Outline and Assess the View That the Class Structure of the Uk Is Changing

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3. Different explanations of changes in the class structure and the implications of these changes In the previous section we identified the different ways social class has been operationalised in our society over the past 100 years – something that reflects the changing ways we think about class and how it can be defined and measured. This section continues the theme of change, this time through an examination of how political, economic and cultural changes have contributed to changes in the class structure. Preparing the ground: Explaining change We can begin by thinking about how we can both identify and understand the implications of change: HE12903 ch06.qxp 17/10/06 15:42 Page 461 Stratification and differentiation WARM-UP: REPRESENTING CLASS STRUCTURES These graphics are different visual representations of the class structure (if none represents your idea of class, create your own representation). In small groups decide: Class no longer significant Upper / middle / working class Small upper class with expanded middle class 1 Which, if any, in your opinion best represents the class structure in our society: • now • 100 years ago. 2 Your reasons for choosing a particular representation. 3 Possible explanations for change/continuity in the class structure over the past century. Identification: When thinking about changes in the class structure over the past century we need to think about organisational changes within capitalism (the dominant mode of production in this period), on the basis that changes to the way work and the workplace are organised will produce adjustments – and possibly wholesale changes – in the nature of the class structure. In this respect we can identify the following broad changes to the way goods and services have been produced: • Industrial society: For the first part of the twentieth century in England, manufacturing
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