What class are you?

Meridian said:
Nope, upper middle. The upper class is by far the easiest to define: you must have inherited a title. You can be poor, rich, working, self-employed or leisured - all you need is the title. You cannot get in without a title - that just makes you a nouveau riche. But still middle class.
Click to expand...
Not quite. Inheriting a title almost makes you upper-class instantly. But you don't need the title to be upper-class all the time.

From wiki:
Titles, while often considered central to the upper class, are not always strictly so. Both Captain Mark Phillips and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, the respective first and second husbands of HRH The Princess Anne lacked any rank of peerage, yet could scarcely be considered to be anything other than upper class.
Click to expand...
 
OK, so the old definitions don't fit, but we clearly all have some ideas of who we regard as falling into what category...
 
fail at the internets said:
Working Class.
Click to expand...



A student? You're already half-way over the boundary into middle class. And you only count as working class if your dad is truly working class: see below.



To be working class you must be doing unskilled manual labour. If you are unemployed they you must have only low or no qualifications. Yes, you can be unployed and a member of the working class. Because it's just a new name for the people who used to called lower class. If you actually call yourself working class then you are almost certainly actually lower middle class. For instance, if you do a skilled manual or office job. If your job is semi-skilled then you are probably working class.

Generally class is decided by occupation, with two exceptions:

1) If you have an inherited title then you are upper class.

2) If you own your own house, even on partial equity, then you are not working class. If you're not upper class then owning your own property automatically makes you middle class.


Interestingly, the only group whose members like to deny membership is the middle classes, even though they make up about 80% of the population. I say classes because of course there are three: the middle classes are also divided into upper-, middle-, and lower-middle classes.

Upper middle is rich or/and professional. But not sportsmen/women: no matter how much they have made they remain lower-middle class.

Lower middle class is as about: skilled manual labour or skilled office work.

The rest, and the largest single group, middle-middle class.



M
 
Meridian said:
Nope, upper middle. The upper class is by far the easiest to define: you must have inherited a title. You can be poor, rich, working, self-employed or leisured - all you need is the title. You cannot get in without a title - that just makes you a nouveau riche. But still middle class.


M
Click to expand...

There are a few different ways of defining class. The most popular ones are occupation based so title doesn't come into it.

Underclass = Unskilled work/long term unemployed
Working Class = Semi skilled/skilled manual work
Lower middle class = low level admin / office work
Upper middle = middle managment sort of jobs
Upper class = Company executives/directors etc.

Probably worded that badly but im tired.
 
Meridian said:
Lower middle class is as about: skilled manual labour or skilled office work.

The rest, and the largest single group, middle-middle class.
M
Click to expand...

Just out of interest , what defines middle-middle class? I would have thought most people would fall into the skilled manual labour or skilled office workers group.
 
Pilky01 said:
Underclass = Unskilled work/long term unemployed
Working Class = Semi skilled/skilled manual work
Lower middle class = low level admin / office work
Middle middle class = middle managment sort of jobs
Upper middle = company executives/directors etc.
Click to expand...
That's more accurate.

Being a director does NOT make you upper class.....
 
Last edited:
Probably on the boundary between working and middle - don't own my own house, car or pension, but enjoy a comfortable life in a well paid job.
 
Britain is becoming more and more middle class, social mobility is greater than ever, blah blah. Middle class aspire to working class values such as taking pride in good old honest hard work whilst working class aspire to quality of life enjoyed by middle class. I'm somewhere within that mess, identity wise. Pretty much working class at the moment if I'm honest.
 
Last edited:
G-MAN2004 said:
Wrong. If you set up your own business, called yourself the director, does that mean you're upper class now then?
Click to expand...

I worded that badly. I will take another go.

The upper class is social class A which is professional & managerial occupations.

Middle class is social class B = middle management positions and that sort of this

Working class are social class C1 & C2, C1 is clerical work C2 is Skilled manual work

There is also class D & E for the lower working class and the underclass

I fail at explaining myself.
 
G-MAN2004 said:
Wrong. If you set up your own business, called yourself the director, does that mean you're upper class now then?
Click to expand...

Agreed - In one year I went from being long term unemployed to upper class.

The way I see it:

Underclass : McMums, chavs and the unemployed that believe drinking Tennants before 9am is classy.
Working class : Does an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.
Middle class : Can afford their partner prolonged time off work without having to flog the house, or selling their 2nd house they rented out to a working class family.
Upper class : Money doesn't come into it - their accent is a giveaway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom