What is your class status?

[Meneldil]

My dad is teacher, my mum is nurse. Both are coming from upper middle class, though my mother would now be considered lower middle-class on a purely money-making basis.

Personally, I think this whole topic is useless as long as nobody defines what is a class. Are we using Marx's classification system? The oversimplistic anglo-saxon three classes one? Is class only defined by income? Are education and family to be taken into account as well?
I find Marx's theory to be at least as valuable as the lower/middle/upper class system. The french classification also has its flaws, as it only takes job into account. I'd be defined as a student. Is a student part of the lower/middle/upper class? Does he belong to the petty bourgeoisie? Obviously it depends on his education and social background, and those are apparently not even considered in the lower/middle/upper class idea.

In short, I don't even know what class I do belong to. I don't make any money most of the time (I only work during summer), my education level is - I'd say - higher than it is for most of the population. My familly has both upper class and working class roots. And there I am.

[miotas]

Upper class may be less physical work for more money, but they tend to do longer hours. Middle class would probably have more free time than upper or lower.

[Furunculus]

My dad is teacher, my mum is nurse.

same here.

one side of the family was catholic working class scouser, whose father worked in the docks, and was the first of their family to go to university.

the other side was anglican, home counties, well-to-do army officers who drifted between india, japan and hong-kong, and are connected to the 19th century hong-kong banking magnates.

bit of a mix.

[pevergreen]

Educationally, both parents top out at Working Class, Dad having gone straight from school to two jobs, mum..I'm not sure.

Dad's tale through life inspires me. He went from working two jobs, of which his main one was sitting at the expo's at a booth all day, to working in a servo, to managing, to an office job for Caltex, to regional, to state, to state managerial, to owning 3 servo's, to General Manager of a chain of stores to the military, then acting CEO, then CEO and now Dealer Principle of a communications store to the small business market. He has put work first his entire life, barely being involved in his kids (mine and others) lives, but he has never given the illusion of being stressed or on the edge, even though I now know how close we have come to having nothing many times, including quite recently. However, we seem (to me) to function as middle class, with my older brother getting a degree and being offered a discount to keep studying at the uni (accepted as the 3rd best in Australia, best in our state) myself and my sister both on academic scholarships at private schools (however mine cost about half of hers, and I'm finished now...and I didnt do too well)

Where am I going...I'ma shut up now, I got work in the morning.

[Andres]

Just like Meneldil's parents, my father was a teacher (primary school) and my mother a nurse (both are retired now).

As for myself, I finished law school and now find myself in the middle class, according to the standards of this thread. My wife has a master degree in history. Our incomes are decent. No debts, except a mortgage.

In our family, I was the first to go to university.