Issues relating to social class are another example of how the ideal of equal opportunity, and the belief that individual effort always pays off pervades many Western societies, allowing people to avoid acknowledging structural and systemic inequalities. (Gruman, 2007) People who are seen as the economically disadvantaged are considered to be living in a class of poverty, and then the overly advantaged are seen as a people of a higher class.
The problem with social class is that financial disparity that is spread across these populations of people are so stretched from one end to the other that the inequality is so noticeable that it is sometimes considered justifiable or understandable. Research suggests that social class is indeed a determinant of how we “size people up.” (Gruman, 2007) These social classes absolutely refer to the the grouping of individuals in a stratified hierarchy based on your wealth, the size of your income, what education you have, occupation you possess, and social networking, along with other ways people judge you based on social class.
Social classes have historically, unfairly grouped populations of people with certain characteristics together through no fault of there own. The deserving poor and the undeserving poor are two classes that are considered apart of these erroneous patterns of assumptions that people place on others. Mental health, physical health and criminal justice are all entities unfairly effected by the class that you are put in. Lower classes are offered resources of lesser quality then higher classes are. The treatment of the lower classes is a far cry from how the upper crust of society is treated.
Gender, ethnicity, and social class constitute three of the many ways in which we are demographically diverse. (Gruman, 2007) The idea that we can be judged on these characteristics is a sad fact of life. We can change our gender in this day and age and we can change our class, but we can’t change our ethnicity. It does not matter how people see you if they look at you with their heart and not their eyes, same as social class. You can rise up from your social class to better yourself. Do not do it for people who judge, but for your own peace. Social class is a real social problem and it’s time we all graduate.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.
Tags: #intergrouprelations, Diversity