what is the working class 
 working class is a socioeconomic term used to describe persons in a social class marked by jobs that provide low pay require limited skill or physical labor typically working class jobs have reduced education requirements unemployed persons or those supported by a social welfare program are often included in the working class understanding the working classwhile working class is typically associated with manual labor and limited education blue collar workers are vital to every economy economists in the united states generally define working class as adults without a college degree many members of the working class are also defined as middle class sociologists such as dennis gilbert and joseph kahl who was a sociology professor at cornell university and the author of the 1957 textbook the american class structure 1 identified the working class as the most populous class in america other sociologists such as william thompson joseph hickey and james henslin say the lower middle class is largest in the class models devised by these sociologists the working class comprises between 30 to 35 of the population roughly the same number in the lower middle class according to dennis gilbert the working class comprises those between the 25th and 55th percentile of society karl marx described the working class as the proletariat and that it was the working class who ultimately created the goods and provided the services that created a society s wealth marxists and socialists define the working class as those who have nothing to sell but their labor power and skills in that sense the working class includes both white and blue collar workers manual and menial workers of all types excluding only individuals who derive their income from business ownership and the labor of others types of working class jobsworking class jobs today are quite different than the working class jobs in the 1950s and 1960s americans working in factories and industrial jobs have been on the decline for many years today most working class jobs are found in the services sector and typically include oftentimes working class jobs pay less than 15 per hour and some of those jobs do not include health benefits in america the demographics surrounding the working class population is becoming more diverse approximately 59 of the working class population is comprised of white americans down from 88 in the 1940s african americans account for 14 while hispanics currently represent 21 of the working class in the u s 2 history of the working class in europein feudal europe most were part of the laboring class a group made up of different professions trades and occupations a lawyer craftsman and peasant for example were all members neither members of the aristocracy or religious elite similar hierarchies existed outside europe in other pre industrial societies the social position of these laboring classes was viewed as ordained by natural law and common religious belief peasants challenged this perception during the german peasants war in the late 18th century under the influence of the enlightenment a changing europe could not be reconciled with the idea of a changeless god created social order wealthy members of societies at that time tried to keep the working class subdued claiming moral and ethical superiority 