The term "lower class" also refers to persons with low income. The working class is sometimes separated into those who are employed but lacking financial security (the "working poor") and an underclass—those who are long-term unemployed and/or homeless, especially those receiving welfare from the state.
Gallup has, for a number of years, asked Americans to place themselves -- without any guidance -- into five social classes: upper, upper-middle, middle, working and lower. These five class labels are representative of the general approach used in popular language and by researchers.
Sociologists disagree on the number of social classes in the United States, but a common view is that the United States has four classes: upper, middle, working, and lower. Further variations exist within the upper and middle classes.
The Lower Class: Peasants (Serfs)
The largest class of the medieval caste system was the lower class, which consisted of peasants or serfs.
In the United States, the lower class are those at or near the lower end of the socio-economic hierarchy. As with all social classes in the United States, the lower class is loosely defined and its boundaries and definitions subject to debate and ambiguous popular opinions.
From that data, they split earners into different classes: poor, lower-middle class, middle class, upper-middle class and wealthy.
The term upper class is a socioeconomic term used to describe those who reside on the highest levels of the social ladder above the middle and working or lower classes. They generally have the highest status in society and hold a great deal of wealth.
Classes in Capitalism
The main classes in capitalism are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
Communism is based on the goal of eliminating socioeconomic class struggles by creating a classless society in which everyone shares the benefits of labor and the state controls all property and wealth.
A band society, sometimes called a camp, or in older usage, a horde, is the simplest form of human society. A band generally consists of a small kin group, no larger than an extended family or clan.
The major types of societies historically have been hunting-and-gathering, horticultural, pastoral, agricultural, industrial, and postindustrial. As societies developed and grew larger, they became more unequal in terms of gender and wealth and also more competitive and even warlike with other societies.
Social order is a broad term that refers to the links between people and institutions working cooperatively to keep society stable. Social order is often based on social contracts that are guided by mutually agreed upon values, morals, and laws.
Fussell's nine hierarchical classes are: top out-of-sight, upper, upper middle, middle, high-prole, mid-prole, low-prole, bottom out-of-sight, and Class X—this last being the classless class to which Fussell assigns himself.
The New York Times has used income quintiles to define class. It has assigned the quintiles from lowest to highest as lower class, lower middle class, middle class, upper middle class, and upper class.
The working poor, manual laborers, and service industry workers all might be considered part of the lower class. Some people might be offended at being labelled lower class; working class is a more acceptable way to refer to this low-paid group.
The term classless society refers to a society in which no one is born into a social class. Distinctions of wealth, income, education, culture, or social network might arise and would only be determined by individual experience and achievement in such a society.
The primary characteristics of capitalism are private ownership, minimal government intervention, the presence of a competitive market, and social classes. Classes can be seen as the working class and the business owners class. So, capitalism is not classless.
Societies in which classes have never developed. These are usually societies in which all people naturally play similar economic roles and have never created a division of labor; they include most early human groups, as well as many modern tribal and nomadic societies. Some of these are forms of primitive communism.
proletariat, the lowest or one of the lowest economic and social classes in a society. In ancient Rome the proletariat consisted of the poor landless freemen.
This word is used to describe a class of people who fall somewhere between the lowest and highest classes. Bourgeoisie is often used insultingly. In between the very poor and the super rich is the bourgeoisie.
The lower class is typified by poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. People of this class, few of whom have finished high school, suffer from lack of medical care, adequate housing and food, decent clothing, safety, and vocational training.
Sociologists disagree on the number of social classes in the United States, but a common view is that the United States has four classes: upper, middle, working, and lower. Further variations exist within the upper and middle classes.