Social Class Analysis Research Articles

How social class shapes breast cancer risk perspectives and prevention practices of Australian midlife women: a qualitative study using the concept of ‘breast cancer candidacy’

BackgroundThe increasing incidence of breast cancer and disease burden is a significant public health concern. While 30% of breast cancers could be prevented through addressing modifiable risk factors, misconceptions among women about breast cancer risks hamper primary prevention. In the absence of primary prevention, secondary prevention such as mammography increases the early detection of breast cancer and improves health outcomes. However, current population-level screening rates indicate secondary prevention is suboptimal. More effective public health efforts to improve breast cancer prevention are required. Given breast cancer is socially patterned, this work explores how social class impacts women’s breast cancer prevention practices. This study uses the concepts of lay epidemiology and candidacy as a mechanism to understand women’s breast cancer risk perspectives. It engages Bourdieu’s relational social class theory to unpack how women’s social, cultural, and structured life contexts shape these perspectives and their considerations regarding primary and secondary prevention.MethodsIn this qualitative study 43 Australian midlife women (aged 45–64 years), were interviewed to explore their understandings of breast cancer risks, how they perceived their own risk, and how this shaped their prevention behaviours. A theory-informed thematic analysis applying Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital, and fields to understand how women’s social class positions shapes risk perspectives and prevention practices was conducted.ResultsThis social class analysis showed differences in how women engage in breast cancer discourse, consider risks, and participate in breast cancer prevention. Middle-class women prioritise health promoting practices and were more likely than working-class and affluent women to attend mammography screening. Working-class women experience structural factors, like low income, stress and difficult life circumstances, which hamper primary prevention practices and for some screening is not considered or prioritised, and their decisions not to screen are less active. Affluent women often do not consider themselves at-risk due to their healthier ‘lifestyles. ’They suggest that this, and their knowledge of screening benefits and harms allows them to make informed decisions not to screen.ConclusionsWomen interpret and understand breast cancer risks differently and enact prevention practices within the parameters afforded by their social class positions. These findings are useful to inform improved public health approaches regarding both modifiable breast cancer risks and increasing mammography screening. To improve equity in breast cancer prevention efforts, such approaches must respond to limitations based on social class and address structural factors that impact prevention practices.

Analysis of Social Class in the Ballad of Song Birds Snakes (2020) by Suzanne Collins

Analysis of Social Class in the Ballad of Song Birds Snakes (2020) by Suzanne Collins

An Analysis of Social Class and Discrimination in the Movie Saltburn 2023

A movie is a series of moving images that contain a story and can be watched by people. In addition to entertaining, movies also have the function of providing knowledge and education. There are various themes that can be made into a movie, one of which is a movie about social class and discrimination. This article analyzes the social class and discrimination that occur in a film entitled Saltburn by Emerald Fennel. This article using Max Weber's theory to classify the social classes found in Saltburn, This article also using Theodorson's theory to analyze discrimination in Saltburn. The method used in writing this thesis is the descriptive-qualitative method. The results of the analysis in this article show the existence of social classes, namely the upper class and the middle class. These social classes show differences in lifestyle and position. In addition, there is also discrimination that occurs in the movie in the form of verbal discrimination. Based on our analysis of the film Saltburn, it can be concluded that the existence of social class can affect the way a person socializes and can also clearly show the social status in the film. In addition, the existence of social class can lead to forms of discrimination, one of which is verbal discrimination. It can also be inferred that the discrimination experienced by Oliver can affect his mindset and the way he lives his life.

사회경제적 지위가 정년에 의한 은퇴에 미치는 영향

The main purpose of this study is to provide an empirical analysis of the specific social classes affected by the mandatory retirement age system while the retirement age extension policy is actively being discussed. The analytical model was divided into two main categories. The first model analyzed socioeconomic status, which is determined by a combination of income, assets, educational level, occupational status, and housing type. The second model analyzed the impact of each socioeconomic status component on whether individuals are retired by the mandatory retirement age or not. To this end, this study was carried out on the using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA), specifically from the 1st(2006) to 8th(2020) survey and using an independent T-test, Chi-squared test, and logistic regression analysis. The main findings of this study are as follows. First, individuals with higher socioeconomic status were more likely to retire under the mandatory retirement age system than those with lower socioeconomic status. Secondly, as a result of isolating the socioeconomic status components, it was found that individuals with higher income, greater assets, and more consistent work schedules have a greater likelihood of retiring under the mandatory retirement age system. The suggestions of this study, based on the analysis results, are as follows. First, it is suggested that the mandatory retirement age system be based on industry or occupation. Secondly, it is recommended to gradually implement efforts aimed at ensuring a guaranteed retirement age system for non-standard workers. Finally, it is suggested to introduce sickness benefits or a family care system in order to deter early retirement.

Identifying different ‘types’ of participants in the Chilean student movement: A latent transition analysis of collective action intentions, social class and movement identification

AbstractAround the world, we witness not only growing levels of economic inequality but also the rise of protests whereby people from different social classes are demanding a more equal society. Our research uses a person‐centered approach to examine subgroups of participants in a social movement against inequality on the basis of their social class, intention to participate in conventional and/or radical collective actions, and social identification with the movement. We used longitudinal data from the Chilean student movement (two time points; total N = 1226) to conduct latent profile and latent transition analysis. We identified four profiles of participants: (1) inactive supporters (mostly from the upper class), (2) low radicals (mostly from the middle class), (3) moderate radicals (mostly from the middle class), and (4) high radicals (mostly from the middle class). The four profiles were generally stable over the one‐year period. We further found that group efficacy and a “nothing to lose” mindset predicted the profile membership of participants. Group efficacy also predicted transitions of participants between different profiles. Our findings highlight the key role that the middle class plays in diverse forms of collective action.

Toward a Class-Conscious Approach to Cultural Responsiveness

The last several decades have seen a growth in scholarship and application of culturally responsive and sustaining educational (CRSE) approaches in schools serving youth of color. A growing body of research has shown how CRSE serves as an effective strategy to engage students of color, combat pernicious stereotypes, and improve academic outcomes. Notwithstanding these important contributions, CRSE scholarship and practice have not fully explored the significance of social class, despite its long-standing correlation with academic performance, deep connections to identity, and relationship to race and racialization. Drawing on lessons gleaned from ethnographic research, which has demonstrated the importance of social-class analyses, this essay calls for a greater emphasis on and recognition of class in CRSE methods and application. As one of the most prominent and useful sets of pedagogical strategies used in education today, CRSE stands to benefit from a wider inclusion of social class, an addition that would have important ramifications for practitioners and scholars seeking to effectively educate historically marginalized populations. A deeper understanding of the significance of class could also help educators and scholars avoid perpetuating pernicious cultural stereotypes, such as the model minority myth and the culture of poverty. However, a class-conscious addition to CRSE must also maintain its anti-deficit perspective to avoid essentialist views about working-class youth.

SOCIAL CLASS IN VICTORIA AVEYARD’S RED QUEEN

This study is about an analysis of social class in Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen. This thesis aims to analyse social class in the novel. Qualitative research is used in this study. The problem statements are about social class and the relationships that exist between them. In the research, the analysis is conducted by using Marxist theory. The writer also finds that there are kinds of social class and their relathionships. The Silvers are classified as the borguisie, while the Reds are classified as the proletariat. The bourgeoisie in this novel is known as the royals, the nobility, and the rich people who are filled by the Silvers, while the proletariat is the Reds. They live to serve the Silvers, they work as servants, apprentices, and avant-garde soldiers. As Marx said that between these two classes there will be various kinds of conflicts. These conflicts arise because of inequalities or differences between them. Differences in social class can be seen in how social groups get their social status, use their privileges, and take advantage of their prestige. There is oppression of the Reds people, making them want to be free from the upper class oppression or exploitation through struggle against the Silvers. As for the efforts made by the Reds to avenge the inequality and oppression of the Silvers, it was through rebellion. The uprisings are portrayed epicly in this novel.

Sober Curiosity: A Qualitative Study Exploring Women's Preparedness to Reduce Alcohol by Social Class.

Urgent action is required to identify socially acceptable alcohol reduction options for heavy-drinking midlife Australian women. This study represents innovation in public health research to explore how current trends in popular wellness culture toward 'sober curiosity' (i.e., an interest in what reducing alcohol consumption would or could be like) and normalising non-drinking could increase women's preparedness to reduce alcohol consumption. Qualitative interviews were undertaken with 27 midlife Australian women (aged 45-64) living in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney in different social class groups (working, middle and affluent-class) to explore their perceptions of sober curiosity. Women were unequally distributed across social-classes and accordingly the social-class analysis considered proportionally the volume of data at particular codes. Regardless, social-class patterns in women's preparedness to reduce alcohol consumption were generated through data analysis. Affluent women's preparedness to reduce alcohol consumption stemmed from a desire for self-regulation and to retain control; middle-class women's preparedness to reduce alcohol was part of performing civility and respectability and working-class women's preparedness to reduce alcohol was highly challenging. Options are provided for alcohol reduction targeting the social contexts of consumption (the things that lead midlife women to feel prepared to reduce drinking) according to levels of disadvantage. Our findings reinstate the importance of recognising social class in public health disease prevention; validating that socially determined factors which shape daily living also shape health outcomes and this results in inequities for women in the lowest class positions to reduce alcohol and related risks.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Class Dynamics from Socialism to Post-Socialism

Introduction to the Special Issue on Class Dynamics from Socialism to Post-Socialism

Theme, Characterisation, Background, Plot, and Social Class in the Novels Gadis Pantai and Para Priyayi: An Intertextual Review


 
 
 This study aimed to describe the intertextual relationship between the novel Gadis Pantai by Pramoedya Ananta Toer and the novel Para Priyayi by Umar Kayam through the analysis of theme, characterization, setting, plot, and social class. This was qualitative descriptive research. Based on the data analysis, it was found that there are differences in the intrinsic elements of both novels, namely: (a) the theme of the Gadis Pantai novel is humanity, while the theme of the Para Priyayi novel is the struggle for a better life; (b) the main characters in Gadis Pantai are Gadis Pantai and Bendoro, while the main characters in Para Priyayi are Sastrodarsono and Lantip; (c) Gadis Pantai uses a nineteenth-century setting (in Rembang Regency and the Javanese social background), while Para Priyayi uses a setting of 1910 (in Wanagalih, Wanalawas, Yogyakarta, Solo, and Jakarta, with a Javanese social background); and (d) Gadis Pantai uses a chronological plot, while Para Priyayi uses a mixed plot. Also, the social class of the characters in the two novels consist of the priyayi and the wong cilik class, but differences exist in the ways presented to obtain social status. We can conclude that the novel Gadis Pantai is a hypogram whereas the novel Para Priyayi is a transformation.
 Keywords: Gadis Pantai novel, Para Priyayi novel, social class, intertextual studies, Javanese culture
 
 

Beyond Marx: Cultural Social Class Analysis in the English Language Arts Classroom

Beyond Marx: Cultural Social Class Analysis in the English Language Arts Classroom

Swear Words in French : Analysis of Social Class and Gender

Swear words utterances in French are used as a mean to express emotion that have various functions, both personal or social. The swear words represent social group and gender. This research uses descriptive-interpretative method which data taken from two French novels with different social class background. The research results show that in upper social group, the swear words deliver indirectly, meanwhile in lower social group, the swear words express directly to the party that being cursed. Both social groups use professions as verbal abuse, however the upper social group also uses ethnicity as swear words. Through the swear words, the upper class group preserve their social status from generation to generation. From the gender perspective, men and women both use swear words refer to genitals. Men have more variation of swear words usage.

Intergenerational class mobility over birth cohorts in Argentina and Spain

The focus of this paper is on an initial comparative analysis of intergenerational social (class) mobility over birth cohorts in Argentina and Spain. Our objective is to determine the extent to which these two cases of late industrialized countries share similar features of social mobility. Two central questions guide our work: 1) What have been the changes in absolute mobility rates in Argentina and Spain? 2) What has been the comparative evolution over time of the strength of class association? We are guided by two working hypotheses: 1) Given intergenerational changes in labor movements from rural to urban environments, plus the growth of the service class we expect to find a high degree of absolute mobility in both countries; and 2) following international literature, we expect to find a stable net association –controlling for structural changes– of class origins and destinations across birth cohorts in men, and social fluidity in the case of Spanish women.

Social Class and Changes in Australian Women's Affect and Alcohol Consumption During COVID-19.

Introduction: Before the pandemic, mid-life women in Australia were among the “heaviest” female alcohol consumers, giving rise to myriad preventable health risks. This paper uses an innovative model of social class within a sample of Australian women to describe changes in affective states and alcohol consumption patterns across two time points during COVID-19.Methods: Survey data were collected from Australian mid-life women (45–64 years) at two time points during COVID-19—May 2020 (N = 1,218) and July 2020 (N = 799). We used a multi-dimensional model for measuring social class across three domains—economic capital (income, property and assets), social capital (social contacts and occupational prestige of those known socially), and cultural capital (level of participation in various cultural activities). Latent class analysis allowed comparisons across social classes to changes in affective states and alcohol consumption patterns reported at the two time points using alcohol consumption patterns as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—Consumption (AUDIT-C) and its component items.Results: Seven social classes were constructed, characterized by variations in access to capital. Affective states during COVID-19 differed according to social class. Comparing between the survey time points, feeling fearful/anxious was higher in those with high economic and cultural capital and moderate social capital (“emerging affluent”). Increased depression was most prominent in the class characterized by the highest volumes of all forms of capital (“established affluent”). The social class characterized by the least capital (“working class”) reported increased prevalence of uncertainty, but less so for feeling fearful or anxious, or depressed. Women's alcohol consumption patterns changed across time during the pandemic. The “new middle” class—a group characterized by high social capital (but contacts with low prestige) and minimal economic capital—had increased AUDIT-C scores.Conclusion: Our data shows the pandemic impacted women's negative affective states, but not in uniform ways according to class. It may explain increases in alcohol consumption among women in the emerging affluent group who experienced increased feelings or fear and anxiety during the pandemic. This nuanced understanding of the vulnerabilities of sub-groups of women, in respect to negative affect and alcohol consumption can inform future pandemic policy responses designed to improve mental health and reduce the problematic use of alcohol. Designing pandemic responses segmented for specific audiences is also aided by our multi-dimensional analysis of social class, which uncovers intricate differences in affective states amongst sub-groups of mid-life women.

Welfare regime patterns in the social class-fertility relationship: Second births in Austria, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom

This paper develops a theoretical framework to analyze the relationship between social class and fertility. The framework borrows elements from social class analysis, institutional perspectives on the labor market and fertility, and welfare and gender regime theories. I hypothesize that individuals’ social class positions impinge on their economic security, employment–parenthood role compatibility, and gender relations, which are key variables in the explanation of fertility in contemporary postindustrial societies. Different combinations of these variables for each social class and country lead to class-specific fertility patterns. I use Austrian, French, Norwegian, and British samples from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, for the years 2004–2015, and discrete-time event–history analysis techniques to analyze second birth probabilities. A simultaneous equations approach is adopted to account for unobserved heterogeneity. The results document substantial differentials between social classes and distinct social class patterns for each country, consistently with the theoretical expectations. In Norway and France, overall high levels of second birth probabilities are found that follow a positive social ordering. In the United Kingdom and Austria, a U-shaped relationship between class and second birth probabilities prevails. Once unobserved heterogeneity is accounted for in the analyses, social class shows a positive effect on fertility in the four countries. The results show that social class is not only key to understanding intracountry differentials in fertility but is also useful for understanding the functioning of the welfare regime and its relationship to overall levels of fertility.

Within-Occupation Forms of Positional Labour Market Advantage in Three Skilled Occupations

In recent decades, many scholars have accentuated the role of occupations in social stratification and class analysis. Within occupations, workers compete to improve their labour positioning over time and in the process, create unequal outcomes. Advancement to better positions or improved wages can be dependent on many individual factors such as tenure, skills, experience, and effort. Yet, occupations also allow workers to create relative advantage by closing off opportunities to others or seeking otherwise meaningful distinction. This article aims to explain how the occupational context shapes how those within skilled occupations construct the means of relative labour market advantage. It is based on a wider UK case study of laboratory scientists, software engineers, and financial analysts. It shows that within each occupation, there are distinct forms of creating advantage depending on the nature of the occupation such as the educational composition of the incumbents, the situ of skill development, and the level of educational congestion within the occupation.

High educational attainment redresses the effect of occupational social class on health-related lifestyle: findings from four Spanish national health surveys

PurposeSocial determinants as occupational social class or educational attainment might influence health outcomes. This phenomenon is known as the social gradient of health and is related to a skewed distribution of health behaviours that might explain differences in morbidity and mortality between social groups. But social class and educational attainment differ in their nature and might have distinct effects on health. Here we study the combined effect of educational attainment and occupational social class on health-related lifestyle. MethodsWe retrieved data from four large-scale, national representative Spanish surveys (n = 67,171). A latent class regression analysis was run to identify clusters of health-related lifestyle behaviours. Clusters were made according to sociodemographic factors, including a combined analysis of education and occupational social class. ResultsHigher educational attainment and occupational social class were associated with a healthier lifestyle for both sexes. The combined analysis of education and social class indicated that women with secondary education showed a high risk combination of unhealthy behaviours, as men with middle, primary or no education. ConclusionsRegardless of social class, a higher educational attainment redresses the effect of occupational social class on health-related behaviours. Our results suggest that education likely plays a crucial role in population health outcomes through its effects on lifestyle.

An Analysis of Social Classes and its Impact in Crazy Rich Asian Novel by Kevin Kwan

This research is entitled "An Analysis of Social Classes and Its Impact in Crazy Rich Asian Novels by Kevin Kwan". This analysis discusses how the social class contained in the Crazy Rich Asian novel and its impact on family life. In this thesis, the writer uses the social class theory and social conflict theory to analyze the novel. The method used in writing this thesis is a qualitative descriptive method. The findings and analysis that can be found in the novel about social class differences. This class difference is created because of the existence of social class, where they classify their social class, the upper class and middle class. Where the upper classes do not want to accept the middle class into their class. The difference in social class is measured by the power or wealth, privileges and prestige that affect the position, lifestyle, habits and behavior between the upper class and middle class so that the gap between the two classes is so striking. The impact is the gap in social status in a family life or relationship. This gap affects the thinking of upper families who cannot accept any class lower than them to enter their families.

A análise política por Max Weber da Revolução de Fevereiro de 1917: Um balanço crítico.

O presente trabalho discute criticamente a análise de Max Weber sobre a situação política da Rússia em 1917, particularmente seu artigo sobre a Revolução de Fevereiro [A transição da Rússia à pseudodemocracia]. Nele estabelecemos os nexos entre tal artigo e seus escritos dedicados à revolução russa de 1905, com ênfase para a análise das classes sociais e a viabilidade de uma coalizão democrática capaz de suplantar o czarismo. Em 1917, Weber questiona o caráter democrático do “governo provisório” e conclui que o processo revolucionário se resumiu à anulação de um monarca incompetente, sem alterar a posição conservadora das classes dominantes em relação à questão agrária, nem sua dependência perante os bancos estrangeiros. Assim, analisamos os equívocos que levaram Weber a desconsiderar a possibilidade de uma aliança entre operários e camponeses, bem como as insuficiências de seu esquema teórico para incluir a dinâmica do movimento de massas na transformação histórica.

Theory driven analysis of social class and health outcomes using UK nationally representative longitudinal data

BackgroundSocial class is frequently used as a means of ranking the population to expose inequalities in health, but less often as a means of understanding the social processes of causation. We explored how effectively different social class mechanisms could be measured by longitudinal cohort data and whether those measures were able to explain health outcomes.MethodsUsing a theoretically informed approach, we sought to map variables within the National Child Development Study (NCDS) to five different social class mechanisms: social background and early life circumstances; habitus and distinction; exploitation and domination; location within market relations; and power relations. Associations between the SF-36 physical, emotional and general health outcomes at age 50 years and the social class measures within NCDS were then assessed through separate multiple linear regression models. R2 values were used to quantify the proportion of variance in outcomes explained by the independent variables.ResultsWe were able to map the NCDS variables to the each of the social class mechanisms except ‘Power relations’. However, the success of the mapping varied across mechanisms. Furthermore, although relevant associations between exposures and outcomes were observed, the mapped NCDS variables explained little of the variation in health outcomes: for example, for physical functioning, the R2 values ranged from 0.04 to 0.10 across the four mechanisms we could map.ConclusionsThis study has demonstrated both the potential and the limitations of available cohort studies in measuring aspects of social class theory. The relatively small amount of variation explained in the outcome variables in this study suggests that these are imperfect measures of the different social class mechanisms. However, the study lays an important foundation for further research to understand the complex interactions, at various life stages, between different aspects of social class and subsequent health outcomes.