Educational Experiences and Perceptions of Occupational Hierarchies: The Case of the Norwegian Working Class

Abstract

In this article we present the experiences of members of the Norwegian working class in the educational system and show that the findings contradict established theories in the sociology of education in a way that calls for a re-examination of the function of societal hierarchies in such studies. Secondly, we report how working-class individuals comprehend society's valuation of their work and whether these experiences affect their own judgments and evaluations of work. The findings reveal an enlightened working class when it comes to conventional occupational hierarchies, but also show that members of the working class classify status in their own, distinctive way. The egalitarian cultural configuration we observe deviates in certain ways from what is reported in comparable studies for Britain, the United States (USA), and France. We argue that the key to the understanding of such variability is knowledge about how education is penetrated by social hierarchies in different social formations.

Cultural Capital as a Hidden Asset: Culture, Egalitarianism and Inter-Class Social Encounters in Stavanger, Norway

“…However, similar studies from elsewhere inform us that the social dynamics reported in our article occur across Norway. In an ongoing study of the Norwegian working class, with interviews done in Bergen, Kristiansand and Oslo, Skarpenes and Sakslind (forthcoming; see also Skarpenes, 2017) document much the same indifference and autonomy as we have in Stavanger. At ‘the other end’ of the discursive gap, too, other Norwegian studies report much the same findings as we do.…”

Generational Tensions and Solidarity Within Advanced Welfare States

“…Our data do not enable enquiry into this explanation. Its relevance may be considerable, however, as there are indications that many, especially in privileged social strata, assign little esteem to, but rather look down upon, the low educated (see, for example, Abrassart & Wolter, 2020;Sandel, 2020;Skarpenes & Sakslind, 2020).…”

Pride, Paternalism, Prejudice—Images of the Working Class

“…We do not have hard data to support the argument, but we still might launch a hypothesis that there is an ongoing process in which political, scientific, and journalistic arguments and values mingle and mix and establish what can be called the paternalistic narrative. The narrative or the values associated with it are embedded in the working-class culture and sometimes influence the class's (especially women) perception of itself (Skarpenes and Sakslind 2018). We know from a classical study of women in the working class in Britain that feelings of inferiority are present, in the sense that shame and a desire to appear respectable is common (Skeggs 1997).…”

“…Where Hoel mainly identified pride in her study of women from the 80s, we can register, in addition to pride, a certain resignation and anger among some of these women, as a response to their placement at the lower end of the occupational hierarchy. (Skarpenes and Sakslind 2018)…”

“…beyond secondary school could bring this figure up to a higher level (Skarpenes and Sakslind 2018). 12 Moreover, developments of the 20th century, including the oil economy, has provided many wage workers in Norway with an unprecedented, and world-leading, level of material wealth.…”