The company consists of a group of people who interact with each other in the same space, they have common interests and live according to various shared norms and rules. In this group of individuals it is possible to recognize different classes: strata or categories that arise from common characteristics linked to economic means, ideologies, customs and other issues.
It is common for society to be divided into three large classes: the lower class, the middle class and the upper class. This stratification is mainly given by the availability of economic means: those who have the least are in the lower sector of society (the lower class), while those with more resources occupy the upper sector (the upper class). In the center appears the middle class.
The people who make up the middle class, therefore, have a higher socioeconomic level than the individuals who make up the lower class, but lower than that of the subjects who make up the upper class. In many countries, the middle class is said to be the broadest social class, although that assertion is often questioned by sociologists and economists.
According to abbreviationfinder, the rise of the middle class took place in the 18th century from industrialization, which allowed the development of new jobs and made possible the social ascent of some groups. As the gap between the workers (the lower class) and the capitalists (the upper class) expanded, among them were various professionals and petty bourgeois (the middle class).
In its origins, the people who later became part of the middle class were found in the landowning bourgeoisie (the lower nobility and the rich commoners), who were beginning to stand out for their success in the commercial, professional and industrial fields.
The rise of the landed bourgeoisie took place because of the liberal revolutions that took place in England during the seventeenth century, which weakened the monarchy and made the aristocratic establishment lose power in favor of the bourgeoisie, which managed to enter Parliament.
As early as the 20th century, the modern middle class emerged in North America. The automotive industry, among others, began to use novel production techniques, thanks to which it was possible to reduce prices and increase workers’ wages. In this way, a portion of the low-income population became richer and had access to better living conditions.
Perhaps one of the most outstanding characteristics of the middle class is that the majority of its members do not feel annoyed by belonging to it (as it can happen with the lower class) nor do they fear descending (something that worries the upper class). Being middle class has many advantages over the other two, despite being a notch below the high.
While the lower class people cannot access a standard of living considered acceptable and healthy, the middle class has the health services and the economic means to subsist and indulge themselves throughout the year. While they do not have the constant luxuries of the upper class, at least they also do not need to worry about losing their status or maintaining their image of monetary power at any cost.
Indeed, one of the main features of the middle class is that it is not so defined, especially if we compare it with the other two. The poverty, the inability to protect themselves from the ravages of time and hunger are terrible characteristics of the underclass; excesses, expensive property and exclusive clothing define the upper class in a nutshell; the middle class, on the other hand, is a much more varied world and, why not? free.
