Does Class Based Society Still Exist, Essay Example

Since we live in a Capitalist society, many people believe that class based society no longer exists. The main point of Capitalism is that rather than being born into upper, middle, or lower class and remaining there throughout one’s entire lifetime, every individual has the opportunity to rise above their initial class status. Despite this concept, many people who begin in the lower classes are not provided with the same work and education opportunities as the upper and middle classes, and tend to remain at the bottom of the class structure. As a consequence, even though we don’t emphasize the importance of classes in modern Capitalist society, these social divisions still exist.

Class theory can exist in many different situations in modern society, not just the conventional definition of wealthy, moderate, and poor. It is clear that people have different opportunities based on their biological and demographic features, independent of their wealth. As such, class theory could be altered to apply to discrimination on the basis of gender and ethnicity as well. For example, women and racial minorities are less likely to hold careers in leadership positions and earn a large salary compared to their male and Caucasian counterparts of equal skill. While classes are easier to travel between and escape compared to feudal Japan for example, it is still clear that many groups of people are at a social disadvantages, which we could attribute to a new kind of class distinction fueled by prejudice.

While there is a new idea that there is a rise in the middle class and that everyone is in the middle class now, this concept isn’t entirely true. Although the majority of our population can be considered middle or working class, there are a fair amount of working and non-working members of society that can be considered wealthy, in addition to a large number of working and non-working members of society that can be considered poor. As a consequence, the concept that someone is working doesn’t necessarily define them as middle class because it doesn’t define their socioeconomic status. People who belong to all three classes could work and yet still earn a different amount of money and therefore live an entirely different kind of lifestyle. Rather than classes disappearing, the meaning of “class” is being replaced.

Another fact that people use to argue that the middle class is disappearing is the lack of jobs in industries like mining and in factories. However, the modern world has a less of a need for people in these industries and their disappearance hasn’t necessarily impacted the existence of the middle class. When we view middle class workers today, we find them in a variety of positions from office jobs to restaurants, and the range of opportunities available to them keep growing. Therefore, instead of the downfall of mining and factories leading to a decline in the middle class, the class structure responded by creating a greater need for people in different fields.

In conclusion, a class based society still exists, even though it is far different from the one defined by Marx and Weber. Instead of having a rigid structure of classes where individuals couldn’t easily pass from one classification to another, we are able to change our class based on our education level, relationships, and job. While the definition of middle class is changing, it still exists and defines a certain way of life. Therefore, there is still a division amongst classes and it guides how we live.

References

ANSO 1010. (Week Ten). Class. PDF.

Brown, DF. (2009). Social class and Status. Concise Encyclopedia of Pragmatics. Elsevier.