Social Class Differences Research Articles

Resilience, Social Support, and Meaning in Life among Koreans During Midlife

Background: Toinvestigatethe associationsbetweenresilience, social support, and meaning in lifeduringmidlife and the factors related to meaning in life.Methods:In this cross-sectionalstudy conducted from May 22 to June 21, 2019, 159 South Koreans aged40–64years were surveyed about resilience, social support, meaning in life, and personal characteristics.Descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, bivariate Pearson’s correlations, and multiple regressionanalyses were performed.Conclusion: The difference in resilience according to general characteristics showed significant differencesin age, educational attainment, religious affiliation, and health status.Differencesin social support weresignificantly correlated to gender, social class, and health status. Meaning in life varied significantly accordingto differences in religious affiliation, social class, and health status. Resilience, social support, and meaningin life were significantly correlated. In the multiple regression model, resilience, social support, and selfratedhealth statussignificantly influencedmeaning in life. Strengthening resilience andsocial supportduringmidlife mightincrease meaning in life, in turn,positively influencing thequality of life inold age.

Inequality in early life: Social class differences in childhood mortality in southern Sweden, 1815–1967

AbstractThis article analyses the long‐term development of social class differences in infant and child mortality in an area of southern Sweden, spanning from the early stages of the mortality transition at the beginning of the nineteenth century, to the late 1960s when both infant and child mortality had reached very low levels. Our findings show that infant and child mortality was fairly equal at the beginning of the study period. We find no clear pattern of class differentials in childhood mortality in the first half of the nineteenth century when both infant and child mortality declined. Later in the nineteenth century, class differences started to emerge. This is clear for both post‐neonatal mortality and child mortality, while we do not find any class differences in neonatal mortality. Over time, a more or less full gradient emerged for post‐neonatal mortality, and a weak gradient also emerged for child mortality. Strikingly, the disadvantaged position for unskilled and lower‐skilled workers remained throughout the 1960s, also at a time when mortality levels were very low, and living standards had increased dramatically for all classes in the population.

Social class and wellbeing among staff and students in higher education settings: Mapping the problem and exploring underlying mechanisms

AbstractWithin Higher Education (HE), staff and students from lower social class backgrounds often experience poorer wellbeing than their higher social class counterparts. Previous research conducted outside educational contexts has linked social class differences in wellbeing with differences in the extent to which low and high social class individuals feel respected (i.e., status), in control (i.e., autonomy), and connected with others (i.e., inclusion). However, to our knowledge, there has been no research that has investigated these psychosocial needs within HE settings. Furthermore, inclusion, status and autonomy are correlated, yet little is known about how these psychosocial needs contribute to wellbeing simultaneously, and independently, of one another. To fill these gaps, we report the results of two studies; firstly with HE students (Study 1; N = 305), and secondly with HE staff (Study 2; N = 261). Consistently across studies, reports of poor wellbeing were relatively common and more than twice as prevalent amongst lower social class staff and students compared to higher social class staff and students. Inclusion, status and autonomy each made a unique contribution and accounted for the relationship between social class and wellbeing (fully amongst students, and partially amongst staff members). These relationships held across various operationalizations of social class and when examining a range of facets of wellbeing. Social class along with inclusion, status and autonomy explained a substantial 40% of the variance in wellbeing. The present research contributes to the literature exploring how social class intersects with psychosocial needs to impact the wellbeing of staff and students within HE.

Impact of Targeted Subsidies Implementation on Inequality in Iranian Rural Area (Case Study: Villages of Neishabour County)

Purpose-The implementation of targeted subsidies policy in Iran is among the actions that, have been taken with the aim of reduction of poverty, reducing social class differences between different deciles of society and specially upgrading rural indicators in rural areas. The present study has been conducted with the purpose of evaluating the impacts of targeted subsidies on expansion of inequality in rural areas.Design/methodology/approach -This fundamental-exploratory research has been done by descriptive-analytical method. The required data were collected through both field and documentary methods. In this study, first, the research indicators were investigated during two six-year courses before targeted subsidies (2005-2010) and after targeted subsidies (2011-2016) at the level of all villages in the country and the average of each indicator was compared between the two periods before and after targeted subsidies and then the obtained results of this part were compared with the results of field research in the study sample. In this study, 22 villages of Neishabour county were selected as a sample by systematic random method using Cochran's formula.Finding- Findings of this study show that cash subsidies accounted for 7.56% of a household income portfolio in the case study in 2019. But the Gini coefficient in the period after targeted subsidies was higher than the period before the targeted subsidies, while the ratio of 10% 0f the wealthiest to 10% of the poorest population in the rural areas of the sample in 2018 was equal to 20.67. Also, despite the original goal of targeted subsidy plan, the lower deciles are far more pressured by rising energy prices, and household food expenditures are spent on food groups. However, the average caloric intake of each person in the tenth decile is seven times that of the first decile. Also, in 70% of the households of the first decile, there were no employed people. In general, the villages of the country have faced a worsening situation in seven indicators, both in the macro dimension and in a case study, but an improvement has been observed in case of one indicator.

A Knowledge Synthesis of Cross-Cultural Psychotherapy Research: A Critical Review

This article presents a current knowledge synthesis of empirical studies on cross-cultural psychotherapy since 1980. Guided by a critical review framework, our search in seven relevant databases generated 80 studies published in English. Main themes are organized into (1) therapists’ cultural competence ( n = 46); (2) therapy process in cross-cultural dyads ( n = 22); and (3) cross-cultural differences in gender, sexual orientation, or social class ( n = 12). Compared to previous reviews on cross-cultural psychotherapy, the findings of this review highlight a broad range of methodological rigor in both quantitative and qualitative studies. Most studies examined actual therapy participants rather than participants in analog studies, thus emulating more therapy-near experiences in cross-cultural psychotherapy research. Also, several studies explored cross-cultural compositions beyond racial and ethnic majority therapist-minority client dyads, and included therapists of color as the participants, exploring reverse power dynamics in therapy and giving voices to foreign-born therapists. The therapy process research provides rich and full descriptions around the dynamic and interactional therapy process in cross-cultural dyads, which can be used to foster cultural sensitivities among therapists in their practice and training. We discuss the limitations of the studies included in the review and its implications for psychotherapy practice, training, and future research.

Social stratification during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty of China (771–476 bce): Mortuary and stable isotopic analyses of the Shangshihe cemetery

AbstractHistoric records for the Zhou Dynasty of China (1046–256 bce) defined distinct differentiation of social classes, in which ways of life and the afterlife were put into written form to regulate funerary and dietary practices. The presence of social stratification would suggest differences in nutrition during life and in ceremonial values for the afterlife. In this study, we examined grave goods and human skeletons from people of different social classes in the Guo State (虢) during the Spring–Autumn Period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771–476 bce). Specimens were excavated from the Shangshihe cemetery in Yima County, Henan Province, China. Differences in total burial values and diet structure between different social ranks, sex, and age groups were assessed using mortuary and isotopic analyses. Our mortuary analysis indicated that there were significant differences in grave size, complexity, and values of grave goods between people of different social classes. The stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis indicated a trend that people buried with two or three coffin layers consumed more animal‐derived, protein‐rich food than people who were buried with one layer of coffin. The elderly might have had better nutrition than younger people did. However, there was no sex‐based difference in nutrition between males and females. Results of these paralleled mortuary and isotopic analyses conform to historic records of social stratification in the Zhou Dynasty of China. Evidence of social stratification and its impact on nutrition and health should be considered while assessing the nutrition and health of ancient human individuals and communities.

In a Class on Their Own: Investigating the Role of Social Integration in the Association Between Social Class and Mental Well-Being.

It has been established that people from lower social classes tend to have poorer mental well-being compared with people from higher classes. Research also suggests that people from the lower classes are also less socially integrated. This research investigated the role of social integration in the relationship between social class and mental well-being across three studies (Study 1 N = 15,028; Study 2 N = 1,946; Study 3 N = 461). Across all studies, social class had an indirect effect on mental well-being via social integration. Moderation results found that social integration buffers the negative impact of financial issues on mental well-being, social support buffers the effects of class on mental ill-health, and family support amplifies rather than reduces social class differences in mental well-being. We propose that although improving social integration has the potential to improve the mental well-being of lower class populations, some caveats need to be considered.

Materialism in The Winner Stands Alone and Crazy Rich Asians: Comparative Literature

This study attempts to investigate materialism portrayed in The Winner Stands Alone and Crazy Rich Asians. The author uses novels as the object of research, namely the Crazy Rich Asian novel (2013) by Kevin Kwan and the novel The Winner Stands Alone (2008) by Paulo Coelho. In this work, the author used the sociological theory of literature and the theory of social class to analyze the novel. The method used to write this thesis is a qualitative descriptive method. The results and analyzes found in the novel relate to differences in social class and the differences and similarities of materialism in the two novels. This class difference arises from the existence of social class groups in which they classify their social class, namely the upper class, the middle class and the lower class. he does not want to accept the middle or lower class in his group. The difference in social class is measured in terms of power or wealth, privilege and prestige, which affect the position, lifestyle, habits and behavior of the upper, middle and lower classes. This is why the gap between the three classes is so striking. The conflict that arises is a gap in the social status of a group and in life or family relationships.

AUTONOMOUS MOTIVATION OF PROTAGONIST’S SELF DETERMINATION IN NICHOLAS SPARKS’ THE BEST OF ME

Nicholas Sparks’ The Best of Me is a novel that tells the story of a love journey between Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier, who is forced to be blocked by Amanda's parents who do not approve of their love because of differences in social class so that in the end they have to separate. However, after being separated for so long they are reunited with different circumstances. The strength of this novel is the moral value of the main character. This study aims to examine the self-determination that exists in the protagonist. In examining this novel, the writers adopt descriptive qualitative research. There two forms of self-determination. They are autonomous motivation and controlled motivation. The study is focused only on the autonomous motivation of the protagonist’s self determination in the novel. Two aspects are found as the protagonist’s autonomous motivation. These aspects happen to the protagonist’s love story in the novel. The first is loyalty and the second firmness of love. The protagonist shows his self-determination by means of two aspects.

The Game of Love and Chance or the Survival of Marivaudage during the Pandemic Crisis

Abstract In this article we propose an interpretation-review of the performance of an immortal work, through its classicism and eternal modern character, The Game of Love and Chance and we begin with the introduction of what has gone down in history as marivaudage and considerations on the author and his work (in translation). Staged in a pandemic context and adapted accordingly, sincere love, prejudices and barriers given by social class differences in the love travesty are preserved, and the philologist and the amateur spectator alike retain the wonderful love comedy with psychological insights.

Convergences and divergences of a Bourdieusian and occupation-based approach to social class: evidence from Croatia

ABSTRACT This article juxtaposes a Bourdieusian and an occupation-based approach to social class in order to explore how they converge or diverge when it comes to empirically identifying high-level class groups and exploring the relationship between ‘objective’ class position and class self-identification in Croatia. The data for this study comes from a survey conducted in 2017 on a nationally representative sample of adult citizens living in Croatia. Contrary to authors who focus on the tensions between the two approaches to class analysis, we highlight how class analysis focusing on occupation and a Bourdieusian approach focusing on capitals align when it comes to identifying the ‘big picture’ of class in Croatian society. Both point to an unequal society with a small dominant class at the top and the majority at the bottom of the social class hierarchy. Although our findings show a middle-class identity bias, there is also overlap between ‘objective’ class location and class self-identification, irrespective of the class approach one takes. However, when it comes to obtaining a more nuanced portrayal of social class differences, a Bourdieusian perspective identifies an underclass which largely consists of the elderly members of Croatian society, with only primary education and insufficient state pensions, living in rural areas, who struggle to make ends meet. The majority of this most vulnerable group are women.

Overweight and obesity at age 19 after pre-natal famine exposure

BackgroundWeight for height has been used in the past as an indicator of obesity to report that prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine of 1944–1945 determined subsequent obesity. Further evaluation is needed as unresolved questions remain about the possible impact of social class differences in fertility decline during the famine and because being overweight is now defined by a Body Mass Index (BMI: kg/m2) from 25 to <30 and obesity by a BMI of 30 or more.MethodsWe studied heights and weights of 371,100 men in the Netherlands born between 1943 and 1947 and examined for military service at age 19. This group includes men with and without prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine.ResultsThere was a 1.3-fold increase in the risk of being overweight or obese in young adults at age 19 after prenatal famine exposure in early gestation. The increase was only seen in sons of manual workers born in the large cities of Western Netherlands and not among those born in smaller cities or rural areas in the West. Social class differentials in fertility decline during the famine did not bias study results.ConclusionsThe long-term adverse impact of prenatal famine on later life type 2 diabetes and mortality through age 63 is already showing at age 19 in this population as a significant increase in overweight risk.

Lives on track? Long-term earnings returns to selective school placement in England and Denmark.

We explore the influence of between-school ability placement at lower secondary education on earnings across the life course in England and Denmark. We go beyond the mid-career snapshot provided by previous studies by exploiting the availability of four decades worth of earnings data for individuals born in the mid-1950s. Members of this cohort who were judged to be among the most academically able attended grammar schools in England (19%) and advanced secondary schools (Realskole) in Denmark (51%) prior to the start of comprehensivization. This key difference makes England and Denmark interesting cases for comparison, not least since pro-selection policies have re-emerged in England based on the claim that grammar schools lead to better educational and labor market outcomes. Our analysis of the influence of selective school placement on earnings finds little support for this contention. We find that those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds were strikingly under-represented in schools ear-marked for higher ability pupils in both countries, even after taking into account social class differences in measured ability. Our analysis for England finds only modest earnings returns to attending a grammar school, totalling just £39,000 across the life course, while in Denmark the lifetime earnings returns to attending Realskole are somewhat larger (£194,000). Because those from advantaged backgrounds were substantially over-represented at grammar schools and Realskoles, these returns accrue disproportionately to pupils from more advantaged backgrounds. Lower secondary school placement in Denmark accounts for 40% of the intergenerational reproduction of socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage, more than half of which is due to selection into school types based on socioeconomic background rather than measured ability. Our findings question the wisdom of expanding grammar schools when they appear to do little to improve individuals' earnings or increase social mobility.

‘Are there Marlians in the Buhari government?’ Popular music and personality cult in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Today, differences in popular music genres and practices can be attributed to different peoples and cultures of the world in much the same sense as the shared and varied degrees of personality cult traditions. In this respect, Nigeria ranks amongst others with a unique and demonstrable popular music and personality cult culture. Of the available literature, none addresses the relationship between popular music and personality cult in Nigeria. This article is the first to do so. Here, we go beyond a mere analysis of the attributes of an idolised persona in, say, Naira Marley to examining both the ideological and sociological determinants––of literacy, media representation, social class, musical taste, deviancy, and demographic differences––that broadly support Nigerian popular music and personality cult practices. Through synthesising various views of the concept of personality cult with quasi-ethnographic data from some devotees of the Marlian cult, this article provides a critical intervention into how such activities as listening, imitating, and idolising are constructed forms of hero-worship in the Nigerian pop music scene.

Seatbelt Reminder &amp; Anti-Seatbelt Reminder Device: “Antara Dua Darjat”

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; “Antara Dua Darjat” is a classic Malay movie written, directed, and acted by Malaysia’s legendary artist Tan Sri P. Ramlee. Loosely translated into English as “Between Two Classes”, this 1960 film chronicles the social class differences between two families; hence leading to endless misery. The author does not intend to elaborate on the two ‘social classes’ as depicted in the film, and would rather discuss ‘the two classes’ in the vehicle safety scenario in Malaysia; so that the latter can be deliberated and resolved in the best manner.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Social class and sex differences in higher-education attainment among adults in Scotland since the 1960s.

An important question about adult education is whether it compensates for or exacerbates initial inequality. The paper looks at this question in relation to higher education in Scotland, considering inequality with respect to sex and to social class. The data come from three cohorts followed from birth to 2011-12. The oldest is unique to Scotland, consisting of people born in 1936. The other two are the Scottish components of British cohorts who were born in 1958 and 1970. This range of time allows an investigation of the effects of half a century of higher-education expansion, drawing a distinction between all higher education and degree-level higher education. The conclusions are that the proportion of women who gained any higher-education qualification was lower than that of men in the 1936 cohort right up to age 75, was equal to men's in the 1958 cohort up to age 54, and in the 1970 cohort was higher than men's from the outset and moved increasingly ahead up to early middle age. For degrees, the female proportion converged with but did not overtake the male proportion. On social class, inequality for all higher education widened with age in the oldest cohort, did not change in the middle cohort, and narrowed with age in the youngest cohort. For degrees, inequality did not change across cohorts or across ages within cohort. Thus any widening of access by adults to higher education has depended mainly on levels below that of degrees.

Symbolic domination in the neoliberal city: space, class, and residential stigma

ABSTRACT This study examines how perceptions of residential reputation and stigma vary according to differences in social class and spatial structures. The focus of our inquiry is the city of Santiago, Chile – a highly segregated city in Latin America. We suggest that residential stigma is the focus of a larger assemblage of material and non-material marginalization; it is a point of convergence of multiple forms of social stratification. We combine a representative survey of 600 residents with geo-referenced census data, building composite measures to represent concrete class and spatial structures using clustering techniques. Results reveal that living in more affluent segregated areas is associated with a better perceived residential reputation, whereas perceived residential stigma is greater in geographical areas with a high concentration of poverty, land devaluation, population density, and overcrowding, regardless of whether these areas present high levels of criminality. Interestingly, when we include social class along with the spatial structure, the former loses significance as a predictor of both perceived residential reputation and stigma. The spatial structure therefore goes some way toward mediating the relationship between class and perceived residential reputation. This suggests the need for public policies designed to reduce the current symbolic domination that exists in Santiago.

Educating in Times of Pandemic: Images as Micropolitics of Epistemic Disobedience to the Modern and Humanist Epistemologies of the Global North

ABSTRACT In this article, we take the risk of reading the contemporary world based on images that have been published on social media during the pandemic crisis. By questioning the abyssal lines (SOUSA SANTOS, 2007) imbued and naturalized by the projects of Modernity and Humanism, the article discusses the ways in which nature invaded, in the middle of the pandemic, “this side” of modernity. The following section explores the undemocratic virus by problematizing the abyssal lines of social class differences. Then, in order to further complexify the stark differences between white supremacy and black genocide, the next section demonstrates that we have not overcome this historical crisis of humanity. Section five investigates the abyssal lines between access to education and the perpetuation of a project for education that secures the denial of its existence. In the conclusion, we explain the reasons that make us conceive of these images as procedural micropolitics that have the potential to construct “new modes of subjectivity” (GUATTARI; ROLNIK, 1996, p. 30) and suggest a pedagogy of visual literacy and its micropolitics and an epistemic turn in the notions of “crisis”.

The relationship between white meat consumption and consumption psychology during COVID-19 pandemic period

The COVID-19 virus, which has affected the whole world in a short time, has created various psychological effects on people. One of these effects is unconscious food consumption. During the quarantine, food consumption increased, regardless of the health and balanced diet of the people. This study was conducted across Turkey, with participants from 81 provinces were selected by chance for each city. Participants answered the questionnaire questions based on the voluntary principle. They stated that they consume food sources with high carbohydrate content during the pandemic and quarantine. In contrast, the consumption of animal products as a source of protein has not increased significantly. 73.02% of the participants especially prefer white meat as a source of animal protein. One of the most important reasons for this is that it is affordable. Especially in the last 30 years, thanks to the important developments in poultry breeding, the amount of production has increased significantly every day globally.White meat is eagerly consumed without any difference in social and economic class. When the amount of white meat consumed as a protein source during the COVID-19 pandemic was compared with the amount of white meat consumed in the previous process, it was found that there was no significant difference. In addition, it has been observed that consumption psychology has an effect on white meat consumption.

Intersecting categories in the dissolution of transnational marriages: A socio‐legal perspective

AbstractAs divorces take place increasingly across national borders, many former partners find themselves in complex situations entangled in more than one state during which some categories of difference intersect, (re)creating inequalities and precarity. Through a socio‐legal perspective combined with transnational and intersectional approaches, the present study elucidates the link between these intersections and the legal aspects of divorce. Examining Filipino migrant women's divorces in transnational social spaces, it unveils that social class, gender, legal statuses, and filiation intersect in specific situations: when the legal problem arises or implicates communal properties in another country; when a family member residing abroad interferes in the divorce settlement; and when the divorce process occurs in the context of domestic violence and involves an institution espousing women's spatial mobility to protect them. In such situations, the social class differences between partners become particularly pronounced (rather than their supposed cultural differences) and intersect with other categories.