“I Am Working-Class”

TLDR

Higher education research has traditionally relied on objective parental income, occupation, and education metrics, neglecting diversity, while recent studies emphasize the subjective and intersectional aspects of social class. The review aims to critically appraise how students’ social class and SES are measured for widening higher education participation, arguing for inclusion of subjective self-definitions alongside traditional objective metrics. The authors conduct a critical appraisal of existing measurement practices for students’ social class and SES within the context of widening higher education participation. The review discusses the implications of adopting a dual measurement approach for higher education research.

Abstract

This review provides a critical appraisal of the measurement of students’ social class and socioeconomic status (SES) in the context of widening higher education participation. Most assessments of social class and SES in higher education have focused on objective measurements based on the income, occupation, and education of students’ parents, and they have tended to overlook diversity among students based on factors such as age, ethnicity, indigeneity, and rurality. However, recent research in psychology and sociology has stressed the more subjective and intersectional nature of social class. The authors argue that it is important to consider subjective self-definitions of social class and SES alongside more traditional objective measures. The implications of this dual measurement approach for higher education research are discussed.