Middle classes is a broad term used to describe non-manual workers. Savage (1995) described four distinct types of middle-class groups. These groups were: professionals, managers, self-employed and clerical workers. Professionals, also known as doctors and lawyers, subscribe to an intellectual indetity gained from a long and successful education. Savage claims that they value cultural or capital assests such as knowledge, qualifications, achievement and experience of higher education.
Managers are generally less qualified than professionals and are more likely to have worked their way up in a company.
Self-employed have traditonally been very indivualistic. Surverys suggest that they believe that people should be indepenedent and stand on their own two feet rather than rely on the welfare state. They also have great faith in hard work and discipline.
Clerical workers have traditionally seen as having a middle-class identity as their pay and working conditions were superior to manual workers, however, the introduction of technology has led to their pay and status going into decline. It has now been suggested that they have more in common with the working class. However, surveys show that clerical workers still see themselves as middle-class.
Comments
No comments have yet been made