Social Class
YVON VAN SOMEREN, NATHALIA DONÉ, ANNALENA VON HAYN


Definition
 „A class is defined as a large-scale grouping of people who share common economic resources that
in turn influence their lifestyle.“
 Anthony Giddens (2013)

Social Class in different countries
 What meaning has Social Class in your Country?
What has or had influence on that?
 - negative/ positive
 - history
 - political situation
 - ……..

Types of Social Class
• Ownership Classes (upper Class)
• Commercial Classes (upper-middle Class)
• Acquisition Classes (middle Class)
• Major Classes (working and lower Class)

How do we measure Social Class in surveys?
 3 Methods in Sociology:
• subjective
• reputational
• objective
•
2 different views:
• nominalist view
• realist‘s view

Exercise



Movie:
What if the homeless gave you money?


Stereotypes: Positive? Negative?
 “We see patterns, we make rules”
Keith Jason at TEDx Talks





 “Give people and individuals the freedom to see a pattern, but give them the opportunity to break
rules”
Keith Jason at TEDx Talks

Conclusion about Stereotypes
 Be sensitive and aware of them
 Reask them
 don‘t stick to them
 don‘t judge others, because of
them

Oppression, (Dis-)advantages, Privileges



Movie: What is privilege?



How do we think about Social Class?
• Concept which will always be there.
• Results of different aspects and recources (privileges)
• Change social classes can be really difficult, but not impossible
• Social Class is a social construction that always changes, because it is made by people • Social
Class is a hidden category in combination with other factors (gender, race, disability, religious
belief, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation)

Movie: Stop thinking in boxes



References
 GIDDENS, A. (2013). Sociology (Seventh Edition). Cambridge : Polity.
 GIDDENS, A., & HELD, D. (1982). Classes, power, and conflict: classical and contemporary debates.
Berkeley, University of California Press.
 How is social class measured? Retrieved on 05. April 2017 from Reference:
https://www.reference.com/world-view/social-class-measured-bc1492d432f170a7
 Jason, Keith (08. May 2013). The Science of Stereotypes?: Keith Jason at TEDxEMU. Retrieved on 06.
April 2017 from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FySM-xiFef4
 What if the homeless give you money? (19. April 2015). Retrieved on 30. March 2017 from Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZvYvOkqxA8
 What happens when we stop putting people in boxes... (03. February 2017). Retrieved on 30. March
2017 from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh-xdZzyjVI
 What is privilege? (04. July 2015). Retrieved on 30. March 2017 from Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5f8GuNuGQ

Thank you