Social Stratification

[costargh]

To what extent do you believe Australia is socially stratified? Is there a great degree of social mobility in Australia? What are your views on stratification in Australia relative to other countries such as the UK, USA, India and China?

[slothpomba]

In Australia we tend to try blend in to fit everyone else i guess.

Tall poppys syndrome plays a role, one of my mates does a tafe course along with his VCE and he broadens his accent and speech patterns so he fits in better.

I guess thats perceived social status though.

I dont think it is as stratified as the UK (All the old money and their large estates)
Or there is such a huge gap between rich and poor (Like in the US)
And i cant comment on india or china.

I dont believe we're terribly socially stratified though.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality - Might be of some interest.

When you say social do you really mean economic and how much money you have or just where you come from?

[costargh]

Well, social strata are typically characterised by factors such as family background and occupation, as well as income. There obviously would be quite a high correlation between the two, but it could be possible that someone who earns quite a large amount of money in an occupation such as a trade would be poorly reflected in social strata.

When I say 'social mobility' I mean, to what extent can individuals move between stratas in their lifetime.

[the.watchman]

When I say 'social mobility' I mean, to what extent can individuals move between stratas in their lifetime.

It's not that uncommon, think about people who gamble away all their money and end up in rags, as opposed to people who start out from a poor background, but go on to make big bucks.

[schmalex]

He isn't talking about money though, it's about social status.

[costargh]

Yeh, as far as I know (through study) social mobility in the UK historically has been very limited. It's not just about making money and then gaining respect. As far as I know, even if you make lots of money and do well for yourself in the UK, social mobility is fairly limited due to factors such as your accent and networking.
Was wondering though how relevant this was to Australia.

[appianway]

In Australia, there's a great degree of social mobility. But it's not completely free. There are definitely elite circles of "old money" and such.

[schmalex]

I really don't think Australia has ever compared to England, because it's such a new country and all. I mean some people are obviously looked at as scummy, but that's because they have no teeth and are drunk 24\7. I think if you act in a respectable way people won't worry about where you are from or anything. But that's just from my experience.