Class and gender: Role model considerations and liberations in advanced capitalism

Abstract

In this paper, I have presented a model with very few nuances. My object has been to explore the most typical differences between the social classes and, therefore, I have not commented upon the situation of the lower-middle classes; nor have I given much attention to boys in bourgeois categories. My reason for this is that this special category has very often been the focus of socialization research. Rather I have tried to throw some light upon the socialization of working-class girls, where the concept of familism and of solidarity has been important in my analysis. However, the insights and thought patterns of boys and men in bourgeois categories must, in the same way as those of other social groups, be understood as a consequence of capitalism as a social system — and also be understood within a dialectical frame of reference. In other words, while boys in bourgeois categories are socialized in a way which often makes it possible for them to gain the most sought-after positions in society, they have to suffer certain disadvantages that may be costly for themselves as individuals and for society as a whole. My intention has been to discuss some relationships between socialization and the societal model of production. In a capitalist society, there is a need for some boys to be socialized into the elite and for some girls to be socialized into the reserve army of workers. The cause of women's liberation (as well as men's liberation) may be served in many ways and on many different levels. To me it seems especially important to understand the underlying societal forces that shape the roles of working-class girls and women.