Gilbert Model

The Gilbert Model was developed by Hamilton College Professor of Sociology Dennis Gilbert as a means of a more effective way of classifying people in a given society.

Influences on the Gilbert Model

Karl Marx – Marx feels that social class is determined by "means of economic production"; whether you have ownership of a factory or land. His theory contains the idea of a struggle between social classes (between owners and non-owners); he felt the existence of a given class always assumes the existence of another hostile class. He suggests that conflict is inherent when class is mentioned. When the economic bases for classes are eliminated social classes will cease to exist because the enemy (the capitalists) will no longer be apparent.

Max Weber – Weber is often considered the greatest sociologist who had ever lived. While he agreed that different social classes did exist, he felt that Status and Social Prestige were the determining factor in deciding what social class people were classified a part of. Weber felt "Life-Styles" such as where a person lives and the schools they attend are very important in determining social class. Also "Life-Chances" meaning if a person becomes a respectable member of society it will raise their social class.

Basis for Gilbert Model

Even though Marx's and Weber's research were both taken into consideration when trying to create an effective means of social stratification they were not weighted the same. Although the Gilbert Model is based on the assumption that class structure develops out of the economic system like the Marxist theory, it is still has much more in common with Weber's more modern theory that dealt with socialism. The aspect that Marxism takes into consideration when referring to the economy is "what a specific person owns determines their class" - a Capitalistic viewpoint. If a man owns a factory he is going to be in a higher social class then someone who works in the factory. The Marxist Theory also does not feel a middle class exists , but it is clearly present in the Gilbert Model. The Gilbert Model focuses more on income when referring to how the economic system places people in classes; and income of a person is directly related to a person's educational preparation because better education provides for a better occupation which raises their class level. Weber's model whose ideas suggests that it’s not just the economic aspect that determines a person’s class in a stratification system, but it is also highly based on social and political aspects as well that help place people into the class that adequately represents their life. The three main factors that Gilbert used to propose his model were income, education, and occupation.

ix social classes of the Gilbert Model

The six social classes that provide the basis for the Gilbert model are determined based on the assumption of how class structure develops out of the economic system. Below are each of the 6 social classes and a brief description about who fits into each one.

Capitalist Class

"(over $750,000, mostly from assets)"Even though the Capitalist Class is a very small class of super rich capitalists at the top of the hierarchy, its impact on economy and society is far beyond their numbers. These people contribute their money to political parties and are often owners of newspapers or television stations. They have investments that affect millions of people in the labor force They tend to only hang out with other people from this class rarely interacting with people from an inferior class. Even their children are usually segregated attending on the most elite preparatory schools and universities.

Upper Middle Class

"($70,000 or more)"Group in society most shaped by formal education, college degree is usually required and graduate studies are becoming increasingly required. Most people in this class are technicians, professionals, managers, officials, and proprietors. Upper Middle Class Jobs are the ones that children in high school strive to prepare themselves for because these type of jobs are a symbol of success. Upper Middle Class people are able to purchase status symbols such as cars and houses. They are Convinced that they deserve what they have achieved and are mostly satisfied that they have achieved a proper share of the American Dream.

Middle Class

"(About $40,000)"To attain a middle class job it takes at least a high school diploma, however many have received some form of additional training besides that of college. The most educated will become semi-professionals, or low-level managerial job. Sales people and craft people are also included in this social class. Most Americans Consider themselves to be Middle Class even if they are really not. It is estimated that really about a third of the population is middle class.

Working Class

"(About $25,000)"The core of this working class is made up of semi-skilled machine operatives. Clerks and salespeople whose tasks are habitual and mechanized and necessitate practically no skill beyond literacy and brief on the job training can also be considered to be a part of this class. It is estimated that this class included roughly a third of the population.

Working-poor Class

"(Below $20,000)"Includes unskilled laborers, people in service jobs, and some of the lower-paid factory workers. Single mothers who have jobs usually find themselves in this class. Income is decided on the number if workers in the family and the amount of weeks that they work. The majority of adults have not finished high school. Unable to save money and when retired depend heavily on their social security pensions to live.

Underclass

"(Below $13,000)"These people are hardly ever employed. Suffer from long term deprivation from low education, low employability, low income, and eventually, low self-esteem. Some can not work because of their age or they might have a specific disability. Hard times might be magnified because they belong to a minority group who suffers discrimination in the work force or again single mothers. The chances of a child becoming educated enough to remove himself from this class and succeed is about fifty fifty.

Although social hierarchy is most obvious at the extremes; it is much harder to either rise or fall from them as well. Differences between classes begin to become blurred when moving away from one of the extremes and towards the middle to where the middle and working classes are. Too hard to get precise classification.

ee also

* Social stratification

References

1. Gilbert, Dennis, and Joseph A. Kahal. American Class Structure. 4th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth Company, 1992. 1-355.
2. Hurst, Charles E. Social Inequality. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 1-452.
3. http://www.hewett.norfolk.sch.uk/CURRIC/soc/weber/weber.htm
4. http://uregina.ca/~gingrich/o402.htm