic capital, High status of contacts/few, Moderate cultural capital