Social Class Background

732 Words3 Pages
For centuries, social class was ascribed to a person at birth. No matter what that person achieved, their status remained constant. But in today’s society, especially in developed countries, opportunity to move up the social ladder has expanded. Life chances have become widely available for those willing to seek them. While social class background may still have some impact on accomplishing social goals, its dominance as a barrier in achieving upward mobility has declined. In some social situations, it is hard to improve social status without being born into a high social class. Education is the key factor behind social status. But not all people can put education before survival. For example, in the inner city, families place emphasis on working low paying-jobs to stay alive versus attaining an education and wasting time in school. If these children do regularly attend school, the parents are typically inactively involved in their children’s education, and cannot help their children due to their own lack of schooling. French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu claims that the most important trait parents can pass onto their children is “cultural capital.” Whereas economic capital is tangible money, cultural capital is providing the “good home” environment appropriate to raise a functioning family in. Both economic and cultural capital play important roles in properly raising children to believe they can succeed in life. Economic capital can pay for private education, which in most cases is better suited for learning than public education. It can also pay for college tuition, which is pursued to attain a stable career. Without either economic or cultural capital in a home, it is very challenging to move up the social ladder. It is easier to start at the top than at the bottom. While social class may play a part in achieving or keeping social status, its
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