What are the main identifiers of those who describe themselves as lower middle classes?

[Rosehip10]

As distinct from middle/upper middle.

Are you a journo, or trying to finish a Sociology assignment

Not sure what I'd say instead for most of them though? Living room, tea and bathroom?

Presumably, sitting room, supper and lavatory.

I don't think that people define like that anymore. But I imagine that I might have been in that category. years ago- thinking the aspirational children of the working class. Mondeo man. New build barrat estates, laminate floors, everything new, Gastro ready meals, New Zealand sauvignon, all inclusive holidays. TGI Fridays. Or public sector lower paid professionals in thirties semis- hummus and carrot sticks, recycling, camping in Cornwall, festivals.

Neither has private health care, public schools, skis or has cleaners/nannies. Both found in suburbs

Teachers, Nurses, middle managers, small business owners

I'm watching the English, one of them is being the first generation to go to university and I therefore consider myself LMC (in in my 30s).

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince that’s def not lower middle. That’s firm, solid, proper middle. You are a professional that reads the garden and shuns popular culture. You call a sofa by it’s proper name and say bog because you don’t care about pretentious!

So basically working class with "airs and graces", ie pretentious tossers? grin

My mum calls them ten bob snobs

Class based words

Literally nobody identifies as LMC or indeed M/UMC.

Middle-class is a very broad Church. Pretty much covers anybody who wants to identify as middle class up to to Kate Middletonesque levels of not landed Gentry but married to the future King.

Personally I entirely reject the concept of upper-class. It's had its day. There's different levels of rich. And there's connections with the old aristocracy.

I know some people still like to identify as working class. The most of the people that I know who describe themselves as working class are actually what I would call middle class.

Do people really still care about this?
The idea of class is there to keep you in your place, like gender.

northernrose 10 bob snobs is fantastic! Mine just used to call them "them next door" 🙄😁

Hobbesmanc has nailed it. Lower middle can also be called upper working class and includes teachers, lower management and social workers

I say Excuse Me, Living Room, Dinner and Toilet.

Can anyone explain to me which social class I am?

Also, does anyone “identify” as a class? It’s not something I see as part of my identity.

Nor me

I could easily tell someone what class I fall into

I couldn't. I haven't a clue. Presumably, not "working", although I do work.

Does anybody actually use the word repartee when not a)drunk and b) taking the piss?

Lower middle class is a myth told to the working class to make them feel less poor.

If you say you are lower middle class, then you aren't lower middle class.

Say hello to

I think of myself as lower middle class. I’m not working class, if I tried to describe myself as WC I’d be laughed at, but I definitely don’t identify with what a lot of people define as middle class either.

I come from a family of middle managers, health care professionals (but not doctors), teachers, local authority workers and small businesses owners.

One of the markers for lower middle class is importance placed on appearance. I don’t mean flash, designer labels appearance but respectability. This was really important to my grandparents, you needed to be neat and clean at all times, as did your house and car. You didn’t want to be mistaken for being poor, and of course this is the inverse of the upper middle class scruffy but expensive battered Volvos, Range Rovers, old Barbour coats and houses with crumbling bits.

Do you consider hot tubs a !luxury item OP?

What??
I always kind of thought

• working class. On a low wage, manual jobs, maybe benefits, council house, smoker, bad teeth etc
• middle class. Professional, home owner, holidays abroad
• very middle class. Can afford (for one of a couple) not to work, inheritance, loves Joules and Range Rovers, posh accent, holidays in exotic places
• upper class. The Queen.

I don't mean to offend. Those were the markers I have picked up over the years. But I never really thought of UMC...

I'm from Canada where the class system doesn't exist to the same extent, so I could be wrong. But based on my partner's wage and our current lifestyle, I wouldn't say that I am working class, as there are so many people worse off than me and if an emergency comes up, I don't need to worry about feeding my family. It'd be tight, but doable.

Then again, I am certainly not middle class as I can't afford a down payment to buy a house and will be renting for the foreseeable future, and I rely on deals for the vast majority of purchases. I think I fit lower middle class.

That said, I see no shame in any class unless you treat others poorly or have a ridiculous amount of wealth that just sits and would be better off donated or put back into circulation.

Btw I think there are three classes and it's everything to do with money and little to do with the word toilet.

The poor - They don't have enough money to cover food and other essentials like rent. They either can't work through disability or caring responsibilities or don't work. Or if they do work they don't get enough hours or earn enough to meet outgoings.

The middle -- They earn enough to cover the essentials comfortably. But they have to work or sooner or later their savings will run out and they will be poor.

The rich - They have enough in investments, properties and businesses that they don't need to work, other than managing their wealth. If they work it will be because they want to.

I've never heard someone say they are lower middle class before? I've actually never heard anyone describe what class they are! It's an assumed thing isn't it? I would say I'm working class. Both me and DH have good enough jobs but neither of us went to uni or have professional jobs. We live in a nice area that is a split of working and middle class. We have one short haul abroad holiday a year and shop for clothes in places like dorothy perkins, matalan, boohoo etc so very high street.

DS will go to the local primary school then the local secondary. We live in a 2 bedroom house with a mortgage on it which is big enough for the 3 of us and our cat. I think that makes us working class?

I think you’ve nailed it Grapefruits - there is much less room for confusion in your categories.

Rosehip10 That's a very silly list.

Lots of things on there are not class identifiers - maybe more to do with age, or UK/US differences.

I am definitely UMC, in my '50s, and would use some of the words on the list on the right. My kids even more so.