Social Class and Consumption Introduction Consumer behavior and the consumption of goods and services is extremely important to marketers. It is influenced by several factors, both individual and environmental, one of which is social class. The purpose of this literature review is to look at social class assumptions and how social class affects people’s consumption. Social class refers to the different groups of people who are similar in their behavior based upon their economic position in the market place (Engel James F., 1990). The members of the social class share similar values, thinking, speaking and behavior. According to (Gherasim, 2013) he concurs that there are models to structure individuals in different social classes. Three different …show more content…
Social stratification tends to be accepted as a fact of life (F, 1977). Society groups members into social classes. The members of the social class share common values and ways of thinking, speaking and behaving (Abraham, 2011). Inevitably, people mix mostly with their own level, with people who share the same values and behaviours. A way to describe this is “homogamy”, whereby people are drawn to others in the same social class. Social stratification is the idea that in society, there are layers, which in turn affect consumption. Marketers must respond differently to distinctive …show more content…
“Habitus” is used to describe a set of rules or behaviours that classify different groups, influencing the “practices, perceptions and attitudes” that members of a social class construe as normal or appropriate (Bourdieu P. , 1991). It is seen as the most important element of cultural capital. Habitus is often seen in the individuals “food preference, tastes, the way in which one carries oneself, the magazines one reads, child rearing styles, and expectations about entitlements.” (Bourdieu P. , The Market of Symbolic Goods, 1985). It is learned through daily life, through family, friends, experiences and socialization in an organizations culture. Social class members absorb “class rules as unspoken, socially valid practices that are largely invisible to them” (Ridgewell, 2012). Habitus is also a way of showing how different social classes have different consumption levels, as the individual’s level of education, their occupation and ultimately their income are factors for the person’s ability to purchase, therefore affecting their economic capital and their social class status. “Money underpins the fabric of everyday life in modern society, and how finances are managed affects opportunities and flexibility for future consumption and spending” (Henry,
(p1) Broadly speaking, class is about economic and social inequality… (p6) We have a tendency for groups of advanced people to congregate together, and groups of disadvantaged people to congregate so that inequalities persist from generation to generation.
Class can be defined as a way society separates people into groups based on their socioeconomic
Society has categorized individuals depending on their financial status and their income; also known as social class. There are three original social classes in America, upper, middle, and lower class. The classes may sometimes be further divided into upper- upper, lower-upper, upper-middle and lower middle; with the working and lower classes at the bottom; working poor and underclass.
Social class is a group in society having the same economic status as one another. Class could
A stereotype of social classes would be that all people from the lower class are not intelligent and fully rely on their government and the tax-paying people of the middle-class’s dollar for support. Although this is not always true, this misconception is still believed by many people from all aspects of life and social class. The middle class is defined as people who have to work hard daily and who are not wealthy, but at the same time are not poor. The upper class is stereotypically the people that do not have to work hard and have life the easiest. Although all these people are different without a doubt, there is nothing that defines these people as having to fall within these stereotypes. A poor person can work very hard without government assistance and still be poor, a rich person can work hard, and a middle-class person doesn’t necessarily mean that they are hardworking. Just the same, if a person believes that one social-class is better than another social class, then to that person, this mindset is a
Social stratification is seen everywhere within the United States and around the world. As discussed in lecture, there are two types of stratification systems, and both are prominent in the United States. The first type is achievement based, which depends on a person’s wealth and accomplishments (Wadsworth). In the film, “People Like Us,” this system is presented. A teenage boy is embarrassed of his mother and his family’s social status, so he hides is social class from his friends. The second system is ascription-based stratification which has to do with what an individual is born with. The school that was interviewed and observed in “People Like Us,” prove that the family you are born into plays a huge role in popularity, and the group of friends you choose to surround yourself with. Another example in this film was the WASP label. The man they interviewed, explained that you are
Social class has always been influential in America even though many people put forth that someone’s social class is insignificant when building friendships or any other relationship. But the reality is that those thoughts are mistaken because the truth is social class has become a larger concept than what it’s thought to be. Due to the class difference all the social classes have been drifting apart from each other and avoid interacting with each other (Bartlett 1).
In modern society these 3 traditional social classifications, working, middle and upper class are outdated, fitting less than 40 percent of the United Kingdom's population. In April 2013 the British Broadcast Corporation introduced a new model for social classification, within the United Kingdom. Social class and socioeconomic groups traditionally have been defined by income, occupation and ed...
Social structure is created by the distribution of wealth, power and prestige. The social structure consists of taken for granted beliefs about the world and both constrain and regulate human actions. The social structure consists of substructures such as class, gender and ethnicity. These groups are formed within society; each group shares common attitudes, values, social norms, lifestyle and material goods. People within society stay within the guidelines of the soc...
Social stratification refers to the division of society into a hierarchy of unequal social groups. (Ken Brown, An introductory of sociology, p393)
Atonement is set in England during the 1930’s in which during that time society was highly influenced by very segregated social class, in the novel both characters Cecilia and Robbie are the most affected characters by this segregated social class. Social class is one of the big themes in the novel “Atonement” it helps establish the background and foundation of the whole plot. It adds to the conflict the characters deal with throughout the novel. Social class is an example of social structure; class deals with the shaping of a cultural group who share many similar qualities as in race or economic standing. Social class also shapes the way people interact with each other, in other words how they interact with different social groups that already been established. This is demonstrated by even though Cecilia and Robbie both went to Cambridge together they never became friends because of the obvious social separations.
The conclusion I have made is that people consume products to reinforce their position in life. They use these products to reflect their beliefs, status, lifestyle, likes and dislikes, incorporating external factors. For example, climate, religion and age. This reinforces their need to be individuals as well as belonging to a wider group.
In today’s society people are viewed as being in different classes depending on how much money they bring in. The categorization of people is known as classism. Classism is simply the prejudice or in favor of people belonging to a particular social class. Classism is known as one of the largest social problems plaguing the world today. Classes are formed according to how the rules of the following institutions; government regulations and economic status. It is held in place by a system of beliefs and cultural attitudes that ranks people according to their; economic status, family lineage, job status, and level of education. There are three major classifications to which people are titled. They include upper or high class which includes the people with the most money. The middle class who includes the people that brings home the average income. Finally, the class titled the lower class that includes the people who have only one income coming in or none at all (“What Is Classism.”). In the classrooms these classes still remain and the students within each class have different ways in which they learn, and view schooling. We as educators have to look passed their ways and address each class the same.
The class system places the individual in the social system based on his achieved status. This status is earned or chosen. This includes educational level, careers, and spouses.
What is social class? It is a term used to describe a large group of people who share similar social or economic positions in society based on wealth, income, job status, education, skills or power in the political sphere. Class is not just about what you own or earn but also who you know. Class affects not only how we feel about ourselves, but how others judge and consequently treat us. Those at the top of the class structure, the elite, have more power than those in the middle and even more power than those at the bottom who are of lower class. Education is a highly valued commodity in our world. In his commentary on society Freud, claimed, “ No feature, however, seems better to characterize civilization than its esteem and encouragement