The End of a Traditional Class Distinction in Neoliberal Society: ‘White-collar’ and ‘Blue-collar’ Work and its Impact on Chilean Workers’ Class Consciousness

Abstract

For several decades, the distinction between ‘white-collar’ (non-manual) and ‘blue-collar’ (manual) work occupied a central place in the analysis of working-class consciousness. According to many scholars, the expansion of non-manual employment was key to dismantling traditional working-class identities. Although several analysts noted the irrelevance of the white-collar/blue-collar distinction as a determinant of class consciousness, the most recent research on class in Chile continues on the traditional argument. However, the empirical research supporting such a contention has been scarce. In this paper I test that hypothesis. Based on quantitative and qualitative data, I show that the distinction between manual and non-manual labor does not lead to significant variations in workers’ class consciousness. Therefore, its use in recent research on class (e.g. the contention that non-manual employment reinforces a ‘middle-class’ consciousness among workers) is deemed questionable.

The identity of class in Latin America: Objective class position and subjective class identification in Argentina and Chile (2009)

“…Recent research shows that Chile’s high levels of inequality and economic concentration have erased traditional social distinctions that used to divide wage earners – particularly, that between white-collar and blue-collar workers. Instead, this research suggests that Chilean workers uphold cross-sectoral identities based, among other things, on broad ideas such as being a ‘hard worker’, which are framed in opposition to ‘the rich’ who ‘don’t work’ (Pérez-Ahumada, 2017). According to our results, it is likely that similar types of discourses permeate middle-class positions such as that of the small employers and the formal petite bourgeoisie.…”

“…The remaining categories (middle class, upper-middle class, and upper class) were recoded as ‘middle class’. We decided to do so because recent research suggests that in countries like Chile (and probably in Argentina as well) workers tend to use the concepts of ‘working class’, ‘lower class’, and ‘lower-middle class’ interchangeably to draw a line between themselves and those who are ‘really middle-class’ (Pérez-Ahumada, 2017). 8…”

“…In Argentina, recent research has shown a correspondence between objective class position and class self-identification, with a relative prevalence of working-class and lower-class identities among working-class individuals (Elbert, 2017b; Jorrat, 2008). On the other hand, recent research on Chile has suggested that despite the weakness of organized labor, class position is still a significant determinant of class consciousness, and that working-class identities and interests are prevalent among blue-collar and white-collar workers alike (Pérez-Ahumada, 2017).…”

Class identity in times of social mobilization and labor union revitalization: Evidence from the case of Chile (2009–2019)

“…We decided to group the ‘working’ and ‘lower’ class categories together because previous evidence suggests that Chilean workers tend to use them interchangeably to draw a line between ‘them’—that is, ‘hard-working people’ who must struggle ‘to make ends meet’—and those who are ‘really middle-class’ or part of the ‘privileged’ classes. Furthermore, evidence also indicates that such ‘working-class’ identity also comprises those who define themselves as ‘lower-middle’ class (Pérez Ahumada, 2017). Based on this evidence, in their study of class identification, Elbert and Pérez (2018) use a variable to measure ‘working-class identification’, which even includes responses that self-identify as lower-middle class.…”

Social classes, economic sector sand changes in the chilean social structure, 1992 and 2013

“…Some of central elements of this thesis have been the subject of debate in recent years. Addressing the subjective aspects of the notion of mesocratization, recent research on class consciousness in Chile has cast doubt on the idea that work that is commonly defined as middle class (non-manual work in service sectors such as trade and finance) inevitably produces identities and interests that differ from those of manual or industrial workers (Pérez-Ahumada, 2017).…”