Class discrimination
Prejudice or discrimination based on social class.
Class discrimination, or classism, involves prejudice and discrimination based on social class. This can take the form of personal attitudes and actions, as well as broader systems of policies and practices that favor the upper class while harming the lower class. Social class itself is a way of ranking people in a hierarchy, determined by factors like wealth, income, education, occupation, and social networks.
Research has found that class discrimination often overlaps with racism and sexism. In places like India, Singapore, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, classism is intertwined with casteism, and this dynamic persists even within diaspora communities abroad, despite being illegal in their host countries. Laws have been created to try and reduce these intersections and curb classism on an individual level.
**History** Class structures existed in a simpler form before agriculture, but became more complex after permanent farming societies developed a food surplus. People were sorted into classes through visible traits, such as race or profession, which were given different levels of status and privilege. Feudal systems might include groups like nobles, priests, warriors, merchants, peasants, and serfs, but the hierarchy varied widely. For instance, in many early medieval European systems, merchants were often of lower status than peasants, while in Japan’s Tokugawa Shogunate, merchants were explicitly beneath peasants. Other major examples include India’s caste system, where caste and class often overlapped to discriminate against certain groups. In early America, many poor people were sent to the Colonies, becoming indentured servants or nomadic squatters. Their poverty, combined with the intersection of classism and racism, led to them being seen as “not quite white,” which fueled further discrimination in both the North and South.
Modern classism is harder to spot because class structures are less rigid. As psychologist Thomas Fuller-Rowell noted, experiences of class discrimination are often subtle rather than obvious, and victims frequently cannot pinpoint the exact reason for unfair treatment.
**Intersections with Other Systems of Oppression** Class discrimination intersects with both gender and racial inequality, shaping economic opportunities and social mobility for marginalized groups. For example, classism and gender inequality combine to create econ
- field
- Sociology, social psychology, economics
- known_for
- Prejudice and discrimination based on social class, intersecting with racism and sexism
- forms
- Personal, institutional, and cultural classism
- historical_examples
- Feudal classes, India's caste system, early American colonial class structures
- modern_characteristic
- Often subtle rather than blatant, with unclear reasons for unfair treatment
Lore & Background
Class structures existed in a simplified form in pre-agricultural societies, evolving to be more intricate after the establishment of permanent agriculture-based civilizations with a food surplus. Segregation into classes was accomplished through observable traits such as race or profession, which were accorded varying statuses and privileges. Feudal classification systems might include merchant, serf, peasant, warrior, priestly, and noble classes, with hierarchies varying greatly between communities—for example, in many early medieval European systems, merchants were often of lower status than peasants, while merchants were inferior to peasants during the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan. Othe
Reader's Guide
Class discrimination remains significant because it intersects with other systems of oppression, such as racism and sexism, shaping economic opportunities and social mobility for marginalized groups. Studies show that women are more likely to be employed in low-wage and part-time jobs, and racial minorities experience employment precarity and wage suppression. The sociocultural self model of behavior explains how social class directly affects an individual's physical and mental health by influencing their environment, career, and opportunities. Modern classism is harder to identify due to less rigid class structures, with psychologist Thomas Fuller-Rowell noting that experiences of class discrimination are often subtle rather than blatant. Institutional classism manifests in the ways conscious or unconscious classism is embedded in societal institutions, while personal classism involves individual prejudice. The concept of kyriarchy describes a complex pyramidal system where multiple oppressions—such as gender, race, class, and age—interact, with Deborah King's concept of multiple jeopardy showing that these oppressions compound and intensify each other rather than simply adding up.
Did You Know?
- In the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan, merchants were explicitly inferior to peasants, unlike in Europe where merchants outranked peasantry.
- As of 2022, Black women made up 6% of employed workers but 32% of home aids, earning on average $23,803 per year.
- A study by Bertrand and Mullainathan found that identical job applications with white-sounding names received significantly more callbacks than those with names hinting at racial minority status.
- Poverty itself functions as a discriminatory label, often intertwined with perceptions of social class and skin color.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is class discrimination?
Class discrimination, commonly called classism, refers to unfair treatment or negative attitudes directed at people based on their position in a social hierarchy. That hierarchy is shaped by factors such as wealth, education, occupation, and the social circles one belongs to.
What forms does class discrimination take?
It can appear as individual biases in daily interactions, as institutional policies that advantage wealthier groups, and as cultural norms that subtly devalue lower-class lifestyles. These three layers—personal, institutional, and cultural—often reinforce one another.
How does class discrimination overlap with other prejudices?
Research consistently shows that classism frequently intersects with racism and sexism, meaning people at the bottom of the class ladder often face compounded disadvantage. In countries like India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, class-based bias is also tightly woven into caste hierarchies.
What are some historical examples of class discrimination?
Feudal European societies, India's caste system, and early American colonial structures all institutionalized rigid class hierarchies that limited mobility and justified unequal treatment. These systems established patterns of class-based exclusion that persist in modified forms today.
Why is modern class discrimination often harder to spot than other forms of prejudice?
Unlike more overt slurs, contemporary classism tends to manifest through subtle cues—tone, dress codes, or merit narratives—making the reasons for unfair treatment less explicit. This ambiguity can make it difficult for those affected to name or challenge what they experience.
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