1. Actualités et faits de société Licence 1
Lecture 5: Social classes in Britain

2. An unequal society?
a class-ridden society? A society where the social class you belong to still matters in terms of job opportunities, education?
is Britain still trapped in a Downton Abbey society?

3. The servants… and the wealthy owners of the Abbey…
A Downton-Abbey style society?

4. 1. How do you define ‘social class’?
Historically (19th century), Britain divided into three classes:
the upper class
the middle class
the working class (or the lower class)
This picture is taken from a sketch – go and check it out on UMTICE

5. How do you define ‘social class’?
money (how much you earn, how much you inherit)
family (aristocracy? social background?)
property (where do you live? what do you own?)
education (private education? state education? university?)
social networks (who do you socialise with? who do you know?)
cultural activities (hobbies, interests?)

6. New divisions in British society
Sociologists from London School of Economics now state that there are 7 social classes in Britain
- influenced by Pierre Bourdieu’s work
not only money and family backgrounds should be taken into account  your economic capital
cultural activities, friends you socialize with, etc.  your social and cultural capital

7. The Great British Class Survey, 2011
organized by LSE sociologists
survey answered by 160,000 people
questions on not only your economic capital but also your social and cultural capital
results: 7 classes in Britain

8. The 7 classes of Britain the elite (6% of the population)
the established middle class (25%)
the technical middle class (6%)
the new affluent workers (15%)
the emergent service workers (14%)
the traditional working class (19%)
the precariat (15%)
RED: upper class; GREEN: middle class (46%); BLUE: working class (48%)

9. Conclusions of the survey
stereotypes of the middle and the working classes are out of date: those two groups are now very heterogeneous
the traditional working class is changing
the extremes of the class system are very important (Elite and Precariat): the very poor and the very rich still exist

10. 2. Symptoms of an unequal society: education
2.1. The school curriculum
education has been compulsory in Britain between the ages of 5 and 15 since the 1944 Education Act
it set up a three-stage system: primary education (5-12 y), secondary (12-15 y) and further (15+ y)
the main exam is taken at the end of secondary schoool: the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Students have three compulsory topics (Maths, English and Science) and they can choose other topics as well
they will receive A* - C grades according to their performances
they can then continue school and join the school sixth form, after which they can take A-Levels in the topics they want; this is necessary if they want to get into university

11. 2. Symptoms of an unequal society: education
2.2. A two-speed system?
86% of pupils go to state schools or comprehensive schools that don’t select their pupils
4% of pupils go to free grammar schools (selective schools, 164 left in Britain)
7% of pupils go to public schools (= private, fee-paying schools), which are selective

12. Public schools
Eton boys, £30,000/year
Harrow boys, £28,000/year

13. Public schools: royalty, politicians, and artists…

14. a girl-only boarding public school: Wycombe Abbey
£36,000 a year

15. Public schools
disproportionate representation of former public school boys and girls in top positions:
71% senior judges
62% senior armed forces
55% political secretaries
54% of top media professionals
 networks of influence and power

16. 2. Symptoms of an unequal society: education
2.3. University admission and education
Admissions:
before sitting A-Levels, students are given an offer based on a letter of application, an interview and a school report
then they know which of the UK’s 100 universities they will get in

17. Types of universities
‘ancient universities’, dating back from the 13th century (Oxford, Cambridge), 15th century (St Andrew’s, Glasgow), 16th century (Edinburgh)
‘red brick universities’, built at the end of the 19th century (Manchester, Liverpool)
new universities, built in the 1960s to cater to the increasing number of students (outside campuses: Warwick, Kingston)

19. University curriculum and fees
Bachelor’s degree (BA): 3 years
Master’s degree (MA): 2 years
PhD: 3 years
Tuition fees are very high:
2004: Labour allowed universities to charge up to £3,000/year
2010: LibDem/Tory allowed universities to charge up to £9,000/year
64 universities now charge £9,000/year
students can get a student loan