Not to know what is middle class

[Goldchilled7up]

Inspired by another thread in chat, what does middle class mean to you?

I seriously don't know. Aibu?

Lots of people go to their neighbouring counties for grammar schools, Bucks schools are full of Herts and Beds pupils.

I am thirty! Lived in Northern Ireland. The eleven plus is very much alive and kicking over there!

Ah right, sorry assumed you were in England. I know the eleven plus is still around in a few areas but it's certainly not commonplace anymore and hasn't been for 30 years or so (less than 5% of schools in England are state funded grammar schools now)

Kim- called Boden

Wasn't reading and comprehension part of the exam? I've acknowledged twice now that the eleven plus is still around in a few areas

Well, I didn't, I just asked Scarlett, but I was being a little tongue in cheek anyway. Sorry if I offended!

my daughter did the 11+ shes now 18 as did 3 of my sons now age 13.

i must be seriously old i remember doing a 7+

SnowWide As an immigrant (1st generation) I often wonder that myself....

DP's parents are immigrants, but he was born here and If I was going to classify him in my head I could (Lower Middle Class, with strict Asian parents so he HAD to go to university).

However, I think because I wasn't born here and so have a class and culture from back home, and one from England. I don't quite fit in a class box, or if I do I just don't see it myself.

Any future children we have will have a class, but I don't think I get one myself.

I agree with Somerset. Being middle class is not about having a degree, I know plenty of posh people who are UM who haven't been to university, either too thick or didnt need to earn a professional salary. My DF and DM both went to uni, one oxbridge, but I didnot, and I am a single parent in a council flat. I would still say I was mc, I cannot get away from it, even if I were to want to. my working class colleagues think I am posh! Ds calls me " posh but poor"!

Small TV's
Books - lots of them
Money in your house/land not in the bank
Old money not new money
Old LandRovers & two black labradors
Uni education
Green wellies
M&S and John Lewis

I know whereof i speak coming from rural Warwickshire ....

But very few people can afford not to work. That would mean that almost everyone apart from the royals and aristocracy is working class. As the royals and members of the aristocracy are upper class that would mean that there is no middle class.

William and Harry work. Are they working class?

They can afford not to work.

And yes, technically that definition would mean there was no middle class.

In some contexts I think it's a useful way to think about it. People can be quite high-earning and still massively vulnerable to some terrible change in their lives if they've not built up much in the way of assets. Other people can have very low incomes but massive assets that they can convert into cash if needed, wealth as opposed to income.