Table of Contents
Definition of Class System
(noun) A stratified system based on socioeconomic status in which individuals have the potential (real or imagined) for mobility.
Example of Class System
- United States: working class, middle class, upper class
- However, this is a vast oversimplification
Class System Pronunciation
Syllabification: class sys·tem
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /klAs sIs-tuhm/
- British English – /klAHs sIs-tim/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /klæs ˈsɪstəm/
- British English – /klɑːs ˈsɪstɪm/
Usage Notes
- Plural: class systems
- The different levels (strata) in a class system are referred to as a class.
- There is an opportunity for advancement in a class system, but not a caste system. However, the amount of mobility in a class-based system is an oft debated and controversial topic.
- A type of stratification and system.
- Also called class society.
Related Quotation
- “Caste and class systems of stratification are opposite, extreme points on a continuum. The two systems differ in the ease of social mobility, the relative importance of achieved and ascribed statuses, and the extent to which each restricts interaction among people considered unequal” (Ferrante 2011b:204).
Related Videos
Additional Information
- Word origin of “class” and “system” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Bendix, Reinhard, ed. 1974. Class, Status and Power. 2nd ed. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- Crompton, Rosemary, Fiona Devine, Mike Savage, and John Scott, eds. 2000. Renewing Class Analysis. Oxford: Blackwell/The Sociological Review.
- Giddens, Anthony, and David Held, eds. 1982. Classes, Power and Conflict: Classical and Contemporary Debates. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
- Rosenblum, Karen Elaine, and Toni-Michelle Travis. 2016. The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Related Terms
- bourgeoisie
- caste
- class consciousness
- feudalism
- income
- Marx, Karl
- mobility
- norm
- power
- society
- status
Reference
Ferrante, Joan. 2011b. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Works Consulted
Brinkerhoff, David, Lynn White, Suzanne Ortega, and Rose Weitz. 2011. Essentials of Sociology. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Ferrante, Joan. 2011a. Seeing Sociology: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
Kendall, Diana. 2011. Sociology in Our Times. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Kimmel, Michael S., and Amy Aronson. 2012. Sociology Now. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Macionis, John. 2012. Sociology. 14th ed. Boston: Pearson.
Marsh, Ian, and Mike Keating, eds. 2006. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. 3rd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Schaefer, Richard. 2013. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Stolley, Kathy S. 2005. The Basics of Sociology. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).
Cite the Definition of Class System
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “class system.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 24, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/class-system/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
class system. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/class-system/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “class system.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/class-system/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“class system.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/class-system/>.