SOCIAL CLASS

RESEARCH TASK
Social class is being put into a certain group of
people because of you job or education etc. This
is also known as your economic and social status.
Being in these classes can classify you into
stereotypes which I will be discussing further.

Under class

People would define this class as people who live off

benefits, being some kind of criminal and avoids work
in order to stay living on benefits. These people are
seen as almost all negative and there are very little
positives that describe them.
They are stereotyped as being loud and typically not
caring about anything. They will be typically be wearing
dirty clothes and look unclean. They are represented
like this on TV and therefore influences people to feel
the same way about them. The camera work on these
people will generally be a high angle shot in order to
make them seem far less superior to people and
therefore dont have a general roll in society.

Lower/working class

These people would usually will be set into the

skilled/unskilled worker.
The skilled worker would usually be hard working
and honest and will have a low amount of
money/income. These people will be seen as less
superior to the middle and upper class. This will be
because they came from a less wealthy background
such as low income and poor education for example
they didnt go to university.
The cast shown is from Hollyoaks, as you can see
the cast is shown from a high angle shot and
therefore implies that they are lower class as it
shows they have little superiority

Middle class

These people would have come from a slightly wealthier

background, such they have the opportunities to go to
university and will have a degree, unlike the lower class
where they will have little education and would have a
potentially more dangerous job. A stereotypical job for the
middle class would be teachers or secretary, these jobs
could potentially have less money than a lower class but
will be less taxing and less dangerous.
Modern family is represented with as a middle class home
and family, the children involved go to college but not the
highest ones because they cant afford it, the family have a
fair amount of money however not enough to make them
upper class as they are not represented as it, for example
they dont wear suits but they wear shirts and fairly casual
clothes.

Upper class

The upper class takes up a very small percent of the country,

this will most likely be of people who have either inherited the
money or have won the lottery. These people will live a
glamourous life to which people will look up to from lower
classes, the upper class look down to all of these people.
These people will typically be dressed sharply such as suits,
and in TV shows the camera shots on these people would be a
low angle shot to make them seem much more superior to
others.
The people in the Downton Abbey shot are all sharply dressed,
showing off their wealth which would include the mansion in
the background. All of the people who are sharply dressed and
presumed upper class are at the front and the maids are at the
back, this would say that the upper class outrank anyone lower
and therefore dont need to be in the main frame of the hsot.

Comparison

The lower class is seen as weak and doesnt have

any authority over many people, this is because of
they family background and education mostly. The
upper class is almost the opposite and has a lot of
money due to their family inheritance and would
have the opportunities to go to higher universities
such as oxford.
Middle class would be in between these as they
would not be able to go to high universities, but
would be able to go to a lower one and get a
degree there, this would be due to money and
background, they would therefore have to earn
their money.

Challenged or reinforced
stereotypes

Many stereotypes are reinforced in many shows

and real life, as we almost always see what the
classes are stereotyped to do, such as the
higher class being superior and setting
boundaries for others. The lower/under class
are usually portrayed as doing many illegal
things such as drugs or murder in TV dramas,
this is a large stereotype that is reinforced in
almost every TV show. The upper class has the
majority of power over all of the classes
because they are looked up to them, and the
upper class look down upon the other classes.