What makes you middle class?

[Singlemum90]

So a comment from my mother a few years ago has stuck with me ever since then really. When I was no longer a single mum, and found myself a little less skint, she said 'oh it's so good now you're just a nice middle class mum, I'm so proud of you'

Aside from her clearly looking down at me before this, and deciding class was what defined how she felt about me- I have often wondered what made her decide I was middle class at this point.

How do you define it? (I feel it's very subjective) Is it what family you are born into? Your income?(And what income makes the 'classes'? Is it a specific job type? The way you stick your finger out when you drink tea?
Or is it just a shitty way to divide people and how they feel about themselves?

You make an excellent point about the post-war period and the role of grammar schools in creating social mobility, opening up academic opportunities for those who were inclined that way. It’s easy to forget how transformative that system was for bright children from families for whom an academic education was once unthinkable! The expansion of home ownership was also a major factor in shaping the middle-class lifestyle for many families, but I don't believe it was ever sustainable.

As you rightly note, Blair’s drive to get half the population to university increased graduate numbers but has diluted the value of a university degree. In many cases, a degree is no longer a clear differentiator between working-class and middle-class. It’s hard to talk meaningfully about being “working-class in the traditional sense” when so many young people are stuck competing for roles that barely improve their lifestyle. In practical terms, they haven’t moved up much despite having read more books than their ancestors. The grandson of a factory owner without a degree is often still far better positioned than they are.

You make an excellent point about the post-war period and the role of grammar schools in creating social mobility, opening up academic opportunities for those who were academically inclined. It’s easy to forget how transformative that system was for bright children from families for whom an academic education was once unthinkable! The expansion of home ownership was also a major factor in shaping the middle-class lifestyle for many families, but I don't believe it was ever sustainable.

As you rightly note, Blair’s drive to get half the population to university increased graduate numbers but has diluted the value of a university degree. In many cases, a degree is no longer a clear differentiator between working-class and middle-class. It’s hard to talk meaningfully about not being “working-class in the traditional sense” when so many young people are stuck competing for roles that barely improve their lifestyle. In practical terms, they haven’t moved up much despite having read more books than their ancestors. The grandson of a factory owner without a degree is often still far better positioned than they are.

Some of these posts are hilarious.

PS Others are very thoughtful

That’s just silly, though. We use cloth napkins at meals and I’m the daughter and daughter in law of binmen.

Any idea how the cologne favoured by the Nazi Navy came to be a signifier of the British MC?

And surely white pumps and a floral dress is rather Hyacinth Bucket?

Any idea how the cologne favoured by the Nazi Navy came to be a signifier of the British MC?

Oh, for goodness' sake 😂

These threads are invariably a rollercoaster of hilarious, ludicrous and maddening!