class systems
Ranked social divisions
Class systems are social hierarchies that rank people by wealth, occupation, education, or birth.
Unlike rigid caste systems, class systems theoretically allow movement between levels, though mobility varies widely by society.
The term often carries critical undertones, implying that such hierarchies perpetuate inequality: The class system in Victorian England determined everything from marriage prospects to legal treatment.
- bourgeoisieCapitalist ownership class
- feudalismLand-for-service social structure
- aristocracyRule by hereditary elite
- landed gentryLandowning class living on rents
- eliteSuperior select group
the one percent · blue-collar jobs · proletariat · apartheid · stratification · pecking order · wealth disparity · nouveau riche · silver spoon · income inequality · academic achievement · colonialism · servant · social norms · glass ceiling · capitalism · poverty · lower
- anthropologyanthropology, fieldwork, ethnography, social anthropology, cultural anthropology
- comparative historycolonialism, imperialism, revolutions, modernization, industrialization
- social historyeveryday life, social movements, labor history, family history, women's history
- sociologysocial structure, social institutions, social norms, social mobility, socialization
- social structureshierarchies, institutions, social norms, social roles, social networks
- worldbuildinglore, setting, realms, kingdoms, races
class systemsegalitarianism
Philosophy of universal equality
classless society · social equality · classlessness · egalitarian society · communism
class systemsmeritocracy
Advancement through demonstrated ability
social mobility · open society · merit-based system · equal opportunity · level playing field
class systemsindividualism
Doctrine of personal independence