The Underclass Debate

Who are the underclass? Historically, the underclass are people who were seen as below the working class, people with low morals and no skills. Karl Marx called these people the ‘lumpenproletariat’ and referred to them as ‘scum’

The modern underclass There is no agreed definition of who this group are. Most definitions seem to share the following characteristics: Joblessness by choice Social exclusion Benefit dependency Criminality and fecklessness

Saunders (1990) ‘… a stratum of people who are generally poor, unqualified and irregularly or never employed. This underclass is disproportionately recruited today from among Afro-Caribbeans, people living in the north, those who are trapped in run-down council estates or in single parent families’

Runciman 1990 ‘…those members of British society whose roles place them more or less permanently at the economic level where benefits are paid by the state to those unable to participate in the labour market at all … they are ‘the poor’ of today…’

The modern debate In modern Britain, there are many areas of high unemployment, criminality and poverty. These are associated with people dependent on benefits to survive. Murray, an American sociologist says that the underclass exist because people have become dependent on benefits and have no incentive to work. Is this analysis a true reflection of British society?

Views of the underclass Cultural explanations suggest that it is the failure of individuals or whole groups in society that creates an underclass in society Murray Structured views of the underclass suggest that society itself is flawed. The government has not provided adequate work. Wilson

Cultural Explanations: It is the fault of the individuals/groups “By the time slum children are 6 or 7 they have usually absorbed the basic values and attitudes of their subculture and are psychologically geared to take full advantage of any opportunities which may occur in their lifetime” Oscar Lewis “The underclass is characterised by family instability, violent crime, drug abuse, dropping out of employment and ‘scrounging’ off the state”. Charles Murray

Structured Underclass Different from the cultural underclass perspective because it blames the inequalities in society, rather than the cultural values of the poor. The underclass exists because the material resources needed to succeed in society are distributed unequally. Field (1989) supports this idea because he argues that in times of economic recession and failure, there is more evidence of an underclass emerging, an example being the end of the Thatcher government.

Relevant studies to consider and quote These ideas provide you with evidence to support your analysis of the underclass debate

Golding and Middleton Newspaper reporting gives rise to the notion of underclass. Most reports view benefit recipients as scroungers who enjoy comfortable life styles at the expense of tax-payers. This is far from reality for most people but is a powerful myth.

Howard Williamson (1990) Studied a group of 16-17 year olds not involved in formal employment or education. WHY? Unhappy childhood, history of abuse, drug misuse and law breaking. EVALUATION Not a fixed cultural group as different people had differing experiences. Some were entrepreneurial and not all offended regularly. Most still subscribed to the dominant set of values but simply could not get there.

William Wilson (1996) The government has failed to generate enough jobs for people. This leads to social isolation in bad neighbourhoods Joblessness is a way of life This undermines the nuclear family and destroys the social fabric of poor people.

Assessing and evaluating underclass debates Why are some sociologists reluctant to accept the term? Is it better to talk of excluded groups rather than an ‘underclass’? Are the underclass different from the ordinary working class?

Outline and assess sociological theories of the underclass A Cultural Problem A Structural Problem Lewis: Culture of poverty Murray: Culturally distinct Marsland: Dependency on benefits Tom Hall: Homeless in Southerton Williamson: SZY Field: Not one category Rex and Tomlinson: Structural Break Conclusion: Is there an underclass? If so, which theories account for it best?