The Underclass

1
The Underclass

• Theories and perspectives

2
Murray

• Key proponent of the underclass is Charles Murray
  a New Right thinker
• Came to UK in 1980s and claimed there was an
  underclass developing as in USA
• He highlighted 3 areas to support his claim
• Illegitimacy
• Crime
• Unemployment

3
Illegitimacy

• Normally born to women from lower social classes
  and as such some areas in GB will be made up of
  families devoid of father figures
• Note he ignores fact that 70 births are
  jointly registered

4
Crime

• He associates the rise in crime with underclass
• Crime rate will cause rifts in society and
  society will become more fragmented
• Weakens power of informal social control

5
Unemployment

• The unwillingness of young men to take jobs is
  the issue
• Causes communities to break down

6
Solutions?

• Ensure that local communities are given power to
  regulate and police themselves
• Change the benefit system
• Punish crimes with more severe penalties
• women need to avoid becoming pregnant if they
  have no husband (Murray 2001)

7

• Alan Walker (1991) blaming the victims
• Inadequate evidence to support claims e.g.
  illegitimate children are normally jointly
  registered. Most have conventional attitudes,
  poverty caused by social policy and lack of
  opportunity
• Nicolas Deakin (1990) Murrays tripod
• Single parent hood is not static or immoral,
  using O.S. does not make the data infallible
• Anthony Heath (1990) underclass attitudes
• Carried out survey on GB population to
  investigate if there are genuine cultural
  differences, using information from the BRITISH
  ELECTION SURVEY (1987)and most had conventional
  aspirations

8
Conclusion

• Murray has failed to do any significant research
  to support his claims
• No evidence found by him that children of
  unmarried mothers are more likely to commit
  crimes
• For most sociologists the underclass is simply a
  group of people reacting to situational
  constraints produced by poverty.

9
Steve Craine the Black Magic Roundabout

• He claims that most research on youth in Britain
  today provides very little evidence of a large
  group of work shy unemployed youths who turn to
  crime.
• So he conducted his own research in an inner-city
  area of Manchester.
• Research over 10 years between 1980 -1990, of 39
  unqualified school leavers 19 male and 20 female

10
The career of the school leavers

• Choices were survival choices
• So they did create their futures but within
  structural constraints

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Conclusion..

• Appears to provide ammunition for those who argue
  there is an underclass problem caused by cultural
  characteristics
• But Craine argues that the situation is not
  passed on from generation to generation and in
  fact a creative solution
• Attacks the New Right

12
Shane J. Blackman the homeless and the
underclass

• Clams the term is used to alienate a group in
  society and portray them as the Other
• Carried out an ethnographic research and he
  focused on 22 homeless people.
• Many were trapped in a cycle of the homeless

13
Conclusion

• Had become emerged in a bleak subculture
• Shared the stigma of being homeless and had no
  stake, and so no interest in, society
• Blackman sees members of the underclass as
  victims of society whose behaviour changes when
  they are given genuine opportunities to change
  their lot.

14
Questions

• The Underclass study guide (pages 279-284)
• Tasks
• Explain in detail what is meant by the
  underclass and how it is defined as a concept,
  make reference to Fielding and Murray
• Give two criticisms of the very concept of the
  underclass and why it is controversial.
• Draw up a table (or set out your notes in your
  chosen form) to illustrate
• cultural
• structural
• Remember to make reference to sociologists
  including Buckingham, Williamson, and Field, Rex
  and Tomlinson, Westagaard
• With reference to the study of Southerton
  explain how we can combine structural and
  cultural factors to explain the underclass
• We can regard ethnic minorities as an
  underclass. Evaluate this claim using
  information from the textbook.
• Overall then, on balance is the underclass a
  helpful concept? Give reasons for your answer.