Essential Social Class Markers, Essay Example

As quoted from McQuade, “expressions of class standing” refers to particular markers or characteristics that apply to the three main social groups as currently found in the United States and other Westernized societies–lower, middle, and upper class. According to Michele Lamont and Virag Molnar, these markers or characteristics are known to sociologists as social boundaries which by definition are “stratified forms of social differences” related to buying habits, speech, attire, behavior, and employment. This term also applies to “unequal access to and unequal distribution of resources,” both material and non-material, and “social opportunities,” such as having access to funds for college or to begin a new business enterprise. In addition, these markers can be seen in “stable behavioral patterns of association” related to which “clique” or group one belongs to and what type of food one consumes and the location, such as McDonalds contrasted with a high-class French restaurant (“The Study of Boundaries”).

Social Boundaries and Paradigms

Several of these social boundaries or markers are essential to understanding how and why they tend to divide and separate the three main classes in the United States and other democratic (and sometimes non-democratic) societies, being the lower class or those that live below the federal poverty line; the middle class which traditionally has occupied the suburbs since the beginning of the Eisenhower Administration in the early 1950’s; and the upper class or individuals who are considered as wealthy or well-to-do in relation to income, social status, and social opportunities.

Lamont and Molnar discuss a number of paradigms or “collections” in which McQuade’s “expressions of class standing” can best be identified–1), social and collective identity or the “segmentation between ‘us’ and ‘them’; 2), class differences or inequalities between the working poor and the cultured or privileged class of the ultra-rich; 3), ethnic and racial differences and inequalities; 4), gender and sexual differences and inequalities via the “differences and commonalities between men and women, and among men and women” which helps to shape and contour behaviors and attitudes; 5), the social markers that distinguish professionals from laymen, such as a university professor and a student, and the type of work they perform; and 6), the social markers related to individual communities, national identities, and spatial boundaries related to geography (“The Study of Boundaries”).

Buying Habits as a Social Marker

One of the most essential areas in which these social markers can be found is in the buying habits of the wealthy or those that belong to the upper classes. As Jennifer Steinhauer points out, unlike in the past when members of the upper classes purchased goods and products that were out of reach for ordinary Americans, a new social marker has emerged or a “badge of high-end consumption” that indicates that the consumer is wealthy and spends his/her money on “personal services or exclusive experiences” that tend to set them apart from the middle and lower classes. Some of these high-end badges includes hiring personal chefs, plastic surgery, exotic vacations, “$400 an hour math tutors, summer camp at French chateaus,” and high tuition classes on managing one’s personal wealth (“Class Matters”).

However, the social line between members of the middle class and those of the upper class in relation to buying habits is rapidly thinning, due to the fact that “millions of Americans who could not have dreamed of buying their own homes” even twenty years ago can now do so but not because of changes in income. The reason is credit which is now available to low-income members of the lower classes which overall blurs the differences between the ultra-rich and not-so rich middle class (“Class Matters”).

Social Stratification

As to the markers or characteristics related to social stratification, many Americans believe that they can tell which class a person belongs to by simply looking at them or listening to how they speak to other people. In essence, “Does a person’s appearance indicate class?” Is it possible to surmise a person’s educational level and knowledge by looking at his/her clothing? Can one tell the income of a person by observing what kind of automobile he/she drives and keeps in their driveway? However, as mentioned above, the particular class in which a person belongs cannot generally be determined by their attire, such as wearing a business suit, or driving a luxury car like a Mercedes. Therefore, trying to determine a person’s class via a visual overview does not often work, due to the blurring of the line between the haves and have-nots (“Social Stratification and Mobility in the United States”).

Language as a Social Marker

Another area that contains many social markers or characteristics is related to language and the spoken word. Dating back as far as the early 1950’s, linguists or those who study human speech and speech patterns realized that “differences in language are tied to social class” via a person’s “social dimensions” like age, sex and gender, lifestyles, and networking or a person’s social circle of friends and acquaintances (Romaine, “Language of Social Class”). For example, a person who lives on the upper west side of Manhattan in a million dollar condo and who possesses a high level of education, such as a Master’s degree, speaks differently than a person who lives in the Bronx or Harlem. Therefore, speech patterns and the choice of words and phrasing distinguishes one class from another as indicators of social status (Romaine, “Language of Social Class”). Of course, these differences in speech are separate from ethnic considerations, such as race and cultural background.

Behavior as a Social Marker

Lastly, perhaps the most prevalent social marker that distinguishes one class or person from another class or person is behavior or how a person acts and reacts to specific social circumstances and situations in their daily lives. Known as class traits, these markers are indications of “typical behaviors, customs, and norms that define each class” and which “indicate the level of exposure a person has to a wide range of cultures.” This would include a person’s family, his/her community, language, ethnical background, and often religious beliefs (“Social Stratification and Mobility in the United States”). For example, a person born into the lower classes and who may not have a higher educational level or experience in dealing with individuals from another culture would react quite differently to an outsider’s flamboyant style of dress or makeup as contrasted with a person from the upper classes who most probably has been well-educated in relation to cultural differences and traditional way of dressing in public. But what makes this area truly different is related to “culturally induced behavior patterns” via the social class in which a person lives and works. More often than not, this inducement becomes “so deeply imbedded in the human mind,” due to being raised in a different social circle or environment, that the individual does not recognize it and thus deems his/her behavior as normal (“Human Society: Cultural Effects on Behavior”).

Final Thoughts

Certainly, these and other social markers, class traits, and characteristics can be found in many cultures and societies outside of the United States. Most of them are common within cultures, but others are indigenous to a particular culture or social class. Overall, McQuade’s “expressions of class standing” remains relevant today despite the continuing evolution of what some call “culture clash” or the mixing of various cultures and classes into one single social entity.

Works Cited

“Human Society: Cultural Effects on Behavior.” 1990. Web. 25 November 2013.

Lamont, Michele, and Virag Molnar. “The Study of Boundaries in the Social Sciences.” Annual Review of Sociology 28 (2002). Web. 25 November 2013.

Romaine, S. “Language of Social Class.” International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2001. Web. 25 November 2013.

“Social Stratification and Mobility in the United States.” 2013. Web. 25 November 2013.

Steinhauer, Jennifer. “Class Matters: When the Joneses Wear Jeans.” New York Times (2005). Web. 25 November 2013.