Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Just what is the difference between lower and middle class?

Give me an example of a lower class male

& a middle class girl.

things like there job, who they socialise with, how they socialise etc etc.

is it likely a middle class girl would date a lower class male.

Reply 1

Pipsico

Go and do a 'class' test on the bbc. I would imagine stereotypically it takes into account your wealth, education and culture.

Stereotypically: Lower class male works a very manual or unskilled job. Left school at GCSEs. Went to a normal school. Parents on a combined income of less than 25k a year. Go on holiday once a year possibly.

Middle class female - fairly well educated. Attending college/uni. Job prospects to be a professional. Parents go on one nice holiday a year.

This is my very crass opinion: hopefully no one is offended!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 2

Old_Simon

The acid test is whether they have HP sauce on the table and use the word toilet. That is it. LOL.

Reply 3

traintracks1995

The acid test is whether the family owns a saloon or a hatchback

Reply 4

phoebe17

I'd agree with the first poster.

A clear give away is the level of education and often their aspirations. Middle class young people will often want to follow in the footsteps of their parents and join essentially a strong profession (Managers, lawyers, PR) after going to uni or sometimes just a-levels and earn a high salary (40k+) as well as want the typical semi-detached house with a well-off lifestyle. Comparatively lower class may be happy to finish education at school, or do a vocational course instead of college or maybe continue to a levels before settling into a 'weaker' profession and earn an average salary (20k).

Please note this is hugely generalised and is just to give you an idea! The class system isn't really this black and white any more I don't think.

Reply 5

Shadoo

Original post by Revrange

Lower class male
-Year 7 socialises with other year 7 kids
Middle class girl
-Year 9 socialises with other year 9 kids

It is fairly likely that they would date

Reply 6

username878045

Original post by Shadoo

Lower class male
-Year 7 socialises with other year 7 kids
Middle class girl
-Year 9 socialises with other year 9 kids

It is fairly likely that they would date

The hell you talking about?

waitrose

Original post by the-black-lotus

waitrose

That's more of an upper-middle class thing. Most middle-class people just shop at the normal supermarkets, or even budget ones like Lidl/Aldi if they're feeling especially thrifty. People often tend to exaggerate the poshness of 'the middle class' when in reality they're probably the largest class of Britain (if you split it simply into the traditional Working/Middle/Upper).

Reply 9

Limpopo

My starting point is that i dont do class and i dont recognise class structures. People are all the same to me unless they demonstrate otherwise.

Having said that I'll generalise like everyone else..

Middle class ladies may say lavatory instead of loo/toilet/bathroom

Middle class types use a jam spoon instead of just diving into the jar with a knife

Middle class types like Volvos

Middle class types can be seen wandering around villages in the Lake District dressed in the full gear with walking sticks and map across their chest when they are just leaving their hotel after breakfast in search of a copy of the Guardian or Telegraph. It makes a change from that local rag, The Westmoreland Gazette.

Middle class types torture themselves by fannying about trying to squidge their peas on the back of their fork instead of simply shovelling into their mouths using the fork.

Middle class types may get out of the bath tub to pee

Middle class types have a selection of tut Tradesmen as trophies. They name drop them at social occasions.. " oh yes of course my plumber is fabulous...blah blah blah..."

Lower class types...

Have the latest chav dog. Staffies are out, variants of Husky are currently in.

Wear football shirts to go out in

Have unsightly tattoos eg women have them on their shoulder,breast or ankle

Give their children chav names

Have chav Christmas lights on their homes

Reply 10

uberteknik

How is class defined and by whom?

It used to be working class then middle class but since even upper classes work in paid employment, those boundaries no longer apply.

I would say the distinction is now simply one of core-values, aspiration, opportunity and achievement.

Education is the great leveller.

Reply 11

username878045

Original post by Limpopo

Sounds to me like you've described upper class, not middle class.

Almost everyone I've ever known well is middle class, and I've never known anyone that posh. And I come from one of the poshest constituencies in the country.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 12

Limpopo

Original post by PythianLegume

Sounds tome like you've described upper class, not middle class.

Almost everyone I've ever known well is middle class, and I've never known anyone that posh. And I come from one of the poshest constituencies in the country.

Thats quite possible, As i say i dont do class structure and i have worked in customer facing roles for years so they all the same to me. I'd probably find it more difficult to differentiate than most people would.

Do you think that perhaps the middle class have dropped down a few notches and are now closer to the upper tier of the lower class rather than the lower tier of the upper class IYSWIM

Reply 13

username878045

Original post by Limpopo

Do you think that perhaps the middle class have dropped down a few notches and are now closer to the upper tier of the lower class rather than the lower tier of the upper class IYSWIM

They've certainly become much closer to the working class than they were when they first appeared around the 19th century. Back then they would've been factory owners and they like. 'New money' as it would've been called. I'd say that the modern definition of middle class is your everyday professional or clerical worker - someone who has an office, probably went to university. They have fairly high aspirations for themselves and especially their children. Of course the phrase 'middle-class' encompasses a huge range of people; everyone from the manager on the shop floor to the company CEO.