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Social Class
Starter Task
• In pairs write down all the things you might
consider when deciding what class a person is.
• Do you think class is still an important aspect
of identity in the UK?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZAyYBD
UNug
1 Has your house got:
a A name and number?
b A name of your choosing?
c A name from time immemorial?
2 Sitting over drinks, do you:
a Say "Cheers"?
b Say "Cheers" and clink glasses?
c Say nothing?
3 Are you more likely to take a seaside holiday in:
a Cancun?
b Scotland?
c The Maldives?
4 Would you follow the hunt:
a At a distance by car?
b With an anti-hunt placard?
c On your own horse?
5 At breakfast do you like:
a Bio yogurt?
b Pop-Tarts?
c Porridge?
6 Have you got:
a A patio?
b Decking?
c A terrace?
7 At your children's weddings, will male guests wear:
a Morning dress?
b Dinner jackets?
c Lounge suits?
8 Do you ask for the:
a Bog?
b Bathroom?
c Toilet?
9 Which school did you go to?:
a An old public school?
b A church school near which you have moved?
c The local school?
10 After dinner, do you:
a Leave your napkin loosely on the table?
b Fold your napkin neatly?
c Roll your napkin and put it in a ring?
11 Do your little brothers or sisters have:
a PlayStation 3?
b A dressing-up box?
c Trivial Pursuit?
12 If you can't hear a remark, do you say:
a What?
b Say again?
c Pardon?
13 If you want butter with your roll at dinner, do you:
a Cut it in half and butter it?
b Break it in half and butter it?
c Break it up and butter bits as you eat them?
14 Would you prefer to read:
a Heat?
b The Field?
c The World of Interiors?
15 Do you associate Jordan with:
a Breakfast cereal?
b Petra?
c Peter André?
THE ANSWERS
1 a 10, b 20, c 30;
2 a 20, b 10, c 30;
3 a 10, b 30, c 20;
4 a 10, b 20, c 30;
5 a 20, b 10, c 30;
6 a 20, b 10, c 30;
7 a 30, b 10, c 20;
8 a 30, b 20, c 10;
9 a 30, b 20, c 10;
10 a 30, b 10, c 20;
11 a10, b 30, c 20;
12 a 30, b 10, c 20;
13 a 10, b 20, c 30;
14 a 10, b 30, c 20;
15 a 20, b 30, c 10.
If you scored:
Below 200 You are cheerfully lower-class.
200 to 300 You are uneasily middle-class.
300 to 440 You probably have a coat of arms.
450 You are the Duke of Devonshire.
Sociologists put people in
social classes according to
their economic position in
society – what job they
have.
http://www.yout
ube.com/watch
?v=1mYY1QG
K0jQ
Occupation is usually
selected as the most
convenient indicator of
class.
Class seems to affect many
other aspects of our lives.
Not just the job we do and
the money we earn, but also
our attitudes, lifestyles and
values.
You can predict quite a lot
about a person’s values,
behaviour and identity
from their social class.
Society can be broken
down into four major
classes:
upper,
middle,
working and
underclass.
Work out, using this chart and the occupation of the breadwinner in
your house – which social class you are.
There are some overlaps
between those classes in
their values, lifestyles and
identities.
But there are also some
broad class differences.
Identify four values that are shared by all social classes.
Identify four ways in which people from different social classes are really
different from each other.
The upper class is made
up of those who possess
great wealth and
privilege.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b7mwTK564o
Members of the upper
class share a strong sense
of identity based on
public school education
and family connections.
The middle class is made
up of people in nonmanual jobs.
It’s hard to generalise
about middle class
identity as the people and
jobs in it are so diverse &
different.
Professionals value
education highly and take
part in a wide range of
leisure activities.
The self-employed value
independence and hard
work.
The working class consists
of those in manual jobs
(practical trades).
Traditional working class
culture emphasised
class consciousness (being
proud of your roots),
community and the
extended family.
‘New’ working class
culture focuses on leisure
and the home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2vlETv656Y
The underclass consists of
the unemployed and
those dependent on
welfare benefits.
This group has developed
its own norms and values.
Identify five norms and
five values of the
underclass…
Others argue against this
view and say the
underclass has similar
values to the rest of
society.
Some sociologists argue
that lifestyles and
consumption are now
more important than
class as sources of
identity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F2OJwaTLMY
It would be daft to think
that class isn’t important
any more.
People’s lives are still really
affected by their class.
Education
Exam results differ by social status
But class identities do
seem to be weaker now
than in the past;
– people are less proud or
bothered about their
background.
What have these people got in
common?
Activity in workbooks
• How is class identity formed through agents of
socialisation?
• Family
• Education
• Media
• Religion
• Peer group
• Workplace
Use OCR books to help you