The middle class is a part of any society that occupies an intermediate position in status between the lower and upper classes. A number of very important social functions are assigned to this stratum of society.
The concept of "middle strata" or "middle class" was introduced into everyday life by Aristotle. He was the first to express the idea, still popular among many scientists, that the size of this middle stratum is directly proportional to the stability of society.
Modern ideas about the middle class
This concept became widespread at the beginning of the 20th century, since it was during this period that a sharp numerical increase in this layer took place. At the beginning of the 20th century, independent entrepreneurs and small owners were classified as middle strata or middle class. With the development of society in many countries, there has been a significant increase in the standard of living of highly skilled hired workers, who gradually joined the ranks of the middle class. In developed countries, the middle class traditionally includes not only lawyers, top managers, academics, accountants, but also doctors, teachers, sales agents, and so on.
Scientists constantly argue about the criteria for distinguishing this class. Most often, the main objective criteria include the level of income, education, property ownership (material and intellectual), consumption standards and the ability to highly skilled labor. In addition to these fairly clear criteria, a large role is assigned to a person's subjective perception of his own position, that is, in order to belong to the middle class, a person must identify himself as a representative of the social middle.
The main role of the middle class
In developed countries, the middle class is becoming more and more numerous. If you represent the social structure of these countries schematically, you will get a kind of "egg" - the relatively small poor and rich layers, as it were, surround a large middle class. Approximately 65% of the population of the rich and developed countries of the world can be attributed to the middle class.
The middle class acts as a social stabilizer. Representatives of this class often support the existing state structure, which allowed them to achieve the existing position. The middle class is necessary to ensure social mobility, it strengthens the social system from cataclysms, giving the discontented lower class an opportunity to change their position and raise their status in society.
In underdeveloped countries, the figure that reflects the social structures of society is the pyramid. At the very top is a very small group of people who belong to the upper class, directly below them is the more numerous middle class, and most of this pyramid is occupied by the lower class. Due to its small size in underdeveloped countries, the middle class cannot fully fulfill its functions.
