The Official Representation of Social Classes in Britain, the United States, and France: The Professional Model and “Les Cadres”

Abstract

In the course of the inter-war period, a particular empirical model of national social structure emerged in the official census publications of both Britain and the United States. In the postwar period the essential characteristics of this model subsequently became almost second nature for many English-speaking social and policy scientists on both sides of the Atlantic. This “professional model” of social structure took the following form when it was adopted in the United States in the 1930s:I. ProfessionalII. Proprietors, Managers, OfficialsIII. Clerical, SalespersonsIV. Skilled ManualV. Semi-skilled ManualVI. Unskilled ManualThe Registrar-General of England and Wales had used the professional model since the 1911 census and has continued its use, with minor variations, to the present day.