Economic Class And Max Weber's Concept Of Socioeconomic Class

I can still recall the realtor’s squeamish smile and politely scrutinizing voice when my mother and I were at an open house in Greenfield, “You’re from there? Oh, well this may be out of your price range.” Growing up in the east side of Indianapolis, or what many tend to refer to as the ghetto, it was very difficult to move to the suburbs in Greenfield. Not simply due to conforming to their norms, rather, facing the stigma of residents who believed I was in a lower socioeconomic class than their “perfected nuclear families”. In all reality, my family is in the working-­middle class, yet when we first entered the quaint (dull) Greenfield area, as soon as my family discussed our initial area of residency people would automatically leer and place

The three factors that are emphasized in his concept are wealth, status, and power. Wealth is defined as any material goods owned or your personal “net worth” (pg.203).Next, status is the amount of respect, or worth, a society places upon you (whether it be your occupation, education, etc). Then finally, power is the level of influence one holds over politics, peers, or societal circumstances (pg.190). My family identifies mostly with the working -middle class, which consists of about 40-­45% of the population in the United States (pg. 183). My mother is currently a stay at home mother (she use to be a cafeteria worker), and my dad is a parts coordinator at Keihin (both of which are blue collared

It was a temporary experience of upward social mobility. I was assumed the socioeconomic status as a member of the elite by the upper­class. Even though I was in a public school system in Greenfield with not nearly the amount of life chances (opportunities in resources, such as education) as the majority of my colleagues (pg.195). It wasn’t until I expressed my intimidation and background was I placed back onto my lower­middle class platform. Yet by making good impressions, I was able to receive the promise of upward social mobility and resources. I received a grant for my research, worked in labs at Park Tudor and IUPUI, and have obtained enough scholarships to receive my education free at Ivy Tech. That way, I can be in the position these professionals briefly placed me in .The world is a giant audition, if you look the part, then you will get the role.

Despite the typically imaged definition of socioeconomic class being based entirely on the wealth of the individual, there are many complex social factors at play as well. Not only does it stem from Max Weber’s concept of Socioeconomic class (wealth, status, and power), there is a mobility to it as well. Anyone can permanently or temporarily