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Does Social Class Matter

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Does Social Class matter?
Introduction
Whether we like it or not, the majority of societies are stratified into various social classes according to their access to particular forms of wealth and power. Whilst we would like to think of Physical Education (PE) and Sport as egalitarian, meritocratic and classless, sadly this isn’t the case with sport being tied to wider social class structures and hierarchies similar to those in society. Social class differences are evident within physical culture in many ways with those middle class children said to be at a massive advantage within PE and Sport (Evans and Bairner, 2013). Giddens and Sutton (2003) claim “there are few spheres of social life left untouched by class differences”. For the purpose …show more content…

Warminster had it all. Compared to Brookfield where PE lessons would take part on “The MUGA” (Multi use games area) which was basically concrete surrounded by a wired fence.
“In all societies, it is people in high income, high education, and high status occupational groups that have the highest rate of active sporting participation” (Coakley, 2004). Children at Warminster have some form of PE or Games for five hours a week, compared to the one hour I had, I would then have to opt to do sport out of school as an addition to my school day and sometimes at a …show more content…

Bourdieu considers habitus to be class specific based on the similarities in experiences and opportunities within social class (Bourdieu, 1990b cited in Stuij, 2013). The working class habitus is often associated with a “taste for necessity” and is driven by a restriction to the availability of sport/physical activity resources and opportunities due to a restricted capital (Bourdieu, 1984).
Whereas the working class would have a more instrumental relationship with the body, the middle class would use sport or physical activity as a means of enhancing their looks and therefore the social acceptance of the body.
Bernstein’s study offers an insight into the differences in perceptions and interpretations in the contexts in which habitus is required. Results of this study found that PE lessons were far more important to a child from the working class background in terms of a source of knowledge with children from the middle class sector only really discussing their experiences out of school. Children from the lower class highlighted “you don’t have to do sports, you can just play outside” which was then emphasised through the difference in types and amounts of sports being played between the two classes with many children in the middle class participating in Field Hockey, Horse-riding

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