Middle class identifiers 2022

[Pullandpush]

I read a similar thread a few years ago & the main middle class markers were hummus, organic food, private education, boden, ski trips etc, farrow & ball..
Are these unchanged for 2022 or have the identifiers shifted?
Since the pandemic I've seen a rise in the "hipster" style MC especially the men, maybe the working from home has allowed them to relax into the unshaven, casual look which wasn't there a few years ago...
Private education seems to be on the wane but that may be due to the cost of living..
Any other main MC identifiers I missed?

But they can obviously afford two children & afford all the extras which may even include boarding school....

Yes! Easy! Upper classes = titled. Don't have one, then you're not.

Upper middles, lower middles, somewhere in between, is far trickier (if we're not using social grade classification tables). Hence threads like this.

I'm midlands and the boarding options are definitely 40k around me. You might get a couple of days flexi b for 30k but nothing more.

You'll also have the exam costs for GCSE to consider.

Depends on your income and incomings/outgoings/debts/commitments. If you have to stretch to afford it it might not be the best idea.

I'm solidly WC, albeit with a supposedly MC education and occupation, and I find these threads fascinating! I've always thought the biggest indicator that someone is MC, is their awareness of and focus on being MC in the first place. The WCs and UCs generally just get on with it, don't care what anyone thinks and have a borderline obsession with animals and socialising (getting hammered) with their friends!

In terms of senior private schol, in London you'd be looking at 9k per term so circa 30k per child i.e. 60k for two kids - which would necessitate at least 90k plus salary to be going on schooling. Plenty of mc Londonderry can't afford that

@palygold you have to pay for their exams separately?! That's cheeky

Don’t forget though that grandparents very often contribute hugely to school fees. You’d be very surprised to know how much “old money” is in many families.

I don't think they make any money on them. It's what they have to pay the exam board. It's per exam, more for language oral, etc

I have & always will love @Xenia contributions! I find her very honest & insightful

Yep. DH and I are very similar to SIL and BIL in terms of actual income, but because BIL comes from (serious) money, their DC will be educated privately and ours will not.

We're lucky to live near some great secondary schools though, and our kids are bright and academic (as are theirs), so I'm not worried.

@palygold even so! They should ensure fees cover that

My goodness why did they refuse to serve you? I thought those aristo types need all the money they can get in to preserve their crumbling estates?

There has never been a class thread on mumsnet without @Xenia adding some insights!

@Pullandpush , they're not aristocrats, they're just very rich.

But why refuse to serve paying customers? That's ridiculous!

You do know that property is quite a well paid profession?

(And generally a graduate pathway)

Loving this thread.

The education private / state school thing is interesting. I live in this weird education micro climate:

• close to a Grammar county (so a lot of MC children go for the 11+, even if they are highly unsuitable for it).


• Very good state schools


• Extremely average day private schools with extortionate fees


• Very prestigious boarding schools with really extortionate fees - think Eton / Wycombe Abbey / Wellington

Both myself and my DH went to private schools, went to uni and have good jobs. We think we will send our DC to state schools as the private schools we can afford are just not that great.

No one has mentioned cubs / scouts / brownies

Farrow and Ball paint, I think, is a big scam. We had an interior designer come round to help us with our house. Her portfolio included mansions, stately homes, smart hotels as well as normal homes. I asked her about paint she said 'For gods sake, don't use Farrow & Ball. Use Dulux and spend your money on nicer curtains'

By the way, from all my friends from my private school upbringing, only 1 family I know send their DC to private school.

I think mainly due to cost. The family who send their DC to private boarding schools earn oodles of cash

@Pipsquiggle by oodles of cash, what kinds of amounts? £500k combined?

To clarify, she will have the choice to maintain or expand her portfolio, if she chooses to venture into property. Whether she does a degree or not is entirely separate.

@sunja Yes £500k and maybe more with bonuses, if they've had a good year.

I am not sure how much or if any of their wealth is from my friend's DH's family. Her family were MC/WC - shop keeper and teacher.
His family has inherited wealth but not sure how much has been given to him or he will get eventually

I live in a very MC area, and what I've noticed:

lots of kitchen gardens and allotments, everyone's growing their own fruit and veg.
lots of people still working exclusively or mainly from home, and setting their own hours.
more people running or cycling for fitness, rather than going to a gym or exercise classes (it would be beyond the pale to not be fit - and slim if you're a woman)
massive electric cars that they can barely fit down our tiny medieval streets and certainly can't park

HAHA. Yes to all of these. I would add

Large new kitchens with pure white worktops and dark cupboards

Resined drives and fake grass.

Safari suppers

PTAs that raise thousands of pounds at each event.

Working from home parents that can afford to stop and chat at drop off.

Though I'm sure there are also middle classes that are now having to visit food banks too...

@Pipsquiggle I imagine most people won't be sending their DCs to private school if that's the bracket of the earners. £500k combined is out of reach for most of society.

What jobs do they do?

Resined drives and fake grass.

Surely not