The British sociologist Anthony Giddens identifies three major classes in advanced capitalist society. They are an upper class based on the ‘ownership of property in the means of production’, a middle class based on the ‘possession of educational or technical qualifications’ and a lower or working class based on the ‘possession of manual labour-power’.
These classes are distinguished by their differing relationship to the forces of production and by their particular strategies for obtaining economic reward in a capitalist economy. In the competitive bargaining situation of capitalism, the bargaining strength of the three classes, as measured in terms of economic reward, differs significantly. However, social class involves more than simply a collection of individuals, who share a similar economic position,