The adoption of a Capitals, Assets, and Resources-based (CAR) measurement of social class for the study of later life using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Social class analysis has been a vital component of sociologists’ research agenda for many decades, informing our understanding of social inequalities. However, current measures of social class are, by their neo-Weberian design determined by employment status and occupation. Consequently, measures of social class that are determined by employment relations restrict sociological understandings of social class to concepts related to working life. The study of later life – research that focuses upon the study of ageing and its impacts – typically focuses on individuals that have left the world of work and have entered a retired or semi-retired portion of their lives. To apply current measures of social class to the study of later life presents several challenges. Sociologists are often forced to use a ‘legacy’ class measure that uses an individual’s last recorded occupation prior to retiring. This is problematic, as legacy occupation may not reflect an individual’s current social class location. This paper seeks to remedy these problems by adopting a Bourdieusian inspired framework based on Capitals, Assets, and Resources (CAR) to construct a relevant social class measure for the study of later life. First, we set a theoretical foundation for the construction of this new measure of social class in later life. Then, using multiple correspondence analysis and latent profile analysis, we identified a five-class model of social class for use in later life. Our five-class model constitutes a small but very privileged Elite; followed by an established middle and culturally engaged high earners which make up a decently sized middle class; most respondents fall into a traditional working class with the rest making up a sizeable precariat class. We find a stark composition of social class membership characterised by a sizeable Traditional Working Class and a large Precariat population with a small middle class and tiny but exceptionally privileged Elite. Our findings from formal statistical modelling on determinants of security, stability, and prospects in later life demonstrate that CAR based approaches present clear points of stratification across social classes. This clarity is possible without having to rely on legacy based measures that are tied to forms of employment relations. We also find evidence to support the use of both legacy and CAR based measures of social class in the analysis of later life.