{"id":1268,"date":"2016-05-14T02:19:46","date_gmt":"2016-05-14T02:19:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontosociology-waymaker\/?post_type=chapter&p=1268"},"modified":"2016-07-07T02:14:16","modified_gmt":"2016-07-07T02:14:16","slug":"reading-class-structure-in-the-united-states","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-introsociology-1\/chapter\/reading-class-structure-in-the-united-states\/","title":{"raw":"Reading: Class Structure in the United States","rendered":"Reading: Class Structure in the United States"},"content":{"raw":"

Class Traits<\/h2>\r\n

Class traits<\/span><\/strong>, also called class markers, are the typical behaviors, customs, and norms that define each class. Class traits indicate the level of exposure a person has to a wide range of cultures. Class traits also indicate the amount of resources a person has to spend on items like hobbies, vacations, and leisure activities.<\/p>\r\n

People may associate the upper class with enjoyment of costly, refined, or highly cultivated tastes\u2014expensive clothing, luxury cars, high-end fund-raisers, and opulent vacations. People may also believe that the middle and lower classes are more likely to enjoy camping, fishing, or hunting, shopping at large retailers, and participating in community activities. While these descriptions may identify class traits, they may also simply be stereotypes. Moreover, just as class distinctions have blurred in recent decades, so too have class traits. A very wealthy person may enjoy bowling as much as opera. A factory worker could be a skilled French cook. A billionaire might dress in ripped jeans, and a low-income student might own designer shoes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Social Classes in the United States\r\n<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"295\"]\"A Does taste or fashion sense indicate class? Is there any way to tell if this young man comes from an upper-, middle-, or lower-class background? (Photo courtesy of Kelly Bailey\/flickr)[\/caption]\r\n

Does a person\u2019s appearance indicate class? Can you tell a man\u2019s education level based on his clothing? Do you know a woman\u2019s income by the car she drives?<\/p>\r\n

For sociologists, categorizing class is a fluid science. Sociologists generally identify three levels of class in the United States: upper, middle, and lower class. Within each class, there are many subcategories. Wealth is the most significant way of distinguishing classes, because wealth can be transferred to one\u2019s children and perpetuate the class structure. One economist, J.D. Foster, defines the 20 percent of U.S. citizens\u2019 highest earners as \u201cupper income,\u201d and the lower 20 percent as \u201clower income.\u201d The remaining 60 percent of the population make up the middle class. But by that distinction, annual household incomes for the middle class range between $25,000 and $100,000 (Mason and Sullivan 2010).<\/p>\r\n

One sociological perspective distinguishes the classes, in part, according to their relative power and control over their lives. The upper class not only have power and control over their own lives but also their social status gives them power and control over others\u2019 lives. The middle class doesn\u2019t generally control other strata of society, but its members do exert control over their own lives. In contrast, the lower class has little control over their work or lives. Below, we will explore the major divisions of U.S. social class and their key subcategories.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Upper Class\r\n<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]\"A Members of the upper class can afford to live, work, and play in exclusive places designed for luxury and comfort. (Photo courtesy of PrimeImageMedia.com\/flickr)[\/caption]\r\n

The upper class is considered the top, and only the powerful elite get to see the view from there. In the United States, people with extreme wealth make up 1 percent of the population, and they own one-third of the country\u2019s wealth (Beeghley 2008).<\/p>\r\n

Money provides not just access to material goods, but also access to a lot of power. As corporate leaders, members of the upper class make decisions that affect the job status of millions of people. As media owners, they influence the collective identity of the nation. They run the major network television stations, radio broadcasts, newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, and sports franchises. As board members of the most influential colleges and universities, they influence cultural attitudes and values. As philanthropists, they establish foundations to support social causes they believe in. As campaign contributors, they sway politicians and fund campaigns, sometimes to protect their own economic interests.<\/p>\r\nU.S. society has historically distinguished between \u201cold money\u201d (inherited wealth passed from one generation to the next) and \u201cnew money\u201d (wealth you have earned and built yourself). While both types may have equal net worth, they have traditionally held different social standings. People of old money, firmly situated in the upper class for generations, have held high prestige. Their families have socialized them to know the customs, norms, and expectations that come with wealth. Often, the very wealthy don\u2019t work for wages. Some study business or become lawyers in order to manage the family fortune. Others, such as Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, capitalize on being a rich socialite and transform that into celebrity status, flaunting a wealthy lifestyle.\r\n

However, new-money members of the upper class are not oriented to the customs and mores of the elite. They haven\u2019t gone to the most exclusive schools. They have not established old-money social ties. People with new money might flaunt their wealth, buying sports cars and mansions, but they might still exhibit behaviors attributed to the middle and lower classes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/section>

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The Middle Class\r\n<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]\"A These members of a club likely consider themselves middle class. (Photo courtesy of United Way Canada-Centraide Canada\/flickr)[\/caption]\r\n

Many people consider themselves middle class, but there are differing ideas about what that means. People with annual incomes of $150,000 call themselves middle class, as do people who annually earn $30,000. That helps explain why, in the United States, the middle class is broken into upper and lower subcategories.<\/p>\r\n

Upper-middle-class people tend to hold bachelor\u2019s and postgraduate degrees. They\u2019ve studied subjects such as business, management, law, or medicine. Lower-middle-class members hold bachelor\u2019s degrees from four-year colleges or associate\u2019s degrees from two-year community or technical colleges.<\/p>\r\n

Comfort is a key concept to the middle class. Middle-class people work hard and live fairly comfortable lives. Upper-middle-class people tend to pursue careers that earn comfortable incomes. They provide their families with large homes and nice cars. They may go skiing or boating on vacation. Their children receive high-quality education and healthcare (Gilbert 2010).<\/p>\r\n

In the lower middle class, people hold jobs supervised by members of the upper middle class. They fill technical, lower-level management or administrative support positions. Compared to lower-class work, lower-middle-class jobs carry more prestige and come with slightly higher paychecks. With these incomes, people can afford a decent, mainstream lifestyle, but they struggle to maintain it. They generally don\u2019t have enough income to build significant savings. In addition, their grip on class status is more precarious than in the upper tiers of the class system. When budgets are tight, lower-middle-class people are often the ones to lose their jobs.<\/p>\r\n