Open But Segregated? Class Divisions And the Network Structure of Social Capital in Chile

Social Forces ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Otero ◽  
Beate Volker ◽  
Jesper Rozer
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lower Class ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
Economic Capital ◽  
Economic Disadvantage ◽  
Occupational Class ◽  
Class Divisions ◽  
Heterogeneous Class

Abstract This paper studies how social capital is divided across classes in Chile, one of the most unequal countries in the world. We analyse the extent to which upper-, middle-, and lower class individuals congregate in social networks with similar others, while following Bourdieu and expecting that in particular the networks of the higher social strata are segregated in terms of social capital. We test our argument with large-scale, representative survey data for the Chilean urban population aged 18–75 years (n = 2,517) and build an integrated indicator of people’s social class that combines measures of education, occupational class, and household income. Our regression analyses show that upper-class individuals have larger networks and access to more varied and prestigious social resources than their middle- and lower class counterparts. Interestingly, however, we found a U-shaped relationship between social class and class homogeneity, indicating that network segregation is high at the top as well as at the bottom of the class-based social strata. In contrast, the classes in the middle have more heterogeneous class networks, possibly forming an important bridge between the “edges” of the class structure. These findings demonstrate that whereas social and economic capital cumulates in higher classes, the lower classes are socially deprived next to their economic disadvantage.

scholarly journals Social Class and Changes in Australian Women's Affect and Alcohol Consumption During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Lunnay ◽  
Barbara Toson ◽  
Carlene Wilson ◽  
Emma R. Miller ◽  
Samantha Beth Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Economic Capital ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Time Points

Introduction: Before the pandemic, mid-life women in Australia were among the “heaviest” female alcohol consumers, giving rise to myriad preventable health risks. This paper uses an innovative model of social class within a sample of Australian women to describe changes in affective states and alcohol consumption patterns across two time points during COVID-19.Methods: Survey data were collected from Australian mid-life women (45–64 years) at two time points during COVID-19—May 2020 (N = 1,218) and July 2020 (N = 799). We used a multi-dimensional model for measuring social class across three domains—economic capital (income, property and assets), social capital (social contacts and occupational prestige of those known socially), and cultural capital (level of participation in various cultural activities). Latent class analysis allowed comparisons across social classes to changes in affective states and alcohol consumption patterns reported at the two time points using alcohol consumption patterns as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—Consumption (AUDIT-C) and its component items.Results: Seven social classes were constructed, characterized by variations in access to capital. Affective states during COVID-19 differed according to social class. Comparing between the survey time points, feeling fearful/anxious was higher in those with high economic and cultural capital and moderate social capital (“emerging affluent”). Increased depression was most prominent in the class characterized by the highest volumes of all forms of capital (“established affluent”). The social class characterized by the least capital (“working class”) reported increased prevalence of uncertainty, but less so for feeling fearful or anxious, or depressed. Women's alcohol consumption patterns changed across time during the pandemic. The “new middle” class—a group characterized by high social capital (but contacts with low prestige) and minimal economic capital—had increased AUDIT-C scores.Conclusion: Our data shows the pandemic impacted women's negative affective states, but not in uniform ways according to class. It may explain increases in alcohol consumption among women in the emerging affluent group who experienced increased feelings or fear and anxiety during the pandemic. This nuanced understanding of the vulnerabilities of sub-groups of women, in respect to negative affect and alcohol consumption can inform future pandemic policy responses designed to improve mental health and reduce the problematic use of alcohol. Designing pandemic responses segmented for specific audiences is also aided by our multi-dimensional analysis of social class, which uncovers intricate differences in affective states amongst sub-groups of mid-life women.

scholarly journals Social Class—Not Income Inequality—Predicts Social and Institutional Trust

2021 ◽  
pp. 194855062199927
Author(s):  
Youngju Kim ◽  
Nicolas Sommet ◽  
Jinkyung Na ◽  
Dario Spini
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Multilevel Analysis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Lower Class ◽  
Institutional Trust ◽  
The Social ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Cross National

Trust is the social glue that holds society together. The academic consensus is that trust is weaker among lower-class individuals and in unequal regions/countries, which is often considered a threat to a healthy society. However, existing studies are inconsistent and have two limitations: (i) variability in the measurement of social class and (ii) small numbers of higher level units (regions/countries). We addressed these problems using large-scale (cross-)national representative surveys (encompassing 560,000+ participants from 1,500+ regional/national units). Multilevel analysis led to two consistent sets of findings. First, the effects of social class on social trust were systematically positive, whereas the effects on institutional trust depended on the way social class was measured. Second, the effects of income inequality on social and institutional trust were systematically nonsignificant and smaller than the smallest negative effect of interest. Our findings suggest that researchers need to update their knowledge: social class—not income inequality—predicts trust.

scholarly journals Advancing the psychology of social class with large-scale replications in four countries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anatolia Batruch ◽  
Nicolas Sommet ◽  
Frederique Autin
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Lower Class ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
The Self ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Small Sample Sizes ◽  
Predictive Strength

As the topic of inequalities has gained attention in the past decade, social scientists have developed theoretical frameworks to understand how social class shapes the way individuals think, feel, and behave. These frameworks suggest that lower-class contexts nurture psychological and behavioral tendencies oriented toward others and the environment (interdependence, contextualism), whereas higher-class contexts nurture tendencies oriented toward the self (independence, solipsism). However, empirical research on social class faces obstacles that limit the generalizability of extant findings (small sample sizes, nondiverse convenience samples, measurement flexibility). We propose a large-scale (N = 36,000) and theoretically comprehensive replication of 43 key effects (from 22 studies) of social class on the self, relationships, emotions, cognition, social behavior, and decision-making. The project will also contribute to refining theoretical models by testing the predictive strength of widely (and flexibly) used measures of social class and individual, social, and structural moderators of the effects of social class.

Class, Culture and Culinary Tastes: Cultural Distinctions and Social Class Divisions in Contemporary Norway

Sociology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magne Flemmen ◽  
Johs. Hjellbrekke ◽  
Vegard Jarness
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Relational Model ◽  
Occupational Class ◽  
Middle Classes ◽  
Class Culture ◽  
Working Classes ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
Class Divisions

In this article we analyse class cultures by mapping out differences in ‘original taste’; that is, respondents’ classed preferences for food and drink. By employing Multiple Correspondence Analysis, we produce a relational model of tastes. Using three indicators of social class – occupational class, income and education – we find clear class divisions. The upper and middle classes exhibit diverse and what are typically regarded as ‘healthy’ tastes; this contrasts with the more restricted and what are typically regarded as ‘less healthy’ tastes found among the working classes. Our findings challenge ongoing debates within cultural stratification research where it has become almost usual to demonstrate that the contemporary upper and middle classes exhibit playful tastes for the ‘cosmopolitan’ and the ‘exotic’. We find that upper- and middle-class households also enjoy very traditional foodstuffs. We argue that this illustrates a need for a relational understanding of taste: even the consumption of the traditional peasant food of pre-capitalist Norway can be refashioned as a badge of distinction in the 21st century.

Scheming

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seán Damer
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Housing Policy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Class Structure ◽  
Local Council ◽  
Housing Scheme ◽  
Post War ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Voice ◽  
House Building

This book seeks to explain how the Corporation of Glasgow, in its large-scale council house-building programme in the inter- and post-war years, came to reproduce a hierarchical Victorian class structure. The three tiers of housing scheme which it constructed – Ordinary, Intermediate, and Slum-Clearance – effectively signified First, Second and Third Class. This came about because the Corporation uncritically reproduced the offensive and patriarchal attitudes of the Victorian bourgeoisie towards the working-class. The book shows how this worked out on the ground in Glasgow, and describes the attitudes of both authoritarian housing officials, and council tenants. This is the first time the voice of Glasgow’s council tenants has been heard. The conclusion is that local council housing policy was driven by unapologetic considerations of social class.

Family Livelihood, Social Class and Mothers’ Self-cognition: The Transformation of “Mothering” in Japanese Colonial Taiwan (1895–1945)

2020 ◽  
pp. 036319902094573
Author(s):  
Yujen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Lower Class ◽  
Household Tasks ◽  
New Women ◽  
Biological Mothers ◽  
Professional Careers ◽  
Taiwanese Women ◽  
Women's Lives ◽  
Japanese Colonial ◽  
Physical Care

Based on oral histories and diaries of women who lived in the Japanese colonial period, this article analyzes the role and transformation of “mothering” in Taiwan, examining how the Han Chinese patriarchal society in Taiwan responded to colonialization and modernization in the early twentieth century. It reveals that most Taiwanese women at that time married in their teens and began to take on the tasks of mothers before the age of twenty. Difference in social class served as a key element affecting mothering practices. Rural and lower-class mothers had no choice but to prioritize productive labor over physical childcare; women of the traditional upper class could afford nannies; the emerging group of “new women” hired lower-class women to help with household tasks and childcare while they developed their professional careers. In addition to the physical care of children, Taiwanese mothers put great emphasis on the education and future development of children, especially sons. However, as the custom of “daughters-in-law-to-be” was quite common, from an early age many girls faced only their “mothers-in-law-to-be” instead of their biological mothers. “Mothering” was thus absent in these women’s lives, complicating the meaning of “motherhood.”

Social Class and Ethnicity Effects on Clinical Judgments

1978 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph D. Norman ◽  
Ricardo Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
Lower Class ◽  
Treatment Recommendations ◽  
Clinical Judgments ◽  
Involuntary Hospitalization ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Class Bias ◽  
Psychotic Behavior

To resolve conflict between earlier studies finding contradictory recommendations on need for professional help of middle- vs lower-class persons given normal, neurotic, and psychotic behavior descriptions, and to explore ethnicity effects, 92 students (70 Anglo, 22 Chicano) rated fictitious biographical vignettes. A pro-middle-class bias was found consistent with Routh and King's study but inconsistent with that by Schofield and Oakes. Also contrary to the latter, treatment recommendations agreed with ratings. Ethnicity bias appeared, since Anglos recommended Chicanos more often for involuntary hospitalization. Inconsistency between the two earlier studies results from a methodological variation, discussed in this study.

The Influence of Social Class on Activity Preferences of Comunidades Eclesiais de Base (CEBs) in the Archdiocese of São Paulo

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. E. Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Lower Class ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
The Self ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Activity Preferences

A number of interpretations have recently emerged which attempt to explain the nature and sociopolitical implications of Roman Catholic base Christian communities (CEBs) in Brazil. Most studies have tended to describe these small, informal lay groups as a predominantly lower-class phenomenon which is facilitating the self-liberation of the poor from the weight of centuries-old political and economic oppression.

scholarly journals People from lower social classes elicit greater prosociality: Compassion and deservingness matter

2021 ◽  
pp. 136843022098207
Author(s):  
Niels J. Van Doesum ◽  
Paul A. M. Van Lange ◽  
Joshua M. Tybur ◽  
Ana Leal ◽  
Eric Van Dijk
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Family Background ◽  
Lower Class ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Target Class ◽  
Dictator Games ◽  
The Uk

People are quick to form impressions of others’ social class, and likely adjust their behavior accordingly. If social class is linked to prosociality, as literature suggests, then an interaction partner’s class should affect prosocial behavior, especially when costs or investments are low. We test this expectation using social mindfulness (SoMi) and dictator games (DG) as complementary measures of prosociality. We manipulate target class by providing information regarding a target’s (a) position on a social class ladder, and (b) family background. Three studies using laboratory and online approaches ( Noverall = 557) in two nations (the Netherlands [NL], the UK), featuring actual and hypothetical exchanges, reveal that lower class targets are met with greater prosociality than higher class targets, even when based on information about the targets’ parents (Study 3). The effect of target class was partially mediated by compassion (Studies 2 and 3) and perceived deservingness of the target (Study 3). Implications and limitations are discussed.

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