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Actualités et faits de société Licence 1 Lecture 5: Social classes in Britain An unequal society? Trade union leader in 2014: ‘Are we going to settle for a nastier and poorer Britain - a Downton Abbey-style society, in which the living standards of the vast majority are sacrificed to protect the high living of the well-to-do?’ a class-ridden society? A society where the social class you belong to still matters in terms of job opportunities, education? The servants… A Downton-Abbey style society? and the wealthy owners of the Abbey… 1. How do you define ‘social class’? Historically (19th century), Britain divided into three classes: - the upper class - the middle class - the working class (or the lower class) This picture is taken from a sketch – go and check it out on UMTICE How do you define ‘social class’? • money (how much you earn, how much you inherit) • family (aristocracy? social background?) • property (where do you live? what do you own?) • education (private education? state education? university?) • social networks (who do you socialise with? who do you know?) • cultural activities (hobbies, interests?) New divisions in British society Sociologists from London School of Economics now state that there are 7 social classes in Britain - influenced by Pierre Bourdieu’s work -not only money and family backgrounds should be taken into account your economic capital -cultural activities, friends you socialize with, etc. your social and cultural capital The Great British Class Survey, 2011 • organized by LSE sociologists • survey answered by 160,000 people • questions on not only your economic capital but also your social and cultural capital • results: 7 classes in Britain The 7 classes of Britain • the elite (6% of the population) • the established middle class (25%) • the technical middle class (6%) • the new affluent workers (15%) • the emergent service workers (14%) • the traditional working class (19%) • the precariat (15%) RED: upper class; GREEN: middle class (46%); BLUE: working class (48%) Conclusions of the survey • stereotypes of the middle and the working classes are out of date: those two groups are now very heterogeneous • the traditional working class is changing • the extremes of the class system are very important (Elite and Precariat): the very poor and the very rich still exist 2. Symptoms of an unequal society: education 2.1. The school curriculum •education has been compulsory in Britain between the ages of 5 and 15 since the 1944 Education Act •it set up a three-stage system: primary education (5-12 y), secondary (12-15 y) and further (15+ y) •the main exam is taken at the end of secondary schoool: the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Students have three compulsory topics (Maths, English and Science) and they can choose other topics as well •they will receive A* - C grades according to their performances •they can then continue school and join the school sixth form, after which they can take A-Levels in the topics they want; this is necessary if they want to get into university 2. Symptoms of an unequal society: education 2.2. A two-speed system? •86% of pupils go to state schools or comprehensive schools that don’t select their pupils •4% of pupils go to free grammar schools (selective schools, 164 left in Britain) •7% of pupils go to public schools (= private, fee-paying schools), which are selective Public schools Eton boys, £30,000/year Harrow boys, £28,000/year Public schools: politicians and royalty Prince Harry David Cameron Public schools • disproportionate representation of former public school boys and girls in top positions: 71% senior judges 62% senior armed forces 55% political secretaries 54% of top media professionals networks of influence and power 2. Symptoms of an unequal society: education 2.3. University admission and education Admissions: -before sitting A-Levels, students are given an offer based on a letter of application, an interview and a school report -then they know which of the UK’s 100 universities they will get in Types of universities • ‘ancient universities’, dating back from the 13th century (Oxford, Cambridge), 15th century (St Andrew’s, Glasgow), 16th century (Edinburgh) • ‘red brick universities’, built at the end of the 19th century (Manchester, Liverpool) • new universities, built in the 1960s to cater to the increasing number of students (outside campuses: Warwick, Kingston) University curriculum and fees • Bachelor’s degree (BA): 3 years • Master’s degree (MA): 2 years • PhD: 3 years Tuition fees are very high: 2004: Labour allowed universities to charge up to £3,000/year 2010: LibDem/Tory allowed universities to charge up to £9,000/year 64 universities now charge £9,000/year students can get a student loan