The Operationalisation of Class in British Sociology: Theoretical and Empirical Considerations

Abstract

This research note is a contribution to an important on-going debate in British sociology on the operationalisation of class. A comprehensive framework is proposed based on three interrelated choices. All three choices have both theoretical and empirical elements. First, researchers must choose which conceptual scheme to employ conventional occupational class or neo-Marxist social class categories. Second, what is to be the unit of analysis the respondent or the household? Third, what is to be the degree of coverage? whether or not to include the economically inactive. Consideration of all three choices is followed by a discussion of their interrelations and consequences. We suggest an extended version of Erikson's solution which incorporates not only the unit of analysis decision but also the degree of coverage decision. Thus a respondent based measure covering the economically active only is appropriate for studies of production behaviour and attitudes (work position). Alternatively, a household based measure inclusive of the economically inactive is appropriate for studies of consumption behaviour and attitudes (market or class position). Acceptance of the extended Erikson solution leaves only the choice of conceptual scheme. Our indicated preference is for social class on both theoretical and empirical grounds. Finally, we recommend several ways of improving the quality of datasets with regard to the problem of operationalising class. During recent years a lively and important debate has developed in British sociology concerning the operationalisation of class, arguably the most central concept in the discipline. So far the debate has fragmented theoretical considerations and the empirical appraisal of them. Thus neo-Marxists have revived the issue of social versus occupational class and feminists have stimulated discussion of the Thc British Journal of Sociology Volumc XXXVIII Number 4 This content downloaded from 207.46.13.128 on Tue, 06 Sep 2016 06:14:46 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 446 Vic Duke and Stephen Edgell unit of class analysis. In addition, contributions to both these and related issues have tended to ignore each other at the empirical level. As part of a wider research project concerned with changes in the social and political effects of the public expenditure cuts in Britain (Edgell and Duke 1981 and 1985), we have considered the relative advantages and disadvantages of various ways of operationalising class. Qur investigations to date suggest that in order to operationalise class, researchers need to make three interrelated fundamental choices. At the theoretical level each choice involves both conceptual and technical considerations (see Figure I). The first choice is which conceptual scheme (and, by implication, theoretical framework) to employ, i.e. conventional occupational class or neo-Marxist social class. The second and third choices concern to whom the class categories should be applied. This entails two linked but distinct decisions: (a) should the unit of class anaysis be the respondent/individual or the household/family?; and (b) what is to be the degree of coverage of the population? In other words, should the classification be based solely upon the economically active respondents/household members or on all adult respondents/ household members? Each of these three key choices will be considered separately and in terms of their interrelationships. The purpose of this research note is to provide a comprehensive and integrated account of all the issues that are relevant to both theoretical and empirical levels of analysis. Inevitably the choices prove to be not as simply dichotomous as they have appeared in the ongoing debate of the operationalisation of class in British sociology. I THE CONCEPTUAL SCHEME: OCCUPATIONAL CLASS VERSUS SOCIAL