Definition:
Middle class describes people with relatively stable income, some asset ownership, and a degree of economic security above subsistence.
Usage Context:
Used in economic classification, political rhetoric, housing discourse, and lifestyle marketing.
Critical Note:
Middle-class status is increasingly unstable. Framing it as secure masks growing exposure to debt, precarity, and downward mobility while preserving aspirational narratives.
Related Terms:
Status Anxiety, Upward Aspiration Pressure, Economic Precarity, Consumerism