To ask what makes you middle class?

[Wantobeareader]

I am not from the UK so not very familiar with these class definitions (which personally I cannot stand) but I am curious to understand what people mean with MC. I thought it was a term referred to the fairly wealthy but apparently lots of people and incomes seem to fall into that categories.
So, how would you define Middle Class? Feel free to type a description of a typical MC person you can think of :)

I would say I am MC because I tick most of the things previous posters have said.

but with the exception of owning a home, DH doesn't and he definitely considers himself working class.

How would posters describe our family unit? Are we MC by default?

@FrangipaniBlue it literally does not matter - posters are putting all kinds of lines in the sand to determine groups and when challenged they collapse. Clearly for some - it matters but why? It all sounds so superficial and embarrassing.

Class used to be defined, sociologically, according to job/profession and partly income - those with generational, familty money were 'upper-class', those who did manual work (blue collar) were lower. Professionals (lawyers, doctors, aaccountants), were middle-class. Then the Sociologists changed the definitions
However, as you will see, money is no definer of class. Plenty of people have no money, yet their behaviour and attitude to spending and other people is classy; polite, kind generous.
Then there are the (nouveau) rich who have no class; bling, rudeness, conspicuous 'look at me spending' (especially flashing D & G logo for some reason)

My parents have always owned their own home in a nice area, had cars, holidays etc but my dad was a miner and later an electrician, my mum managed a shop. I am university educated to masters, have a professional career and own two properties and we live a ‘middle class’ lifestyle but I believe my parentage makes me ‘working class’ (nothing wrong with this). My children, however, may be considered middle class I think.

You see, I would say (in strict sociological terms) that you were brought up in a working class home, but that you yourself have been upwardly mobile, and you're now solidly middle class.
Neither thing is better or worse, it's just a descriptor of a set of facts.

It's a uniquely British thing I think, for obviously middle class people to think of themselves as working class.
Sometimes to almost comedic levels! I know someone who describes herself as working class. She's a lawyer, owns several properties, went to one of Kent's top private girls schools. Her dad was also a lawyer!
Her grandparents on one side were Durham miners, so they were working class, but her dad was upwardly mobile and her mum was solidly middle class. She's one of the most middle class people I've ever met! But describes herself as working class! Give me strength!

@getitgotitgood the nouveau riche are rude and flashy? You think maybe that is all you see the rude flashy ones who draw attention to themselves. I could talk about the hooray henrys - the Bullington Club whose awful behaviour has been well documented. There are rude, awful people in all classes - the quiet ones get on with their lives types tend not to be noticed. It depends what you look for - most people will confirm their own bias in their observations. And on this thread - those who distinguish the middle classes by commenting on their lovely manners, education, good taste, political awareness etc are simultaneously saying that the working classes are the opposite, it's almost as if you believe the stereotypes and they all inhabit lives like the sitcom Royal Family - I find that quite offensive.

@Cordohroys Empirical evidence.
Yes, outliers exist in all 'classes', but the observable majority fit under the curve, like it or not

We haven't had this question for a week or so 😴 ?

Most countries (all? There may be some exceptions…) have some rather incomprehensible class anxieties ime. At least to outsiders.

they’re quite amusing as long as one isn’t unfortunate enough to be negatively affected…

The UK however is - at least ime - uncommonly open about it. Newspaper articles, books, discussions etc. Not the case with (most?) other countries AFAIK.

Where people may tell you that there is no class system but may judge you for your “class” whilst making that statement! 😂

That’s at least my perspective as a non-British person.

Well you’re either a bogan or not a bogan here. Nothing to do with salary,education, more attitude and tastes. A lot easier.

There’s a study that shows all the nouveau riche(apart from the outliers) are rude. Can you post the details please?

Yeah, I think you're right. Countries like Australia that claim to be classless, but actually...
The funny thing about Britain is that people generally want to be seen as working class. The whole working class hero narrative plays into this. But, it's daft, as there's absolutely nothing wrong with being middle class. Nor with being working class. They're just descriptors.
In sociological terms it used to be more useful, for addressing inequalities. But, nowadays many working class people are better off than many middle class people. So, it's less meaningful in that sense.
The only thing is of course that middle class professionals have huge cultural capital. Eg - only certain professionals considered worthy to sign passports 😲
I guess that's why I get slightly upset with middle class professionals not acknowledging their status, as it's not fair on genuinely working class people, who don't have that same unfair advantage. Everyone needs to check their privilege.

research does seem to suggest that rich people are ruder than poor people.
other researchers seem to call this being less conflict averse and more confrontational.

It would be interesting to see whether there’s a difference between those with inherited wealth and the nouveau riche. But I don’t know if that kind of research exists.

one might theorise that those who actually had to work for their wealth might be less agreeable (aka ruder) than those who didn’t 🤔 But that’s essentially armchair psychology 😂

Empirical evidence:

1. originating in or based on observation or experience. empirical data.
2. relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory.

I think (to me) it’s about background.

I consider myself working class because I grew up on social benefits, with food banks and what else with two parents who didn’t even graduate high school, and I was the first (and only) of my siblings to actually graduate high school (I am born in the 90’s and most of my siblings in early 2000 so definitely not at a time where people didn’t make it to high school) and both my parents work low paid jobs that come with not much recognition.

I made it to university but quit after 2 years and ironically started a career in a similar area to my mom’s except a niche part, and now I am quite successful at it which means that I now do earn a very good salary (6 figure range), travel a lot (while we never went on holiday further than 2 hours away as kids), own my own home that is paid off and overall don’t have to think or look at finances too much (though I am massively careful with it due to how I grew up.).

So technically I live a middle (?) class lifestyle currently but I do NOT consider myself middle class because I strongly come from a working class background and feel I lack a lot of culture and knowledge that I think comes with a middle class background and a lot of how I approach life, finances, politics and the world is rooted in my background and definitely stems from being working class? If I had kids though I think they would be considered middle class because of the background they would be born in, which isn’t technically working class anymore.

Personally my mom comes from a middle class background, but she made decisions very young that now makes her fall strongly into working class, her sisters made completely different choices and they are now both middle/upper class, and you can see the massive difference it has made on all aspects and also how my cousins have come up (they all are strongly middle class) and there is definitely a massive cultural gap within the family and I do know my aunts and my mom’s family at large rarely struggle to relate to us. And for example my cousins have not only had access to more money than us but also access to more knowledge and skill sets (such as money management tips and advices from their parents etc…) that has given them a real leg up and also make them most likely to stay middle/upper class.

So I do think background is the main element. And how much the cultural inheritance that comes with being middle class plays a part in the someone’s likelihood to go further in life either socially, financially or career/study wise.

Nothing to do with income. All to do with language, interests, behaviour, usually but always occupation.

So you decided based on your experience and you bias, which was what I said originally. 😂

Australia isn’t a country I’m particularly familiar with. But “classless” isn’t something I’ve ever witnessed IRL…

I guess that's why I get slightly upset with middle class professionals not acknowledging their status, as it's not fair on genuinely working class people, who don't have that same unfair advantage.

Cultural capital is a massive advantage (and privilege), I absolutely agree.
I do think it’s important to remember that different kinds of privilege exist.

I have a family and educational background (aka the social class that apparently doesn’t exist where we grew up…) that is considerably more privileged than my SO’s.

But he had a fairly stable childhood with 2 parents, a family home etc.
In my case you may hear “private school, riding, played instruments “ etc. But you wouldn’t automatically know about having a massively traumatised mother, a family history of alcoholism, facing housing insecurity / potential homelessness as a young teen (and a lot of other stuff I won’t get into / that would derail this thread).

No, not bias, on empirical evidence, which is also 'real' research. Check it out

Zero to do with income.

Rather, what you choose to do with it.

According to the BBC Great British class calculator, I'm Elite.
I grew up in Wishaw, Lanarkshire. Working class 'til I die.

Real? Non biased - how? 😂😂😂😂

Empirical evidence represents a real-life experience and not just theories. Data collected through empirical research may be less biased because the researcher is there during the collection process.

😂😂😂😂