Modern middle class outlook

 The members of the government have again started to use the term “middle class” in common parlance. They expect this social class to increase domestic consumption. At the same time, the concept of the middle class is very complex and requires more than just a material approach.

The roots of the concept can be found in social sciences and political philosophy, where the middle class appears as a layer of the social hierarchy that is located between the rich and the poor.

The concept of the middle class can be interpreted in several ways. On the one hand, it can refer to the possession of material goods, the economic situation. In this sense, the members of the middle class are those who have a certain level of wealth, income, and who can afford to consume certain goods and services. On the other hand, the concept of the middle class can also extend to cultural factors. In this case, the members of the middle class are those who share similar values, lead similar lifestyles, and who have a certain level of cultural capital.

But even more important is the emphasis on cultural factors, which is particularly important in the case of the middle class. Culture does not only mean a narrowly defined artistic or intellectual activity, but also includes the habits, norms, values, and knowledge that determine the way of thinking and behavior of the members of a society. Members of the middle class often possess a cultural capital that enables them to be successful in various areas of life, such as work, education, or social relations. This cultural capital may include higher levels of education, knowledge of languages, erudition, awareness of world affairs, and social skills that help the individual to cope in social interactions.

The cultural determination of the middle class is also related to the phenomenon of social mobility. Members of the middle class often strive to ensure that their children also have the cultural capital that enables them to rise in society. This endeavor can lead the members of the middle class to make serious efforts to educate and raise their children, and to introduce them to cultural life.

In analyzing the middle class, one cannot ignore the criticisms associated with it. Some argue that the concept of the middle class is an idealized construct that obscures social inequalities and power relations. Others argue that the concept of the middle class is increasingly losing its importance due to globalization and the strengthening of social polarization.

In the last decade, however, it is precisely the cultural roots that have been jeopardized, due to the inadequacy of the education system and the migration of labor, the middle class has not only weakened, but is unable to perform its former functions in the field of social criticism, social loyalty, and has lost its ability to preserve the constancy of social ethics.

To strengthen the middle class, it is necessary to increase the quality and accessibility of social services. We wrote about the topic earlier in connection with the Economic Nobel Prize here.

If the middle class becomes strong again, then the political leadership of the time must accept that it must carry out its activities in the face of constant social criticism.