SOCIAL CLASS & MOBILITY
CSI – UNIT 5 – 2015
DEFINING SOCIAL CLASS
 Division of society based on economic & social status
 Individuals & groups classified based on esteem & privilege
 Based on economic success & wealth
 Socioeconomic status [SES] = social standing measured by education, income,
and occupation
 How can you tell what class someone is in?
 A Nation of Tribes – How Social Class Divides Us [9:28]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU5MtVM_zFs
DETERMINANTS OF SOCIAL CLASS
 ***NOT just money***
 Occupation
 Prestige
 Education
 Wealth
 Partner Activity: Rank these people, based
on their occupations and perceived income
& prestige, on the social ladder:
 Teacher
 Lawyer
 Doctor
 Secretary
 Income
 Waitress
 Components of Class Link:
 Bartender
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/
national/20050515_CLASS_GRAPHIC/in
dex_01.html
 Retail store manager
 Walmart Greeter
 Farmer
 Drug Dealer (illegal)
GILBERT & KAHL MODEL
 Developed 6-class model based
on Weber
 Top = Capitalist Class
 Upper middle Class
 Lower Middle Class
 Working Class
 Working Poor
 Bottom = Underclass
CAPITALIST CLASS
 1% of population
 Typically millionaires
 Investors, heirs, top executives
 Attend prestigious universities
 Don’t fear taxes or inflation
 2 Types:
 Old Money = inherited wealth; longer rich & more
prestige
 New Money = fortunes in business, stocks, inventions,
entertainment, etc.
UPPER MIDDLE CLASS
 15% of population
 Typically earn $150,000+
 Professionals (lawyers, physicians,
architects) small business owners,
upper managers
 College graduates
LOWER MIDDLE CLASS
 30% of population
 Typical Income $70,000
 Teachers, nurses, skilled
contractors, lower managers, etc.
 Usually college or technical
training
 Comfortable lifestyle, but
threatened by taxes & inflation
 Still feel hopeful to climb the
social ladder
WORKING CLASS
 30% of population
 Typical Income $40,000
 Blue & white collar workers – retail sales,
secretaries, factory workers, service industry,
etc.
 Generally high school graduates; maybe some
college
 Jobs less secure & closely supervised
WORKING POOR
 13% of population
 Typical Income $25,000
 Minimum wage jobs
 Unskilled, low-paying jobs in retail
& service industry
 Many high school dropouts
 Often need government assistance
to stay afloat
UNDERCLASS
 12% of population
 Typical Income $15,000
 Low-paying, menial, part-time, or temp. work
 Little education
 Little chance of climbing social ladder
 Crime
 Gangs
 Pregnancy
 Drugs
 Environment
 Often concentrated in cities
CLASS & POVERTY LINE >>> NOT ONLY THE UNDERCLASS’S PROBLEM
 We will return to the “Poverty Line”
later in this unit
 Consider how expensive living is just
by yourself:
 Rent, at least $6,000 per year
(500/month)
 Groceries, at least $1,200 per year
(100/month)
 Utilities, at least $2,400 per year
(200/month)
 Transportation, at least $1,000
(<100/month)
 Basic Necessities = almost $11,000
Persons in
Household
1
Poverty Guideline [Sept. 2015]
2
$15,930
3
$20,090
4
$24,250
5
$28,410
6
$32,570
$11,770
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN NJ, 2013
 State = $71,637
 Mansfield $69,000
 Washington Twp. $122,000 Oxford $65,000
 Green $114,000
 White $54,000
 Frelinghuysen $102,000
 Rockleigh (Bergen) =
 Independence $87,000
 Allamuchy $86,000
 Mount Olive $80,000
 Hackettstown $71,000
$198,125
 Camden = $26,705
SOCIAL MOBILITY
MOVEMENT BETWEEN SOCIAL CLASSES
TYPES OF SOCIAL MOBILITY
 Vertical = up or down
 Secretary promoted to
management
 Horizontal = change job
within a class
 Doctor to lawyer
 Intergenerational =
changing within a family
 Fireman dad; accountant son
INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY
 Write a short story of someone who changed social classes over his or her
lifetime.
 Describe which class s/he started in
 Describe which class s/he ended in
 Identify what type of mobility this is
 Vertical
 Horizontal
 Intergenerational
HORATIO ALGER MYTH
IS THE AMERICAN DREAM ALIVE & WELL?
ORIGINS
 Author Horatio Alger Jr. wrote over 120 books
for young working-class males
 Popular after the Civil War
 Rags to Riches stories
 Led exemplary lives, struggled against
poverty, and then achieved greatness
 Realized the American Dream
THE AMERICAN DREAM
 What does it mean to you? Make a list with your
neighbors
 Availability of opportunity?
 Upward mobility?
 Pursuit of material prosperity?
 Reading: The Atlantic – Teenagers Are Losing Confidence in the American Dream
EFFECTS & CULTURE OF CLASS
CULTURE OF CLASS
 In pairs, make lists of activities & characteristics of people in the Upper, Middle,
and Lower classes
 Careers?
 Education?
 Religion?
 Political Affiliation?
 Hobbies/Interests?
 Sports/Activities?
 Foods?
 Are there advantages/disadvantages to being in these classes?
EFFECTS OF CLASS: PHYSICAL HEALTH
 Lower class = lower life
expectancy
 Public clinics vs.
expensive treatments
 Lifestyle differences
 Smoking
 Eating habits
 Drugs/alcohol use
 Exercise
 Unsafe sex
EFFECTS OF CLASS: MENTAL HEALTH
 Higher levels of stress in lower
classes
 Layoffs; low wages; victim of crime;
physical illnesses
 Upper classes have advantages:
 Take vacations
 Afford psychiatrists
 Greater control over lives
EFFECTS OF CLASS: FAMILY LIFE
 Choice of spouse
 Upper classes may limit ‘eligible partners’
 Divorce rate higher in lower classes (more stress,
fighting over money, etc.)
 Parenting – sometimes more abuse in lower
classes
 Spanking vs. time out
EFFECTS OF CLASS: EDUCATION
 Wealth of area impacts education through spending
 Upper classes can afford better education

Schools financed through local taxes
 Richest: private elite schools

Hackettstown Per Pupil Spending 2013-2015 = $18,433
 Rich: better public schools; move to better districts
 Poor: local public school
 Socialization – different curriculum

Creative thinking vs. following orders

Financial life skills not taught
 Top Ranked Schools (US News)

1 - Biotechnology H.S. (Freehold) $24,716

7 – Princeton H.S. (Princeton) $24,614

10 – Elizabeth H.S. (Elizabeth) $21,820
 What does money have to do with quality of
education?

Studies show per pupil expenditure has positive impact
on student achievement

Also depends on HOW money is spent, not just how
much!
EFFECTS OF CLASS: HIGHER EDUCATION
 College is EXTREMELY expensive
 Lower classes cannot afford
tuition
 Dependent on grants & loans
 Grants can be difficult to obtain
 Loans have high interest to repay
(plaguing the middle class
especially)
EFFECTS OF CLASS: POLITICS
 Only general conclusions can be drawn
 Higher class
 More likely Republican
 Liberal on social issues
 Conservative on fiscal issues
 More influential in politics
 Lower class
 More likely Democrat
 Liberal on fiscal issues
 Conservative on social issues
EFFECTS OF CLASS: CRIME
 More lower class in prison
 Less opportunity for jobs
 Cannot afford good lawyer
 Are police & courts more lenient
toward upper classes?
SOME (OLD) RESEARCH: AVERAGE SENTENCES FOR CRIMES
Bank Robbery
Drug Trafficking Firearms
Immigration
<5,000
~9 months
10.24 months
8 months
2.75 months
5,000 – 9,000
~4 months
3.4 months
1.75 months
1 month
10,000 – 24,999 ~3 months
2.4 months
2.5 months
1 month
25,000 – 50,000 ~1.75 months
<1 months
1 month
2 months
>50,000
3 months
1 month
..5 months
~3 years
REVIEW
 Identify the consequences of class on:
 Physical health
 Mental health
 Family life
 Education
 Politics
 Crime