Today’s class is about “class”

As Dennis Skinner (former Labour MP) said on 16^th April 2013 – “It’s all about class – we must never forget that.”

He was right. When we refer to intersectionality “class” deserves to be acknowledged and sit alongside “race” and “gender” as well as the many other personal characteristics that “intersect” with one another. In doing so, we ask social workers to be mindful of the layers of societal oppression when working with families and individuals.

And yet as so many of the above factors have been used to oppress or in some sense deny people of a just participation in society, class attacks were particularly evident when referring to an “underclass” in the 1980s when the “new right” approach positioned a section of society in what was viewed as a dependency culture on social security and intergenerational “poor” parenting.

The language within some sections of the media on this suggested “underclass” is still very much with us today with a message that serves nothing other than to segregate and disempower people labelled “underserving”.   

But what does class mean?

It is generally accepted that class refers to a group of people within society that inhabit the same socioeconomic status. However, it is much more than this; it is a sense of belonging and identity for some, an aspiration for others, but for many it is a word perhaps not as familiar as it once was.

What is universal though is the impact of a class system upon society. Perhaps there is no escaping this but if we consider the class system as oppression then we are therefore asking social workers to be mindful of this in their practice.

So how does this relate to social work degree education?

Well, for learners on our apprenticeship and master’s degree programmes, it is important to explore, consider and reflect upon class in terms of the system in which it resides and how poverty and austerity have impacted upon and continue to impact disproportionality upon the working class. Some might describe this as class warfare.

Ecological Systems Theory and Social Capital Theory can offer a class perspective and a theoretical understanding for our learners and future social workers but as the Code of Ethics (BASW, 2021) states –  

“Social workers have a responsibility to challenge oppression on any basis, including (but not limited to) age, capacity, civil status, class, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, gender identity, language, nationality (or lack of), political beliefs, poverty, race, relationship status, religion, sex, sexual orientation or spiritual beliefs”.

In the UK where the gap between the wealthiest and poorest is at its largest for more than a decade, class is everything and is everywhere. While “class” has been spoken with a whisper in recent years, Social Workers, guided by an intersectional compass and the call to make a difference, can ensure it is heard with the same volume as the beast of Bolsover, Dennis Skinner.  

You may also be interested in the SWU blog “Intersectionality is a valuable tool for Social Work Practice”.