The changing face of the middle class

tejero23f

Cuba has more doctors than any other country in the world per head of population yet they earn the same as a street cleaner and have to work one day a week in the fields.
Cuba has a 99% literacy rate, nobody in Cuba is hungry all but a few own a house or computer-you could say a true classless but poor society.

jamesmorgan

Generali wrote: »

That's a very British way of looking at the world. In most places if you make a good income then you're middle class.

Whilst other countries do place a higher emphasis on income than other cultural aspects of class, it is never as simple as just income. What happens to successful car salesperson who has a bad year and makes less commission - does he suddenly move from middle class to lower class for that year? What if he owns the business and decides to sell it, retiring on the assets. He now has no income - does that make him the lowest social class? What about a young professional starting out on their career (eg a lawyer). Are they lower class until they have worked up the career ladder sufficient to earn a income that says they are middle class?

Class is always a mix of income, wealth, education, occupation and culture. The importance given to each of these components will vary by country, but it is never just income.

Generali

jamesmorgan wrote: »

Whilst other countries do place a higher emphasis on income than other cultural aspects of class, it is never as simple as just income. What happens to successful car salesperson who has a bad year and makes less commission - does he suddenly move from middle class to lower class for that year? What if he owns the business and decides to sell it, retiring on the assets. He now has no income - does that make him the lowest social class? What about a young professional starting out on their career (eg a lawyer). Are they lower class until they have worked up the career ladder sufficient to earn a income that says they are middle class?

Class is always a mix of income, wealth, education, occupation and culture. The importance given to each of these components will vary by country, but it is never just income.

TBH, in almost all countries of the world, nobody actually cares. It's only really the British and Indians that give a flying fox.

Most of the world is a bit more grown up than allowing themselves to be defined by where their Dad went to school.

Road_Hog

Generali wrote: »

That's a very British way of looking at the world. In most places if you make a good income then you're middle class.

That is probably because this is a British forum and the majority of members are located in Britain.

The_White_Horse

tejero23f wrote: »

Cuba has more doctors than any other country in the world per head of population yet they earn the same as a street cleaner and have to work one day a week in the fields.
Cuba has a 99% literacy rate, nobody in Cuba is hungry all but a few own a house or computer-you could say a true classless but poor society.

why bother to learn medicine if you earn the same as a street cleaner?

SkyeKnight

The_White_Horse wrote: »

why bother to learn medicine if you earn the same as a street cleaner?

I would think quite a few people would say why bother being a street cleaner when there are nicer jobs, including medicine? However, there are certainly going to be jobs no-one wants (sewage worker anyone?). I imagine they go for the same solution as the former East Germany, where at least part of the population had their career choices made for them.

dktreesea

thequant wrote: »

It's because the productivity gains havn't been shared out, hence the rise of the mega rich and the systemic unemployment which was unheard of until generation ago.


There's some good analysis I have seen that argues that with the rise of the dual income household we are now worse off as we are working double the hours for the same standard of living.

In a low wage high cost economy like Britain, I would expect that trend to get steadily worse. A lot of people, despite their dual income household, have found their standard of living steadily eroding over time.