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How do you define class?? (Working, Middle, Upper)

There’s a technical (for want of a better word) definition and then there’s how people perceive themselves.
By any technical metric I am middle class - eg home owner, degree educated, decent salary when I was working (white not blue collar), comfortable income/investments in retirement, will probably leave more than I can spend (although I’m giving it a good shot to make sure it’s all spent!) unless I need care home provision - but in my mind I am still working class because that’s my origins. It’s how my parents started out, even if they ended up as homeowners through right to buy, manual/service workers but never on benefits but they were definitely working class and that’s still my mindset. Unions, workers rights, etc. Not sure what difference it makes really. People generally can’t be pigeon holed into specific brackets.
 
Glenda's Legs said:
There’s a technical (for want of a better word) definition and then there’s how people perceive themselves.
By any technical metric I am middle class - eg home owner, degree educated, decent salary when I was working (white not blue collar), comfortable income/investments in retirement, will probably leave more than I can spend (although I’m giving it a good shot to make sure it’s all spent!) unless I need care home provision - but in my mind I am still working class because that’s my origins. It’s how my parents started out, even if they ended up as homeowners through right to buy, manual/service workers but never on benefits but they were definitely working class and that’s still my mindset. Unions, workers rights, etc. Not sure what difference it makes really. People generally can’t be pigeon holed into specific brackets.
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Yeh, this debate has been had on here before I think, unless I am getting mixed up. But I have a friend who works two jobs and hustles hard and earn around 120k before take, but we are talking 12 hour days 6 days a week, financially he is middle class but I would say his social background and also the fact the money he earns he absolutely grafts for, he is very much working class. There are so many different variations of it, as I said originally I think its too complex, especially now
 
Working class - state school, wage earning, no home ownership

Middle class - state school, wage earning, home ownership

Upper class - private school, passive income, assets in trust funds
 
Gutter Boy said:
Working class - state school, wage earning, no home ownership

Middle class - state school, wage earning, home ownership

Upper class - private school, passive income, assets in trust funds
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I agree with the first two but there is a big difference in levels of private education and I doubt most kids who went to private school have a passive income or assets in trusts. A lot of middle class kids go to private school because their parents make sacrifices elsewhere. 1 car, no holidays etc
 
Gutter Boy said:
Working class - state school, wage earning, no home ownership

Middle class - state school, wage earning, home ownership

Upper class - private school, passive income, assets in trust funds
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You can own your house and be working class IMO, owning your home or having a mortgage doesn't change your primary income. If you graft in blue collar conditions all your life to own your home for the last 20 years of it, I think you are very much working class
 
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MartyFunkhouser said:
You can own your house and be working class IMO, owning your home or having a mortgage doesn't change your primary income. If you graft in blue collar conditions all your life to own your home for the last 20 years of it, I think you are very much working class
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I think GB's point is that white collar vs blue collar doesn't make much of a difference as it used to. A good plumber/electrician will make more than most teachers or accountants and in some cases more than Drs and Lawyers these days. Class now is more to do with asset ownership. But then there is a massive difference between owning a home if you live in London vs rest of the country. Same as CA/NY in the US vs other states.
 
robp135 said:
I think GB's point is that white collar vs blue collar doesn't make much of a difference as it used to. A good plumber/electrician will make more than most teachers or accountants and in some cases more than Drs and Lawyers these days. Class now is more to do with asset ownership. But then there is a massive difference between owning a home if you live in London vs rest of the country. Same as CA/NY in the US vs other states.
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They are still working class jobs though

As I said in my OP I think there are too many nuances to put everyone in certain boxes of class
 
MartyFunkhouser said:
They are still working class jobs though

As I said in my OP I think there are too many nuances to put everyone in certain boxes of class
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Id argue that’s not the case in 2026 though. Sure being a plumber is hard graft. But so is being an NHS Nurse and you make half the wage (which is criminal btw)
 
robp135 said:
Id argue that’s not the case in 2026 though. Sure being a plumber is hard graft. But so is being an NHS Nurse and you make half the wage (which is criminal btw)
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Skilled trades that really on hands on manual labour is working class for me, not the wage element

I would say being an NHS Nurse is also working class though, physical and emotionally intense labour
 
robp135 said:
I agree with the first two but there is a big difference in levels of private education and I doubt most kids who went to private school have a passive income or assets in trusts. A lot of middle class kids go to private school because their parents make sacrifices elsewhere. 1 car, no holidays etc
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I can see that sure. There is a group thing which is unique to state schools. That centres around growing up with kids from desperately deprived circumstances - possibly criminal activities alongside families doing well. But it is that experience of feeling the day to day impact of an absence of any resources - not just money - on people within that little community that is a big mentality difference.
 
johnaliola said:
I can see that sure. There is a group thing which is unique to state schools. That centres around growing up with kids from desperately deprived circumstances - possibly criminal activities alongside families doing well. But it is that experience of feeling the day to day impact of an absence of any resources - not just money - on people within that little community that is a big mentality difference.
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For sure. I am more pointing out that there is a big difference between a private a school that costs £12k a year and Eton.
 
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