CHAPTER 2 - THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FOREGROUND

Abstract

This chapter discusses the social and economic foreground in England. The characteristic feature of the consumer economy in Britain as in other Western countries has been the conspicuous increase in the demand for semi-durable goods, such as motorcars, refrigerators, and television sets. Another feature has been the emergence of a substantial group of youthful consumers who, because of industrial expansion and the virtual absence of long-term unemployment, benefit from high wages. This fact has enormous cultural and educational significance. On the other hand, there are several aspects of the occupational structure that bear on the relationship of education to society. The first is that the areas in which heavy industry first developed have tended to retain their original character. A second aspect of the occupational structure to which attention should be directed is that of the distribution of control. The third, and in many ways the most important, aspect of the occupational structure is its relationship to education and social class.