To ask what class you think you are?

[IHate]

People always say everyone on MN is middle class, but are we?! I honestly think it’s a pretty socioeconomically diverse mix.

What class would you say you are? Curious how people map themselves when you take both background and current life into account.

These are the rough descriptions I’m working from (from Reddit - I didn’t write them, so please don’t come for me 🤣). Heritage first, income last.

Upper class
Old families, land, inherited wealth, public schools, Oxbridge, connections that run through generations. Sparse vowels, quiet confidence, and a sense that everything important happens in drawing rooms you will never see.

Typical household income: irrelevant, wealth is inherited.

Likelihood of two parent families: very high.

Age at first child: early thirties.

Upper middle class
Professionals with long-standing pedigree. Parents and grandparents were doctors, civil servants, academics, barristers, consultants, senior military. Private or grammar schooling, strong cultural capital, instinctive ease in elite spaces. This is the group most people mean when they say “middle class”.

Typical household income: often £150k plus.

Likelihood of two parent families: high. Age at first child: early to mid thirties.

Middle class
Educated, comfortable, but not posh. Teachers, mid-level civil servants, senior nurses, managers, small business owners. Cultural capital is mixed. Grandparents may have been skilled workers. Big on gardens, National Trust, and well-behaved children.

Typical household income: around £90k to £150k.

Likelihood of two parent families: moderate to high.

Age at first child: late twenties to early thirties.

Lower middle class
Clerical, admin, retail management, entry-level professional families. Polite, aspirational, very aware of class boundaries. Parents or grandparents often from working class backgrounds. Transitional rather than settled.

Typical household income: around £60k to £90k.

Likelihood of two parent families: mixed.

Age at first child: mid to late twenties.

Working class
Manual trades, industrial work, care work, service work. Strong community identity, distinctive humour, bluntness valued over polish. Heritage is key. You can earn millions and remain working class because class is about where you come from, not what you now earn.

Typical household income: usually under £60k, though can be higher.

Likelihood of two parent families: lower than middle groups.

Age at first child: late teens to mid twenties.

Precariat
Insecure work, unstable housing, gig economy. Identity varies, but the instability itself defines the experience.

Typical household income: under £25k.

Likelihood of two parent families: low.

Age at first child: late teens to mid twenties.

I’m solidly working class. Also, if discussions about class make you cross, this is probably not the thread for you.

Oooh, that does sound fun! Now I want one!

Yes, of course they are.
But class is class. It’s a curious thing.

Upper middle without the salary.

I suppose I’m middle class as my parents went to university and had middle class careers as you define them. The previous generation was working class on one side and working class/upper middle class on the other - my maternal grandparents eloped, to the absolute horror of the snooty side as my grandma wasn’t “suitable.” 😂

It didn’t stop them from having a happy marriage, unlike my grandfather’s brother who did marry someone “suitable” whom he didn’t love.

Not noticeably in Algeria where DH is from. The whole country has been politically upended so many times from the war of independence onwards that the ruling elite has chopped and changed. I am guessing Morocco may have longer established UMC because it has been a sultanate/monarchy for centuries.

Probably working class? But was raised lower class and wanted better than that. Dad worked manual jobs, my mum had a learning disability so only did factory work when younger then never worked again when we were born so when my parents divorced I lived in council housing for the latter years of my childhood and raised on benefits. I’m a nurse, care for my sister who also has a learning disability since my mums death and also have a 9 year old son. Only work part time because of caring responsibilities but I’m degree educated and in a professional job but live in a council house due to my sisters care needs

I always thought it was according to the job roles of your parents, that defines your class.A working class person can have a property,car and a certain job role , so seen to be middle class but would still really be working class.I call myself a hybrid now because born working class but don't fit into working class anymore really but at the same time I just don't totally fit into middle class. The middle classes and Upper class are also born into it.

Looking at the descriptions the top two fit my background best, but without the income.

<<sings>>
A banana comes from the very, very tropical equaaaator,🍌
So never put a banaaanaa
In the refrigeraaator
Oh no no no!

As a teenager I was still fully working class and at my friend's parents house, middle class,her mother removed the sticks of celery, that I had put into a glass pint jar, into a jug,when we were getting the table set for Sunday tea🤣🤣🤣

I think I'm MC, but DH reckons we are WC as we have always depended on salaried employment.
I think I'm MC because although we were quite poor when I was a child, both my parents went to public schools and have that sense of entitlement which I have inherited to some extent. Dh is quite different, he is quite apologetic and finds it hard to deal with people in authority, whereas I am more certain of my right to expect to be treated decently and reasonably in any situation. For example, he won't question doctors or push for anything that he isn't offered. He is the furthest thing from a pushy parent, whereas fortunately I am the opposite! I strongly believe this is class-based, his parents were the same.
We are both well read, but I am better educated in that I have a degree and post-grad qualifications, although his general knowledge is better than mine. I changed from a very middle class profession ( law) to what I consider to be a working class one ( teacher/ TA in a primary school), although I know many people would disagree with me about that.
As a family we would be defined as WC due to DH's job ( technical but non managerial, no professional qualifications) but I am MC inside, and my ( now adult) children are too.

Yes I agree with you because for
15 years, I once lived a very typical middle class way of life but have a very strong South London working class accent .I just didn't feel middle class but now, I live far from London and amongst working class people.I realise it's ingrained in you,even if you try to fit in with people from a different class.It doesn't matter to me what class you belong to though.Just don't disrespect someone who is from a different class.

Middle class and thrilled for an ex colleague with endo who announced today they are pregnant after long last.

Cannot wait to meet her and little one next May.

Apparently my DCs friends see me as posh. We live in a fairly working class area, I.e working but mostly trades people locally. My parents were brought up in a rough part of the nearest city and left school at 15 and 16. Dad was in a skilled technical position and Mum worked part time minimum wage jobs. However Mum went to grammar school, had elocution lessons and both parents loved classical music and opera. DH and I loosely fit the middle class category now, assuming the figures refer to joint income and are both in professional public sector roles.
I think my “poshness” relates to picking up some of my mums accent growing up as opposed to the strong local accent.
Have no idea what class that makes me and never know what to tick on the social mobility questions at work.

I'm as common as muck.

Working class. Grew up on a council estate in a rough area, neither myself or Dh went to university and only one of our Dc went to university. We love an all inclusive holiday so are definitely working class because MN hates them 😂

The only thing that doesn’t fit is our income. According to your description our income is upper middle class because it’s over £150k combined. This is only because Dh has a very niche trade and earns around £130-£150k, but according to what you wrote he’s working class as well because he’s got a trade. I’m a retail manager so supposedly rank higher than him yet he can earn more in a week than I can in a month. I’ve yet to meet a poor tradesman so I don’t understand why they are in the working class group when they probably earn more than a lot of people who’ve been to university.

From your description, I’m middle class, but everyone else thinks I’m upper class!
This is because I was brought up in an impoverished family, who were very big on culture, education, manners and speaking “properly”.
As a child, we listened to BBC Radio 3 and 4, had no TV and were fully engaged with current affairs from the age of around 8.
I got a scholarship to a Grammar School, my reading was off the chart, with full knowledge of Greek and Roman legends plus classical literature, a working knowledge of Latin, via church, followed by Latin to O level, plus 9 other subjects and full awareness of classical music, literature, current affairs and art (all proving invaluable for pub quiz knowledge later!)
I’ve walked into jobs (and maintained these successfully) all my life, that require degrees, despite never having attended any University, and have worked my way up to the salary level you describe as Upper Middle Class.
I am able to function successfully in all situations (early introduction to etiquette for E.g. banqueting, plus no “airs and graces” while around anyone), which really, just goes to show how ridiculous it is to try to classify people in the first place!
I don’t judge a book by it’s cover, OP, maybe you should stop doing just that, too!

Oooh please share

@IHate
‘You don’t need to. It’s a Mumsnet thread, not a summons. 🤣’
What I mean is that say if we have a look at the descriptions and decide I fit into the ‘upper middle class’, how is that useful? What do you do with that information? Because it seems it’s used to feel superior to the supposed lower classes!

From your list, middle but I consider myself working class.

Op you have it wrong, trades earn far more than lower tier management. Working class typically earn a lot more than lower middle class, if there is a trade in the family.

I grunt a lot, so that’s working class, isn’t it?

If you feel that way, then don’t do it.

@xanthomelana and @MarchHairs The description (which I didn’t write!!!) says: Heritage is key. You can earn millions and remain working class because class is about where you come from, not what you now earn.

I would agree with this. It’s like the Alan Sugar example I gave upthread.

I’m middle class. Probably upper middle by your definition but I wouldn’t say that myself. My grandparents went to university (including the females), my parents had professional jobs, I have a fairly middle range civil service type job. But also a strong sense of local community and lots of volunteering. My husband reckons he’s working class but he’s not. His parents both worked reasonably skilled jobs and all his siblings went to uni, he does too.