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Sociology vocabulary · Class, Stratification and Inequality

Social class

Meaning in sociology, with examples

nounCore term

In sociology, social class means: A large group of people who share a similar economic position, such as income, wealth, occupation and education, and often similar life chances.

In Turkish: toplumsal sınıf, sosyal sınıf

How it is used

A key concept in the study of inequality. Marx defined class by ownership of the means of production; Weber added market position and skills. Everyday speech uses working, middle and upper class; researchers measure class through occupation, income or education.

Example sentences

  1. Social class is still one of the best predictors of who goes to university.

  2. The study compares health outcomes across social classes.

Common collocations

  • social class background
  • working class
  • middle class
  • class consciousness
  • class divide
  • social stratificationThe way a society ranks groups of people in layers, or strata, so that some have more wealth, power and prestige than others.
  • working classThe social class made up of people who mainly do manual, routine or service jobs for wages and usually have less income, job security and control over their work.
  • middle classThe social class between the working class and the upper class, usually associated with professional, managerial and office jobs, higher education and moderate wealth.
  • bourgeoisieIn Marxist theory, the capitalist class that owns the means of production, such as factories, land and capital, and lives on the profit made from other people's labour.
  • socioeconomic status (SES)A person's or family's position in society measured by a combination of income, education and occupation.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Class, Stratification and Inequality

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