"Social class or social stratum is a grouping of people into a set of hierarchical social categories."
Examines how social class and inequality emerge in economic systems, and the implications of this for individuals and communities.
Social Stratification: The concept of social stratification refers to the classification of people into different social groups based on factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation.
Caste System: A social class system that ranks people based on their hereditary occupation and social status.
Class Structure: The organization of society into different social classes based on criteria like wealth, education, and occupation.
Social Mobility: The ability of individuals or groups to move up or down the social ladder.
Wealth and Income Inequality: The unequal distribution of wealth and income in society.
Cultural Capital: The cultural knowledge, skills, and values that are acquired through education and socialization and that are used to gain social status and power.
Power and Domination: The use of power to dominate and control others, often through systems of elite governance.
Economic Systems: The ways in which resources are produced, distributed, and consumed within a society.
Labor and Work: The role of work and labor in the production and accumulation of wealth and the creation of social hierarchies.
Gender and Intersectionality: The ways in which gender, race, and other intersecting identities shape class and inequality in society.
Globalization and Neoliberalism: The impact of global economic and political systems on class and inequality, including the rise of neoliberal policies and their effects on the poor.
Social Movements and Activism: The role of social movements and activism in challenging and transforming systems of class and inequality.
Upper Class: The upper class comprises the wealthiest individuals in society, possessing significant economic, social, and political power.
Middle Class: The middle class comprises individuals who are not working-class but don't belong to the upper class. They have relatively stable incomes, education, and social capital.
Working Class: Working class refers to individuals who perform manual labor jobs and have relatively low wages and limited access to resources.
Underclass: It refers to an economically disadvantaged group of individuals who are generally unemployed, underemployed or working low-paying jobs.
Caste: A caste system is a social hierarchy in which an individual's social status is determined by birth into a particular group. These groups are often endogamous, meaning that individuals marry within their own caste.
Race: Race-based inequality occurs when individuals of different races experience different economic opportunities and access to resources.
Gender: Gender inequality occurs when individuals' gender determines their economic opportunities, social status, and access to resources.
Age: Age-based inequality occurs when individuals of different ages face differential treatment and access to resources.
Disability: Individuals with disabilities face discrimination and reduced economic access due to their condition.
Global Economic Inequality: Global economic inequality refers to the unequal distribution of resources, opportunities and access to services around the world, with some countries being wealthier and others being poorer.
Income Inequality: Income inequality refers to the unequal distribution of economic resources and opportunities within a society.
Wealth Inequality: Wealth inequality refers to the unequal distribution of wealth within a society, where certain individuals or groups possess a disproportionate amount of wealth and assets compared to others.
"The most common [social classes] being the upper, middle, and lower classes."
"Membership in a social class can, for example, be dependent on education, wealth, occupation, income, and belonging to a particular subculture or social network."
"The term 'class' is a subject of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, and social historians."
"There is no broad consensus on a definition of 'class'."
"Some people argue that due to social mobility, class boundaries do not exist."
"Academics distinguish social class from socioeconomic status, using the former to refer to one's relatively stable sociocultural background and the latter to refer to one's current social and economic situation which is consequently more changeable over time."
"Karl Marx thought 'class' was defined by one's relationship to the means of production."
"The proletariat work but do not own the means of production, and the bourgeoisie, those who invest and live off the surplus generated by the proletariat's operation of the means of production, do not work at all."
"Max Weber argued that 'class' is determined by economic position, in contrast to 'social status' or 'Stand' which is determined by social prestige rather than simply just relations of production."
"The term 'class' is etymologically derived from the Latin classis."
"The term 'class' began to replace classifications such as estates, rank, and orders as the primary means of organizing society into hierarchical divisions."
"This corresponded to a general decrease in significance ascribed to hereditary characteristics and increase in the significance of wealth and income as indicators of position in the social hierarchy."
"Academics distinguish social class from socioeconomic status."
"Sociologists define 'class' as one's relatively stable sociocultural background."
"Political scientists analyze 'class' as a means to categorize citizens by wealth in order to determine military service obligations."
"Anthropologists study 'class' in relation to social and cultural contexts."
"Social historians explore the historical development and impact of different social classes."
"Membership in a social class can, for example, be dependent on education, wealth, occupation, income, and belonging to a particular subculture or social network."
"Membership in a social class can, for example, be dependent on education, wealth, occupation, income, and belonging to a particular subculture or social network."