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Social class and society
Social class and its impacts
Social class and its impacts
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As sociologists claim that social class position greatly affects your “life chances” in the world, it is safe to assume the majority of students at Westminster stand fairly high on the class ladder. This assumption would come from current ideas of status and class based on income and other assets. For me, I am no exception when it comes to the stereotype of a private school student. Although my family may not reach the top of the class ladder, we do live comfortable lives. As you read on I will discuss my family’s current social standing, the prediction of what my future family’s class standing will be in twenty years, and the effects my current status will have on me in the future. As I mentioned before, my family does not reach the top of Gilbert and Kahls six-class model of social class. We do however, live very comfortable lives living on the border between upper and lower middle class. I have created a 7th rung in Gilbert and Kahls model to accommodate where my family lies. My family lies in a middle-middle class position due to their education, economic, and occupational positions in American society. Both my parents have graduated from high school as well as a college, common in lower middle class positions. However, my father is an exception and went on to post-graduate study earning a bachelors degree in business, an MBA. This is an educational trait of being in the upper middle class. The second factor of Gilbert and Kahls model is income. Together, my parents bring in an estimated amount greater than lower middle class of $60,000 and less than the amount of upper middle class of $125,000. This firmly places them in the new category of middle-middle class in terms of economics. The occupational positions of my parent... ... middle of paper ... ...e to education. My parents were able to save and send me to college. Most parents recognize this and know that this is the best advantage in our society to increase a child social class position. This to me has been the biggest influence on my future because of my social class as of now. After writing this paper, I took a moment to reflect on everything that I have written, my parents have been the biggest influence in my life when it comes to my social class now as well as in the future. Social class position in the future is heavily influenced by our social class position now. This can provide many disadvantages as well as advantages when it comes to climbing the social class position ladder. I have gained a larger respect for my parents and all that they have provided for me in order for me to succeed and become something more than they have in their lifetime.
Preventing poverty and improving the school system can help prevent class reproduction, but Macleod argues that, "what is required is the creation of a truly open society--a society where the life chances of those at the bottom are not radically different from those at the top and where wealth is distributed more equitably" (260). Until structural inequality is eliminated, wealth is more evenly distributed, and discrimination between classes ends, social reproduction will be to well known by society.
In his essay “Land of Opportunity” James W. Loewen details the ignorance that most American students have towards class structure. He bemoans the fact that most textbooks completely ignore the issue of class, and when it does it is usually only mentions middle class in order to make the point that America is a “middle class country. This is particularly grievous to Loewen because he believes, “Social class is probably the single most important variable in society. From womb to tomb, it correlates with almost all other social characteristics of people that we can measure.” Loewen simply believes that social class usually determine the paths that a person will take in life. (Loewen 203)
(262). Dalton goes forth and argues no matter individuals are born into a gloomy social class; he or she can still can breack though and go up in class. Dalton’s idea could happen to anyone but, the possibility is very slim. It’s a hard reality a person in lower class doing proficient in school having the likely hood of attending a University and also a full ride. In reality, the group who has more resources has the greater opportunity than those with less assists.
Does it matter what your social and economical standings are, and do they play a role in if you will succeed in life? The importance of this essay was to talk about the different viewpoints and to argue the point of succeeding and social statuses. I
The myth that Australia is a classless society is still, till this day, circulating. With education opportunities differing, depending on your status in society and socioeconomic background, not all Australians share the same opportunity of education. Whether being a middle class citizen or an “elite” or from working class, all education opportunities offered, will be influenced by your financial status and hierarchy in society. Power can influence the outcome of an individual’s life.
In her article she points out how social class has become the main gateway to opportunity in America. The widening academic divide means that kids who grow up poor will most likely stay poor and the kids who grow up rich will most likely stay rich. About fifty years ago the main concern about getting a good education relied on your race but now it's about your social class. Researchers are starting to believe that children who come from higher income families tend to do better in school and get higher test scores.
Louie, Vivian. 2001. “Parents’ Aspirations and Investment: The Role of Social Class in the Educational
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
Social class is a subjective concept in social sciences and political theory where individuals are grouped into different classes. This set a hierarchy inside the society structure where the upper and lower class exist and contribute to the society. Understanding social classes and their effects on the people, as well as cultures and social behavior and lead sociologist closer to the development of an ideal society.
In the article, "Class in America", Gregory Mantsios shows us how what class individuals are in affect their lives more than they think. The author thinks Americans, don’t like to talk about class no matter is upper class, middle class, or lower class. He describes four beliefs about class in America and then he used statistical evidence to refute them. In this article I have deep feelings about the class. Here have two points first of all I thinks the class that you are in it will affect your life whatever you admit it to yourself or not another point is the class you are affects how you are succeeding in school it all affect your future. Class, will affect in the future what job you will find, what kind person you will meet. For example the
Torkildsen (2011) stated that the nature and definition of 'social class' is generally regarded as being problematic, as class not only relates to income or occupation but also upbringing and family background. "social class is often regarded as grouping on the basis of occupation, which is 'socioeconomic class' rather than social class" (Torkildsen, 2011 p.49). divine
My parents have this perfect life for me pictured in their heads, and the first thing they see me doing is going to college. They expect the best of me, and so by going to college, I will not only have fulfilled their goals for me, but I will have accomplished one of the goals I have set for myself. In our culture, when parents come to the age where they can’t support themselves, it is the duty of the children to look after them.
The first difference you see between the middle and working class in education is the selection of primary schools as for some it is the first time they are going to enter into the academic world. At this point the family as a whole are entering into “unfamiliar worlds” (Jackson and Marsden, 1966, page 99) in the process of selecting and applying for schools. The middle class aim is to have their children go to a successful school with a good Ofsted report just like the working class. However it is harder for the working class to get into these schools due to a range of factors. Some of these restricting factors are their knowledge of the system and economic status or wealth; they may not have the facilities for tra...
It is perpetuated by the way wealth, power, and prestige are distributed and passed on from one generation to the next
Social class has a major influence over the success and experience of young people in education; evidence suggests social class affects educational achievement, treatment by teachers and whether a young person is accepted into higher education. “34.6 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) achieved five or more A*-C grades at GCSE or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs, compared to 62.0 per cent of all other pupils” (Attew, 2012). Pupils eligible for FSM are those whose families earn less than £16,000 a year (Shepherd, J. Sedghi, A. and Evans, L. 2012). Thus working-class young people are less likely to obtain good GCSE grades than middle-class and upper-class young people.