De ambiguïteit van 'beroepsklasse'. Over de economische progressiviteit en het cultureel conservatisme van 'de arbeidersklasse'

Samenvatting

Critically reassesses the sociological custom of indicating socioeconomic (SE) position by occupation. Secondary analysis of data from J. H. Goldthorpe's Social Mobility and Class Structure in Modern Britain (1980) shows the working class to be simultaneously culturally conservative & economically liberal due to 2 mechanisms: (1) cultural conservatism stems from a restricted position of low educational level focusing on technical skills rather than cultural education; & (2) economic liberalism, in contrast, is due to a weak SE position with low income & frequent joblessness. Thus, the concept of occupational class hides two different types of position frequently lumped together in the literature, ie, educational level & income. These two factors are not merely two aspects of the same phenomenon, as is often presumed in occupational scaling. Other reasons for a critical reassessment of occupational scaling are reviewed. 7 Tables, 48 References. Adapted from the source document.