Classism In Sociology

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Perhaps the most elusive of all the social ills confronting us today is the issue of class.
It can evade any attempt at categorization or simplistic definition. The issues and problems of class struggle cut across the social dimensions of race and ethnicity, gender, national and geographic origins, educational background, and even marriage and parental status. Thus, the class issue cannot be merely defined in terms of economic power or social influence. The criteria for determining class membership or identity can be easily debated. Class has been variously defined by origins, workforce status, income, and educational background. The primary emphasis is on the economics of class. Some consider all who derive their income from wages as members of the working class; others exclude …show more content…
Classism is held in place by a system of beliefs that ranks people according to economic status, family lineage, job, and level of education.
Classism says that dominant group members are smarter and more articulate than working class subordinated groups. In this way, dominant group members (upper middle class and wealthy people) define for everyone else what is “normal” or “acceptable” in the class hierarchy. Class affects people not only on an economic level but also on an emotional level.
“Classist” attitudes have caused great pain by dividing subordinated group members from one another and suppressing individual means for personal fulfillment or survival.
It is not unusual to find a level of collusion between subordinated group members and dominant group members as a means of survival by gaining access to some of the privilege retained by the dominant group. There is also a fair amount of internalized oppression experienced by some subordinated group members, i.e., a disdain or
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