Class/Social Class

• What is the definition of ‘class’?

• Important aspects of class
i) Boundaries between classes are blurred
ii) Class is generally an achieved characteristic
iii) Classes are created as a result of economic differences
• Therefore, social class can be defined as:
a) a socio-economic classification/stratification of people.
b) a way/process of positioning others in relation to ourselves.
c) hierarchical divisions of a capitalist society, in which wealth, income
and occupation form the defining characteristics of each group.

UKZN INSPIRING GREATNESS

Marxist (conflict theorists’) view of stratification in society

Refer to figure 9.1 (p. 216 o.v / 237 n.v)

• Society is made up of two main classes: bourgeoisie/capitalists
(owners of businesses, factories, etc.) and the proletariat
(workers)
• Unequal distribution of power and resources between the two
classes results in class inequality.
• Classes are seen as working opposite/against each other rather
than helping each other climb the ladder..

UKZN INSPIRING GREATNESS

UKZN INSPIRING GREATNESS
• Role of education in a capitalist society is the reproduction of
labour power which is maintained through the hidden curriculum
• The future workforce is shaped through the hidden curriculum,
which:
i) Produces a subservient workforce of uncritical, passive and
docile workers
ii) Encourages an acceptance of hierarchy
iii) Motivates learners through external rewards
iv) Causes fragmentation of school subjects

UKZN INSPIRING GREATNESS

Functionalists’ view on social stratification

• Inequality exists because of the different roles that are

performed by people in different positions.
• People performing roles in middle and upper classes
(governance and management) are entitled to receive
better rewards (salaries).
• Jobs do not have equal status, therefore people cannot
get equal rewards because their contribution is not the
same. Examples?

UKZN INSPIRING GREATNESS

Symbolic Interactionists’ view on social stratification

• Stratification affects people’s beliefs, lifestyles, daily

interaction and conceptions of themselves
• Social class affects how people act in everyday life and
how they view certain aspects of the social world

UKZN INSPIRING GREATNESS

 Access to Education
• Some aspects of diversity (e.g. race, class and gender)
contribute to the learners’ chances of accessing
education.
• These aspects are known to protect or contribute to the
upward/downward social mobility of different classes.
• In South Africa, access to education/schooling is
prioritised in the White Paper on Education and Training
policy.
• This policy is based on the values of equality, non-racism,
non-sexism and redress.
UKZN INSPIRING GREATNESS