To wonder why posters think MN is MC

[AnnaFri]

I've been wondering this for a while and two threads I've posted on today have prompted me to ask the question.

I always see posters trot out that MN is very middle class

But from being on here in various guises over the years I just don't understand why

There are threads going about high earners and the majority on there are saying anything over £50k a year is a high earner

The thread about pay rises and the majority laughing at the concept

The competitive PIP and UC posts that often crop up a few times a year

There was a thread a few months ago where the OP considered anyone on 30k plus a year to be wealthy

Plus the many others where it's clear the majority posting aren't well off at all

AIBU to think MN is definitely not middle class at a majority level, and it's most likely due to so many low earners being on here that gives that impression?

I think it was quite middle class back in the day. But it's changed a lot.

I think if you joined mn now you wouldn’t consider it at all middle class.

It changed a lot a few years ago. For better or for worse?

Ver interesting, and yes the majority of posters are bottom 50%+ so definitely seems to be a trend

90% of what people put on here is bollocks.
The other 20% is bad maths.

There are threads though where the poster has a budget of £1.4 million for her first property and where they budget £200-300 a month for their labrodoodle's doggy daycare so I think these are the posts people remember.

I think on any internet forum, there is always going to be a disproportionate number of people asking for advice on how to deal with difficult situations (and financial problems is a subset of many bigger problems). I mean, thats why they are on a support forum right?

I’ve been on here for over a decade. The demographic has changed as times have changed. Money was easier to come by. The very people who used to ask for Boden coupon codes are now the people worrying about whether to heat or eat.

MN has been very educational for me. I’ve learned a lot about people outside my economic / social / cultural experience. I know it’s skewed, but my own experience is also skewed. I’m grateful to have people educate me. I’ve learned to appreciate how hard some women have it, what awful things some women put up with in relationships just because they’re women, how hard some parents have to work to earn £40k between them and STILL feel comfortable (I don’t know much about life outside London where this is a practical
impossibility), not to mention the input from farming families and families dealing with PIP and UC, grappling to access social welfare for disabled children or parents.

I think its fascinating and refreshing. If mumsnet was just full of MC women, I wouldn't bother hanging around. It also exposes my mind to the poverty that people experience in the UK. I am a much more knowledgeable person because of Mumsnet.

I’d say a lot more posters are educated and literate on MN than other similar forums. There’s certainly a plethora of very middle class problems on here too. Issues with cleaners, au pairs, private schools, gousto subscriptions etc.

I’d say the majority of posters are MC because I don’t think it’s the sort of thing lots of WC people do, you know sit around on an online forum whinging about their neighbours parking skills. Maybe I’m wrong though…

I'd definitely agree with the part around literacy (maybe not reading ability and comprehension but that's for another thread!)

Having had the pleasure of being on that peanut app a year ago - lord there are a lot of people in this country that shouldn't be having children! It was eye opening especially compared to on here. People asking for advice on how to tell their Midwives they take cannabis, asking whether breast milk is better for a baby, whether they can eat white bread etc.

I'd also say it's maybe related to average age on here over MC status, the older people get they tend to be more literate than younger generations (and that's said as a millennial myself) As AIBU especially skews older than other topics (especially baby names etc.)

Someone yesterday said that anything less than a 100K salary in the SE would be impossible to live on.
That screams MC to me when hundreds of thousands of families earn much less and yet still manage to live (and even buy a house) in the SE.

But that's one person

Yes there are people who are well off on here

But to think the majority are MC is where I get a bit confused as if anything, it's the opposite

The majority on here are not well off, thus posters, as you describe stand out

That screams idiocy rather than any particular class.

So mc people don’t read the DM or bash those on benefits 😆

its still quote largely mc compared to the general population and leaning to the left

This. Class is about attitudes and mores, not money. Otherwise the Beckhams would be upper class (clue, they're not).

But surely this sort of definition is becoming absolutely meaningless where increasingly we will have people who think of themselves as middle class unable to afford heating in winter or even a basic grocery shop? If you can’t afford to feed your children properly, your “values” are meaningless. How can you be middle class?