The British working class

Britain was once a class-ridden society. Today, multiculturalism and a changing economy are gradually eroding the British class system, but some features of the system still remain. The social structure of the United Kingdom has historically been highly influenced by the concept of social class, with the concept still affecting British society in the early-21st century. British society has experienced significant change since the Second World War, including an expansion of higher education and home-ownership, a shift towards a services dominated economy, mass immigration, a changing role for women and a more individualistic culture, and these changes have had a considerable impact on the social landscape. Traditionally, these people would work in blue collar jobs. They would typically have left school as soon as legally permissible and not have been able to take part in higher education. Many would go on to work semi-skilled and unskilled jobs on the assembly lines and machine shops of Britain's major car factories, steel mills, foundries and textile mills in the highly industrialised cities in the West Midlands and North of England. Since the mid-1970s de-industrialisation has shattered many of these communities, resulting in a complete deterioration in quality of life and a reversal in rising living standards for the industrial working class. Many either dropped in status to the working poor or fell into permanent reliance on welfare dependence. Some dropped out altogether and joined the black market economy, while a limited few did manage to climb up to the lower middle class. There have been enormous changes in the lives of people in the last 50 years or so in Britain, especially when one considers the work patterns. These have shifted away from one solid and dependable factory or unskilled labouring job work in the professions.

Although some people in the UK still refer to them as working class, lower-middle or upper-middle there are those who think of themselves as the “elite”, to the majority of the British the meanings don’t seem to matter much these days. Comparing British life of the 50s with today is a very instructive exercise in which the historical imagination can be unleashed and given a free reign.

PRAJAKTA KAVDE

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