Sociology / Unit 6 Soc 0845 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Lower Class and the Underclass
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The idea
The lower class holds unstable, low-paid work or none; the underclass names those durably excluded from regular employment across long periods.
In practice
Exclusion compounds, because gaps in work history become the reason for later refusals.
Where people slip
"Underclass" is a contested term that some sociologists reject as blaming those it describes.
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