Class Origins Research Articles

Class and Ethno-Gender Differences in Education and Labour Market Position—An Intersectional Analysis of Ethnic Integration in the UK

This paper analyses the socio-economic disadvantages of women from different ethnic minority heritages in the UK. Using data from the Labour Force Survey (2014–2023), which contains detailed information on parental class and respondents’ socio-economic conditions, we examine four domains of life chances which are crucial for ethnic integration: educational attainment at the degree level, risks of unemployment, access to professional-managerial (salariat) position and earning power. We proceeded with the gross differences and then examined the differences by ethno-gender status and parental class combinations, controlling for many confounding factors. We also examined the net ethno-gender differences over the life course and the trends of social fluidity over the period covered and across the ethno-gender groups. We found that women from all ethnic origins were doing well in education but faced multiple disadvantages in the labour market, especially in access to the salariat and in earning power. Women of Pakistani/Bangladeshi heritages faced pronounced unemployment risks, especially at the earlier life stages. There is a significant increase in fluidity over the period covered, but this is marked by considerable ethnic and class differences, with Black Caribbean, Black African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi women from more advantaged class origins being unable to secure advantaged class positions and those from working-class families unable to make long-range upward mobility as effectively as White men. Overall, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Black African and Black Caribbean women are found to be considerably disadvantaged, but there are also signs of social progress.

Social class origin and income variations among degree holders: evidence from Italy

Social class origin and income variations among degree holders: evidence from Italy

Unanticipated outcomes of an occupational rehabilitation group on low-SES ultra-Orthodox women’s self-concept

ABSTRACT This longitudinal ethnographic study examines the development of the occupational self-concept of low socioeconomic status ultra-Orthodox women participating in a government-sponsored program to promote integration into the workforce. We followed participants for 18 months to learn about their experience and its effects, using group observations, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. The findings revealed central elements of the intercultural encounter of ultra-Orthodox women with a neoliberal organization. A year after the program’s conclusion, the participants unexpectedly underwent occupational regression, intensifying their commitment to their roles in the home arena rather than achieving the declared goal of occupational integration. The process led the women to embrace a self-concept resonating with the neoliberal characteristics presented in the program but applying it in the home and not the occupational space. This article suggests that neoliberal discourse, with its Western, secular, and class origins, left participants with a self-concept incompatible with the collective self characterizing their culture. We emphasize the importance of incorporating culturally sensitive practices for occupational rehabilitation which consider the potential conflict between the hegemonic discourse (represented by the organizations) and the program participants (minority groups from diverse cultural backgrounds).

Термин «уздень» в северокавказском историческом контексте

The data of language dictionaries provide grounds for distinguishing two main historical meanings of the term “uzden”: 1) feudal nobility (uzden) and 2) personally free peasants (“uzden”). A methodologically important position for analyzing the existence of the term “uzden” in North Caucasian societies of the Middle Ages and modern times is the thesis on the need to separate the class origin and service status of princely vassals. The Mongolism “uzden”, borrowed into North Caucasian languages at different times and for various extralinguistic reasons, changed its semantics depending on the historical era and the social realities of a particular society. But ultimately, the diverse interpretations of the term “uzden” turn out to be closely related to the ideas of the eras under consideration about the idea of freedom.

Social Class Origin and Its Enduring Effects on Securing Idiosyncratic Deals at Work

Social Class Origin and Its Enduring Effects on Securing Idiosyncratic Deals at Work

Methodological approaches to assessing the genetic predisposition of osteochondrosis of the tarsocrural joint in the Pura Raza Española horses

Osteochondrosis (OC) is a developmental orthopaedic disease of significant concern in numerous sport horse breeds, with significant international relevance. Using digital radiographs, we assessed the occurrence of hock (tarsocrural joint) OC in 3 048 Pura Raza Española (PRE) horses which took part in a morpho-functional test, in three specific locations in the tarsus limbs: the Distal Intermediate Ridge of the Tibia (DIRT), the lateral trochlear ridges of the talus (LTT), and the medial trochlear ridges of the talus (MTT). An incidence rate of 13.3% was found for hock OC in the analysed sample, with the highest incidence rate observed in DIRT (10.0%) and the lowest in MTT (0.2%). Estimates of genetic predisposition to hock OC were carried out using three genetic approaches: 1a) a binomial threshold model based on the presence or absence of OC, 1b) a multinomial threshold model, on a scale from 0 (absence) to 3 (maximum), and 2) a linear model. The effects considered in the models included sex, genetic origin and stud class. All the analyses were based on the Bayesian inference methodology, using the THRGIBBS3F90 software. The binomial threshold model yielded the most suitable results, with an estimated heritability for Overall hock OC of 0.71 ± 0.055 on the underlying scale (0.53 on the observed scale), ranging in different locations from 0.48 ± 0.087 (LTT) to 0.66 ± 0.063 (DIRT) on the underlying scale (0.10 and 0.38 on the observed scale, respectively). The highest significative genetic correlation was observed between Overall and DIRT (0.97) for approach 1a, and the lowest significant genetic correlation was between Overall and LTT (0.49), for approach 2. This study contributes valuable insights into the genetic predisposition towards, as well as for the potential for selective breeding against, hock OC in PRE horses, and provides a basis for future research and breeding programmes aimed at minimising the occurrence of hock OC and promoting the overall health of this breed.

‘We Didn’t Know What We Were Eating Tomorrow’: How Class Origin Shapes the Political Outlook of Members of the Parliament in Britain

‘We Didn’t Know What We Were Eating Tomorrow’: How Class Origin Shapes the Political Outlook of Members of the Parliament in Britain

Spatial Variation in Mercury Accumulation in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops spp.) in Southeastern U.S.A.

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) inhabit bays, sounds, and estuaries (BSEs) throughout the southeast region of the U.S.A. and are sentinel species for human and ecosystem-level health. Dolphins are vulnerable to the bioaccumulation of contaminants through the coastal food chain because they are high-level predators. Currently, there is limited information on the spatial dynamics of mercury accumulation in these dolphins. Total mercury (THg) was measured in dolphin skin from multiple populations across the U.S. Southeast Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, and the influence of geographic origin, sex, and age class was investigated. Mercury varied significantly among sampling sites and was greatest in dolphins in St. Joseph Bay, Florida Everglades, and Choctawhatchee Bay (14,193 ng/g ± 2196 ng/g, 10,916 ng/g ± 1532 ng/g, and 7333 ng/g ± 1405 ng/g wet mass (wm), respectively) and lowest in dolphins in Charleston and Skidaway River Estuary (509 ng/g ± 32.1 ng/g and 530 ng/g ± 58.4 ng/g wm, respectively). Spatial mercury patterns were consistent regardless of sex or age class. Bottlenose dolphin mercury exposure can effectively represent regional trends and reflect large-scale atmospheric mercury input and local biogeochemical processes. As a sentinel species, the bottlenose dolphin data presented here can direct future studies to evaluate mercury exposure to human residents in St. Joseph Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, and Florida Coastal Everglades, as well as additional sites with similar geographical, oceanographic, or anthropogenic parameters. These data may also inform state and federal authorities that establish fish consumption advisories to determine if residents in these locales are at heightened risk for mercury toxicity.

The impact of melatonin and glutathione on the physiological characteristics of the hot pepper Capsicum annuum L. grown under cadmium pollution

The experiment was conducted in pots within the plastic house of a nursery located in the Al-Muqdadiya district, situated to the north of Baqubah, the central city of Diyala governorate, which lies 90 km northeast of the capital, Baghdad. This study focused on Capsicum annuum L, specifically the Barbarian F1 class of Indian origin, during the autumn season. The objective of the experiment was to investigate the effects of melatonin and glutathione treatments on the physiological characteristics of Capsicum annuum L grown under conditions polluted with cadmium. The research followed a Randomized Complete Block Design (R.C.B.D.) with three replicates. Three treatments were applied: cadmium, added to the soil at concentrations of 0 and 15 mg.kg soil-1, and melatonin and glutathione, applied to the leaves at concentrations of 0, 50, and 100 mg.L-1. The results revealed a significant decrease in fruit carbohydrate content and catalase enzyme activity when treated with cadmium at a concentration of 15 mg.kg soil-1. However, applying melatonin at concentrations of 50 and 100 mg.L-1 led to a significant increase in fruit carbohydrate and protein content, along with a notable rise in catalase and peroxidase enzyme activities. The concentration of 100 mg.L-1 demonstrated the highest mean values for these features. Moreover, the study demonstrated a significant increase in fruit carbohydrate and protein content, as well as catalase enzyme activity, when plants were treated with glutathione at concentrations of 50 and 100 mg.L-1. The highest mean values for these features were observed when plants were treated with glutathione at a concentration of 100 mg.L 1.

Who Do the Socially Mobile Vote For? A Longitudinal Analysis of Intergenerational Mobility and Political Preferences

Social mobility has become a key public policy issue across the Western world. But who do the upwardly and downwardly mobile vote for? Does their voting behaviour remain the same as their peers in their social origin class, or does it quickly assimilate to mimic the behaviour of others at their social destination? This article presents new, longitudinal evidence on this issue, documenting how the link between social origin, destination and political voting behaviour varies during adult life. We find individuals who move up the social ladder are more likely to vote Conservative than individuals who remain in the same social class as their parents. Overall, an individual’s social origin and social destination seem to be equally important for how they vote. Yet we find no evidence that social mobility is associated with political voting preferences per se; rather upwardly mobile individuals’ greater propensity to vote for the Conservatives is driven by the joint impact of their social origin and destination.

The changing class and educational composition of the UK political elite since 1945: implications for representation

AbstractDebates over the changing nature of the UK political elite have focused on questions of representation and the extent of class convergence between the leaderships of the Conservative and Labour parties. We present a new comprehensive survey of the class and educational composition of the membership of Conservative and Labour cabinets and shadow cabinets since 1945. Some convergence in the class composition of the leaderships is apparent, but intra-class differences in terms of sector and occupation point to persisting differences in adult experience in profit-making versus public/third sector organisations and in technical versus sociocultural professions. Educationally, there is a decline in the Conservative leadership in the numbers coming from elite private schools but not from private schools in general, and attendance at elite universities remains more common on the Conservative side. Changes in the class origins and previous employment of the Conservative leadership do not suggest any weakening in the party’s capacity to represent business interests. In contrast, while there has been no decline in the proportion of the Labour leadership from working-class origins, there has been an almost complete disappearance of those with adult experience of working-class life.

The Class Ceiling in the United States: Class-Origin Pay Penalties in Higher Professional and Managerial Occupations

Abstract Gender and racial pay penalties are well-known: women (of all races) and people of color (of all genders) earn less, on average, even when they gain access to occupations historically reserved for White men. Studies of social mobility show that people from working-class backgrounds in the US have also been excluded from top professional and managerial occupations. But do working-class-origin people who attain top US jobs face a class-origin pay penalty? Despite evidence of class-origin pay gaps in higher professional and managerial occupations elsewhere, we might expect that the central role of race and racism in US stratification processes, along with the relatively low salience of class identities, would render class origins irrelevant to earnings in exclusive occupations, at least within racial groups. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to link childhood class position to adult occupation and earnings, we describe the racial and class-origin composition of different high-status occupations and the earnings of people within them. We show that when people who are from working-class backgrounds are upwardly mobile into high-status occupations, they earn almost $20,000 per year less, on average, than individuals who are themselves from privileged backgrounds. The difference is partly explained by the upwardly mobile being less likely to have college degrees, but it remains substantial (around $11,700) even after accounting for education, race and other important predictors of earnings. The gap is largest among White people; there is a class-origin penalty in top US occupations that is distinct from the racial pay gap.

Overcoming origin-based preferences by selecting skilled immigrants? Preferences in immigrants’ national origin and social class in Quebec

ABSTRACT Although most liberal democracies have abandoned preferences for national origins in immigrant selection policies, large segments of the local populations continue to prefer immigrants that they perceive to be of similar cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds as them. What remains unknown is whether governments can count on the promotion of successful economic integration to ensure acceptance of the greater ethnocultural and religious diversity of immigrants that now settles in host-countries through what has been identified as building a middle-class nation. Relying on an original survey experiment of 2400 respondents in Quebec, we compare reactions to immigrants of different professional status and two national origins (France and Algeria) to investigate if certain types of economic immigration can reduce origin-based preferences. Our results show that origin-based preferences shared by majority group members can be attenuated, but not eliminated by selection based on social class. That said, expectations that immigrants will contribute to Quebec's economy translate into greater acceptance of immigrants of all national origins and social classes.

Isolation and whole genome sequencing of North American lineage class I avian orthoavulavirus 1 isolated from wild Eurasian teal in South Korea

ABSTRACT We report the first North American origin class I avian orthoavulavirus 1 (AOAV-1) isolated from a faecal dropping of wild Eurasian teal (Anas crecca) in South Korea. Whole genome sequencing and comparative phylogenetic analysis revealed that the AOAV-1/Eurasian teal/South Korea/KU1405-3/2017 virus belongs to the sub-genotype 1.2 of class I AOAV-1. Phylogenetic analysis suggested multiple introductions of the North American sub-genotype 1.2 viruses into Asia and its establishment in the wild bird population in East Asia since May 2011. These results provide information on the epidemiology of AOAV-1, particularly the role of migratory wild birds in exchanging viruses between the Eurasian and North American continents. Enhanced genomic surveillance is required to improve our understanding on the evolution and transmission dynamics of AOAV-1 in wild birds.

Excluding the Rural Girl Student: Rural-Urban Divide, Knowledge Transmission, and Female Homosociality in Xiao Hong’s “Hands”

Abstract: In the early 20th century, the figures of both the peasant woman and the “New Woman” caught the attention of Chinese writers. While the “New Woman” has been the subject of considerable scholarship, the representation of peasant women has not received much scholarly attention. This essay examines the peasant woman as represented in modern Chinese literature to complement the existing understanding of Chinese modernity. It focuses on the rural girl student, as she signifies the clash of two worlds: the rural family as her point of provenance and the modern school as her entry into the urban. Relying on Xiao Hong’s short story “Hands” in the context of historical accounts, I argue that hygiene becomes a type of biopower that punishes the rural girl student for her class origin and racializes her as a barbarian, the process capturing a rural-urban divide. The modern school that expels the protagonist, Wang Yaming, is not an institution that promotes upward mobility but a tool to perpetuate class privileges. Although the narrator shows occasional sympathy with Wang Yaming, under the influence of class difference female solidarity is not achieved.

College Is Not the Great Equalizer in Japan

This study represents the first systematic account to test the hypothesis of college as the great equalizer in Japan by analyzing the three-way association among class origin, destination, and education. The authors use data from the Social Stratification and Social Mobility surveys and the Japanese Life Course Panel Surveys. By applying the entropy balancing technique, the authors estimate the heterogeneous causal effect of college education on occupational attainment by the father’s occupation. The results indicate that college education does not function as a great equalizer in Japan. There is no clear evidence to suggest that the occupational returns to a college education are greater among those from less advantaged families than those from more advantaged families. The authors argue that the equalizing effect of a college education is not apparent, because of the specific institutional arrangements of the educational system and the labor market in society.

Anthocyanins as an element of nutritional support for athletes: effects and molecular mechanisms of action

Antioxidants are among the common components of sports nutrition designed to counteract oxidative stress that develops during intense physical activity. One of the promising antioxidants are anthocyanins which belong to polyphenolic compounds of plant origin (class of flavonoids). The purpose of the research was to analyze the results of prospective controlled studies on the effect of anthocyanins on physical performance, and to consider the possible molecular mechanisms of their action. Material and methods. Sources were searched in PubMed, Google Scholar, and CyberLeninka databases of peer-reviewed scientific literature without restrictions on the year of publication using the following keywords: anthocyanins, physical performance, recovery, sport and exercise nutrition, oxidative stress, inflammation. Results. The main data set on the effects of anthocyanins in athletes was obtained using extracts of blackcurrant and Montmorency tart cherry. Volunteers received anthocyanins at a dose of 86-547 mg per day for 1 to 10 days with subsequent evaluation of their performance in cycling, running and fitness activities. The possibility of favorable effect of anthocyanins on physical performance and acceleration of its recovery after exertion has been shown. The source, dose and duration of intake did not significantly influence the established effects of anthocyanins. Acting as exogenous regulators of metabolism, anthocyanins can activate several mechanisms of performance enhancement, including influence on antioxidant and immune status and apoptosis intensity. Anthocyanins prevent the formation of reactive oxygen species, neutralize electrophilic compounds by direct interaction or through activation of Nrf2 factor, which regulates the transcription of antioxidant enzyme genes. The basis of the anti-inflammatory action of anthocyanins is their ability to inhibit MARK and NF-κB mediated signal transduction. Inclusion of bilberry and blackcurrant extract in the diet prevented the intensification of myocyte apoptosis and suppression of cellular immunity induced by exhausting exercise. An additional mechanism of anthocyanin action on physical performance may be an increase in blood supply of organs and tissues due to vascular dilation caused by activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Conclusion. The intake of plant extracts with a high anthocyanin content can increase physical performance and improve recovery after physical exertion, which may be due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of anthocyanins, their ability to regulate apoptosis processes and improve blood supply to organs and tissues.

Childhood neighborhoods and cause-specific adult mortality in Sweden 1939–2015

The socioeconomic health gradient has widened in recent decades. We study how childhood socioeconomic neighborhood conditions influence gender- and cause-specific adult mortality. Using uniquely detailed geocoded longitudinal microdata for a Swedish town (1939–1967), with a follow-up in national registers (1968–2015), we apply Cox proportional hazards models and estimate individual neighborhoods at the address-level. We find that childhood neighborhood social class has a lasting influence on male adult mortality (ages 40–69), even when adjusting for class position, class origin, neighborhood physical attributes and school districts. This impact was particularly pronounced for preventable causes of death, pointing to lifestyle and behavioral factors as important mechanisms.

Crossing the borders of social class: Social mobility as translational experience

ABSTRACT This article suggests that we might conceive of the experience of upward social mobility as a form of translational experience and view the socially mobile individual as both translatum and translator. Acknowledging that the experience of social mobility varies enormously in its specificity, the article’s temporal focus is on upward social mobility in Britain since the expansion of higher education in the early 1990s. It draws on the author’s own experience of social mobility and on the memoirs Hungry by Grace Dent (2021), Respectable by Lynsey Hanley (2017), and People Like Us (2020) by Hashi Mohamed, and relates the socially mobile self to the phenomenon of textual translation. It also theorises the ‘return’ – post-translation communication with the ‘source culture’ or social class of origin – and the process of back-and-forth translation in which socially mobile individuals are constantly engaged.

Two Classes of Equatorial Magnetotail Dipolarization Fronts Observed by Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission: A Statistical Overview

AbstractWe carried out a statistical study of equatorial dipolarization fronts (DFs) detected by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission during the full 2017 Earth's magnetotail season. We found that two DF classes are distinguished: class I (74.4%) corresponds to the standard DF properties and energy dissipation and a new class II (25.6%). This new class includes the six DF discussed in Alqeeq et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0069432) and corresponds to a bump of the magnetic field associated with a minimum in the ion and electron pressures and a reversal of the energy conversion process. The possible origin of this second class is discussed. Both DF classes show that the energy conversion process in the spacecraft frame is driven by the diamagnetic current dominated by the ion pressure gradient. In the fluid frame, it is driven by the electron pressure gradient. In addition, we have shown that the energy conversion processes are not homogeneous at the electron scale mostly due to the variations of the electric fields for both DF classes.