Types of social classes: what are they and what are they?
The types of social classes are low, middle and high. This general classification is influenced by factors such as income level, type of activity from which these income come, the level of academic training, access to goods and services, etc.
Social classes are categories based on the productive role of the subjects within the economic dynamics. This includes not only their participation as income generators (or not) but their role as consumers of goods.
A person whose income is minimal will not have access to the same products, services and goods as a wealthy person. These differences have an impact on society and largely determine belonging to a social stratum.
In the past, social categories were rigid strata. Until the Middle Ages, membership in a social class in the West was largely determined by heredity. However, the end of the feudal model and then the Industrial Revolution generated new dynamics economic and social classes, as proposed by Karl Marx and Max Webber in their respective theories.
Although there are currently three large, well-defined strata, they are not static as in the past, but it is possible to change from one social class to another. This is called social mobility.
| Lower class | Middle class | Upper class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population type | It groups together people in situations of economic and social vulnerability. |
It groups together formal workers, professionals and small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. |
It groups together the people with the greatest economic power. |
| Employment situation | Unemployed, temporary workers, or low-paid occupations. |
Fixed jobs with access to work benefits (credit, paid vacations, maternity and midwifery leave, etc.). | They don't depend on a job to meet their needs |
| Income level | Temporary income equal to or less than the minimum wage. | Income above the minimum wage. | Multiple incomes and well above the average for the population. |
| Access to basic services (education, health, recreation). | Little or no. | They use public and private services. | They use services of a private nature. |
| Access to property acquisition | Little or no. | They have the possibility of having some type of property (car, house, own business). | They have multiple properties. |
| Examples |
|
|
|
Lower class
They are the people who are in a situation of vulnerability due to the lack of income stable or lack of access to basic services (water, electricity, internet, education, Health). These factors make it very difficult to get out of this situation. For those in the lower stratum, access to education is key to achieving social mobility and improving their quality of life.
Examples of the lower class would be people who are unemployed, with temporary jobs or with incomes below the minimum wage in their country.
Middle class
It is made up of the working class. Although they do not have financial freedom since they depend on their income to live, they have a higher standard of living than the lower class and access to the possibility of owning a property (car or house). This is usually because their educational background allows them to have access to good jobs. remunerated or with superior benefits (paid vacations, access to mortgage loans, health, etc.).
Examples of members of the middle class are specialized workers or technicians, university professionals, and small and medium-sized merchants.
Upper class
It is the class that has the highest economic level. They have multiple sources of income and do not depend on their job to meet their needs. They have access to excellent quality health and education services, which allows them to perpetuate their quality of life. Due to their privileged position, they tend to influence or participate in the political-economic decisions of the societies in which they live.
Examples of upper-class people are owners of large companies or families with inherited wealth. In some cases, people from other strata manage to move to this social class due to circumstances extraordinary, such as the owners of fast-growing companies, access to management positions, wealth sudden, etc.
See also:
- Difference between poverty and inequality
- Difference between trade and profession
Social classes according to Marx
For Karl Marx, creator of Marxist theory, capitalism is the economic model generated by the Industrial Revolution. This system, according to Marx, determines the existence of three social classes based on their relationship with the means of production:
The bourgeoisie: It is the ruling class and is made up of the owners of the means of production. They obtain economic benefit through the capital gain or profit added to the products and services they sell.
The proletariat: they are those who work in those means of production. The proletariat exchanges its labor power for a salary that is generally not very proportional to the effort made. This allows them to meet their basic needs, but prevents them from becoming owners of the means of production.
The lumpen or subproletariatThey are those marginalized by the capitalist system since they are neither owners of the means of production nor proletarians. This category includes people in a situation of indigence, unemployed or people who due to their circumstances cannot make any kind of contribution to society.
Webber's Stratification Theory
Max Webber exhibited in his work Economy and society (1920) his theory of stratification, defined according to the way in which power is distributed in a community or group. According to Webber, power can be economic, political or social.
Based on this, he proposed three strata according to his sphere of influence:
Lessons: it is the hierarchy based on the economic power of a society. This determines the ability of its individuals to have access to goods and services. Classes, in turn, have two categories: property owners, such as business owners, for example, and non-owners, who would be workers who do not have their own assets, such as a house or their own business.
Estates: it is the hierarchy based on social power, expressed in the formation of status groups based on prestige, reputation, honor, etc. According to Webber, each of these status groups has its own lifestyle and social practices. For example, a group of company executives who meet in certain types of places, use certain brands and play a certain sport.
Matches: in this stratum people and institutions with influence on political power enter. Their objective is to exercise power in the community to which they belong and for this they exert influence over it. An example is political parties or organizations.
See also Difference between capitalism and socialism
References
- Duek, Celia; Inda, Graciela (2006). Webber's Theory of Social Stratification: A Critical Analysis. Austral Journal of Social Sciences. Chili.
- Ríos Szalay, Jorge (1998). The theories of social class of Marx and Webber: an introduction for students of administration. National Autonomous University of Mexico.
