Knowra Social class Social class Social class is a group within a society distinguished by economic position, social status, and access to resources and opportunities. Class boundaries and membership criteria vary across societies and historical periods.
Social stratification : The structured ranking of people and groups within a society, often through unequal access to resources and power. Social class is one major form of stratification, alongside arrangements such as caste.
Bourgeoisie : In Marxist theory, the class that owns or controls the means of production. Marx placed the bourgeoisie opposite wage workers in capitalist class relations.
Karl Marx : A nineteenth-century philosopher and political economist who analyzed capitalism through class relations and conflict. His account centered on ownership, wage labor, and conflict between classes.
Educational inequality : Unequal access to educational resources, attainment, and outcomes among individuals or social groups. Class differences in family resources and institutions shape educational opportunities.
Socioeconomic status : A measure of a person's or group's social and economic position, often based on income, education, and occupation. It operationalizes dimensions commonly used to locate people within class structures.
Proletariat : In Marxist theory, the class that sells its labor power because it does not own the means of production. Its dependence on wages defines the opposing position in Marx's account of capitalism.
Max Weber : A German sociologist who analyzed social inequality through class, status, and political power. His framework broadened class analysis beyond ownership and economic interests.
Health inequality : Systematic differences in health outcomes and access to care among social groups. Class position affects exposure to risks, material conditions, and healthcare access.
Social status : A person's or group's socially recognized standing, associated with prestige, rank, or a particular position. Prestige can reinforce class distinctions even when income and wealth are similar.
Class consciousness : Awareness of shared class interests and of the social relations shaping a group's position. Marxist accounts distinguish objective class position from recognition of common interests.
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