Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Affordability

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Feb 18, 2023, at 6:42 PM, Tobia,Blaise via Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] 
> cohousing.org> wrote:
> 
> The post that started this thread said some true things about the typical 
> co-houser, but also said that they are “upper class.” A follow-up said that 
> they are “middle class.” I think that it is important in terms of knowing who 
> co-housers are, and what our society is, to say that neither of these 
> characterizations is accurate.

Pew Research Center has a calculator to determine if you are in the 
middle-class range:

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/07/23/are-you-in-the-american-middle-class/

> About half of U.S. adults (52%) lived in middle-income households in 2018, 
> according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data. Roughly 
> three-in-ten (29%) were in lower-income households and 19% were in 
> upper-income households.

Middle-class includes the professional and business workers

And there are fine points about “class” vs “income”. I think sociologists would 
have other determinants of whether one was “middle class” than annual income. 
It also is characterized by desire for “upward mobility”, college education, 
professional status, behavioral norms related to character and ethics, etc.

Income is easier to assess but the other characteristics are important as well. 
It’s entirely possible to have a very small income and still be a 
“middle-class" person. And then there are artists who are outside the income 
classes and have been dubbed the “creative class."

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
TakomaDC [at] Groups.io
"Neighbors Talking to Neighbors”
Takoma Park DC and MD