Definition of "working class"

[disneysteve]

In one thread recently (one of syracusa's I believe) we got into some disagreement about the use of the term "working class". I've always thought of that term in terms of the type of work people do and their income level relative to the local community. Apparently, that is not the "official" definition.

There is an article in TIME this week about the impact of working-class white voters on the election. They give the following definition:

"Defined by education, a central determinant of a worker's economic life, to include all whites with less than a four-year college degree." Source: Ruy Teixeira, Brookings Institution.

So by that definition, a person qualifies as "working class" regardless of what they do or how much they earn as long as they do not have a 4-year degree.

Just thought I'd post that as an FYI.

[maat55]

My description would include anyone who by mind or body, have to produce an income. If your money is able to produce your income, then you would not be working class. IMO.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Hmm, does that definition read as though one must also be white to be working class? Or are we not getting the Brookings Institution's entire definition with that quote? Working class includes whites who... but it also includes Polynesians who..., black Haitian immigrants who..., Pakistanis who... have less than a four year degree?

Well I'm not willing to accept that definition anyway. The term has too many usages over time to just lay that one out as the official definition.

A funny consequence, too, is that someone might be working in one job and be working class one day, but then the next day they collect their 4 year diploma, stay in the same job, have the same values, earn the same wages, have the same aspirations, live in the same apartment, spend Thanksgiving with the same family, get around town in the same manner, have the same vacation plans, listen to the same music, belong to the same quilting circle, go to the same place of worship, shop at the grocery, etcetera, yet **POOF** they are transported out of the working class the moment they turn that tassel on the mortarboard.

[creditcardfree]

Wow, that is interesting. So, my college educated husband, an officer in the US Army is not working class. And neither am I, a college educated, homemaker. Thanks for the FYI.

[Daylily]

Ummmmm.....didn't we just go through something similar to this a while back in a thread where people were classifying themselves as middle class, lower middle class, upper middle class, upper upper middle class, etc.

I prefer not to get involved.

[disneysteve]

Hmm, does that definition read as though one must also be white to be working class?

Sorry. I wasn't clear on that. The article was specifically focusing on the white segment of the voters. Non-whites weren't the focus of the article. I would assume that the definition is the same if you remove the word "white".

[disneysteve]

Well I'm not willing to accept that definition anyway. The term has too many usages over time to just lay that one out as the official definition.

I agree. As I said, it is not how I have always thought of the term either. I just thought it was interesting to see it defined in print and thought back to that thread.

Out of curiosity, I did a little searching online, here are a couple of definitions from dictionary.com:

1. those persons working for wages, esp. in manual labor.
2. the social or economic class composed of these workers.

The socioeconomic class consisting of people who work for wages, especially low wages, including unskilled and semiskilled laborers and their families.

a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages

And from Wikipedia:

Working class is a term used in academic sociology and in ordinary conversation.
In common with other terms relevant to social class, it is defined and used in many different ways, depending on context and speaker. The term incorporates references to education, to occupation, to culture, and to income. When used non-academically, it typically refers to a section of society dependent on physical labor, especially when remunerated with an hourly wage.

Casual and geographical usage differs widely; in extreme cases, well-paid university-educated professionals in the United Kingdom may self-identify as working class based on family background, while many semi-skilled and skilled laborers in the United States are characterized as middle-class. It is usually contrasted with the upper class and middle class in terms of access to economic resources, education and cultural interests. Its usage as a description can be pejorative, but many people self-identify as working class and experience a sense of pride analogous to a national identity. Working classes are mainly found in industrialized economies and in urban areas of non-industrialized economies.

The variation between different socio-political definitions makes the term controversial in social usage, and its use in academic discourse as a concept, and as a subject of study itself, is very contentious, especially following the decline of manual labor in postindustrial societies. Some academics (sociologists, historians, political theorists, etc.) question the usefulness of the concept of a working class, while others use some version of the concept.

[cindyg86]

if going by that definition, wouldn't bill gates be considered working class? or did he eventually earn a diploma?

[disneysteve]

if going by that definition, wouldn't bill gates be considered working class? or did he eventually earn a diploma?

That's exactly what I thought of when I read the article.

I do think he was awarded an honorary degree at some point. Does that count?

[safari]

I don't agree with the TIME's definition. To me working class is defined by the job a person is doing and not by that person's education. A college graduate can work as a construction worker, while someone who never went to college can be a CEO of a company.

[bjl584]

I think the term "working class" is often more of a political defenition than it is an actual defineable one. Politicians love to talk about the "working class", but if you ask them to define who those people are, they would probably struggle to give you an answer. It's the same as when people talk about the "rich." Who are the "rich"? They are both blanket one size fits all defenitions.

[disneysteve]

I don't agree with the TIME's definition.

Me neither. That's why I thought it was worth posting and discussing.

[merrychristman]

I would also think that a single household would be part of a single class, but with Time's definition, ours would not be -- my husband (the primary wage earner) does not have a four-year degree, while I do. On the other hand, I guess one spouse could work a blue-collar job and one a white-collar job, which would also create a split-class household.

My idea of "working class" is the one from Dictionary.com above. (Why would it be called "working class" if it had nothing to do with work?)

[tripods68]

I think the term "working class" is often more of a political defenition than it is an actual defineable one

I totally agree completely. Politician likes to refer to everyone as either "poor working class" meaning, lower end of socio-economic class, "working class", meaning "middle class", or the "social elite" referring to the "wealthy individuals". I wouldn't consider Bill Gates as a working class. Times has changed and society evolves and should the definition.

Here's my definition, anyone that rely on incomes from any job (illegal or legal) to support his or her entire family should be classified as "working class" period. It's an all inclusive class from a drug dealer to a doctor no matter what the education level or lacked thereof.

[thekid]

I think the wiki definition in Disney Steve's post is right on.