As campaign contributors and legislation drivers, they fund political campaigns to sway policymakers, sometimes to protect their own economic interests and at other times to support or promote a cause. As philanthropists, they establish foundations to support social causes they believe in. As board members of the most influential colleges and universities, they influence cultural attitudes and values. They run the major network television stations, radio broadcasts, newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, and sports franchises. As media owners, they influence the collective identity of the nation. As corporate leaders, members of the upper class make decisions that affect the job status of millions of people. Money provides not just access to material goods, but also access to a lot of power. In the United States, people with extreme wealth make up one percent of the population, and they own roughly one-third of the country’s wealth (Beeghley 2008). The upper class is considered the top, and only the powerful elite get to see the view from there. Upper Classįigure 9.8 Members of the upper class can afford to live, work, and play in exclusive places, such as country clubs and gated communities, designed for luxury, safety, and comfort. social class and their key subcategories. Below, we will explore the major divisions of U.S. In contrast, the lower class has little control over their work or lives. The middle class doesn’t generally control other strata of society, but its members do exert control over their own lives. Members of the upper class not only have power and control over their own lives, but their social status gives them power and control over others’ lives. One sociological perspective distinguishes the classes, in part, according to their relative power and control over their lives. Though median income levels vary from state to state, at the national level you would be considered in the middle-class if you earned between $48,500 to $145,500 in 2018 U.S. The lower class includes those whose income is two-thirds of the national median, the middle class includes those whose income falls between two-thirds and twice the median, and the upper class includes those whose income is above twice the national median (Kochhar 2015). For this reason, the Pew Center defines classes based on the median household income. With that distinction, economists can describe the range in annual household incomes for the middle-class, but they cannot show how the range of all incomes vary and how they change over time. citizens’ highest earners as “upper income,” and the lower 20 percent as “lower income.” The remaining 60 percent of the population make up the middle class (Mason 2010). Wealth is the most significant way of distinguishing classes, because wealth can be transferred to one’s children and perpetuate the class structure. ![]() Within each class, there are many subcategories. Sociologists generally identify three levels of class in the United States: upper, middle, and lower class. Figure 9.7 Does taste or fashion sense indicate class? Is there any way to tell if these people come from an upper-, middle-, or lower-class background? (Credit: Kelly Bailey/flickr)įor sociologists, categorizing social class is a fluid science.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |