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Originally Posted by Long Haired Git
Are OS holidays, domestic service and private schooling for kids the domain of the middle class? Yikes, I am most likely lower class then. I would have held these as upper class domain?
Self delusion ?
Lower class: Rent, old cars purchased 2nd hand, short local cheap holidays, public education.
Middle class: Mortgage, new or near-new car, long holidays perhaps OS at top end, public education or some private if really lucky.
Upper class: Own home and perhaps others, new luxury car, OS holidays and travel, all private education.
Naturally a scale of grays and not three bands.
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i would say that OS holidays are virtually universal in the UK (i.e. basically the only people who don't have
at least one (1 week+) are the unwaged, and people who could, but choose not too.....) - of couse there are many
degrees of OS holidays....
{part of the reason is that the UK is not a cheap destination.... so in these days of cheap air travel it makes no economic sense not to jet off to warmer/cheaper climes...}
Middle class norm would be 2 weeks long haul/upmarket europe in the summer + 1-2 weeks skiing/winter sun.....
pretty much universal for the middle class to have at least a cleaner once/week also ime {partly because they work long hours - so the time/cost tradeoff is favourable}
68.2% owner occupation in england/wales the 2001 census (29% outright, 39% with mortgage - the outright owners being more likely to be the retired rather than the rich...)
7% of children in the UK are privately educated (at what are misleading called "public schools" here) - but in london that rises to 20% (and is below 7% in wealthy areas where there are still selective schools.) .... and on top of that many parents in the state sector pay for extra tuition, and/or spend to manipulate the state school system (by buying - or even renting a second home- in the catchment areas of good schools etc.)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...605924,00.html