The Great British class calculator: Class warfare

A Meals on Wheels crew!

Many who came to the 'New World' wanted to leave the old order.
The old world is still working on the old order, but sociologists are redefining it. To my mind, it is not so important that we categorize or label, but much more important to have:

'something to do, someone to love, something to hope for.'

Also, for those to whom much has been given, much is required. We live in an area with many happy retirees, with either pensions or capital. There are many seniors in their golden year who would be the 'technical middle class', but they give back to their communities. Some are in the new sandwich generation, where there are 70-somethings caring for 90-somethings.

Alan (left) delivers a meal to Willard,
with Mayor Fenyk (right) helping!

Many are taking care of neighbours whose family are far away. Many of the Meals on Wheels crews are delivering meals to younger clients! There is no apathy around here!

The findings have been published in the Sociology Journal and presented at a conference of the British Sociological Association.

The new classes are defined as:

• Elite - the most privileged group in the UK, distinct from the other six classes through its wealth. This group has the highest levels of all three capitals

• Established middle class - the second wealthiest, scoring highly on all three capitals. The largest and most gregarious group, scoring second highest for cultural capital

• Technical middle class - a small, distinctive new class group which is prosperous but scores low for social and cultural capital. Distinguished by its social isolation and cultural apathy

• New affluent workers - a young class group which is socially and culturally active, with middling levels of

  

  Keith Metcalfe (left) a WW II paratrooper,
  who delivered Meals on Wheels in Bala.

  economic capital

• Traditional working class - scores low on all forms of capital, but is not completely deprived. Its members have reasonably high house values, explained by this group having the oldest average age at 66

• Emergent service workers - a new, young, urban group which is relatively poor but has high social and cultural capital

• Precariat, or precarious proletariat - the poorest, most deprived class, scoring low for social and cultural capital