The Family and Its

Social Class Standing

CHAPTER
TEN

As You See It, What Is the Main
Family Message of This Ad?
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It Reminds Parents of the Importance
of Creating Quality Time.
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The Changing U.S. Family
Types of families
Nuclear: two parents and at least one child
Extended: In addition, at least one grandparent
Single-parent: one parents and at least one child
Changes in household spending patterns
Working women
Double income
Shopping for time-saving products and services
since they have less time at home
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Consumer
Socialization
The process by which
children acquire the
skills, knowledge, and
attitudes necessary to
function as consumers.
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Do parents teach children consumption skills?
Absolutely, they learn about spending versus savings,
how to shop, and how to make purchase decisions
What Is the Name and Definition of
the Process Depicted in This Ad?
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Consumer Socialization - the Process by Which
Children Acquire the Skills, Knowledge, Attitudes, and
Experiences Necessary to Function as Consumers
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A Simple Model of the
Socialization Process - Figure 10.4
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Other Functions of the Family
Economic well-being
economic security
Emotional support
Suitable family lifestyles
a way to share common
goals and experience
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In addition to socialization , the family
provides other functions
Family Decision Making
Dynamics of Husband-Wife
Decision Making
Husband-Dominated
Wife-Dominated
Expanding Role of Children In Family Decision
Making
Choosing restaurants and items in supermarkets
Teen Internet mavens
Pester power
Kids dont give up easily; when they want something they
will ask many times

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Husbands and wives often
need to make decisions
together
Framework of 10-year-old Influencer
Figure 10.5
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Built from a study that depicted
how children use strategies to
influence their parents to
purchase food
The Family Life Cycle
Traditional Family Life Cycle
Stage I: Bachelorhood
Stage II: Honeymooners
Stage III: Parenthood
Stage IV: Postparenthood
Stage V: Dissolution
Modifications - the Nontraditional FLC
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It gives us an idea
of the stages that
many families
pass throughout
their life
To Which Stage of the Family Life
Cycle Does This Ad Apply, and Why?
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Bachelorhood The Target Consumer
Is Not Yet Married
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Nontraditional FLC Family Stages
Alternative FLC Stage Definition/Commentary
Childless couples Increasingly acceptable with more career-
oriented married women and delayed
marriages
Couples who marry later in life Likely to have fewer or no children
Couples with first child in late 30s or later Likely to have fewer children. Want the
best and live quality lifestyle
Single parents I High divorce rate - about 50% lead to this
Single parents II Child out of wedlock
Single parents III Single person who adopts
Extended family Adult children return home. Divorced
adult returns home. Elderly move in with
children. Newlyweds live with in-laws.
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Dual Spouse Work Involvement (DSWI)
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This model of
dual spouse
work
involvement
takes into
account
occupation
status and
career
commitment
of both
spouses for
segmentation
Social Class
The division of
members of a society
into a hierarchy of
distinct status classes,
so that members of
each class have either
higher or lower status
than members of other
classes.
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Social Class Measure and Distribution
Table 10.8
SOCIAL CLASSES and PERCENTAGE
Upper 4.3%
Upper-middle 13.8%
Middle 32.8%
Working 32.3%
Lower 16.8%
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Social Class Measurement
Subjective Measures
individuals are asked to estimate their own social-
class positions
Objective Measures
individuals answer specific socioeconomic
questions and then are categorized according to
answers

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Objective Measures
Single-variable
indexes
Occupation
Education
Income
Composite-
variable indexes
Index of Status
Characteristics
Socioeconomic
Status Score
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Because single variables are often too narrow for indexing social
class, many researchers will use composite variables
Composite-variable indexes
The Index of Status
Characteristics



The Socioeconomic
Status Score
Takes occupation,
source of income,
house type and quality
of neighborhood into
account.
From the U.S. Bureau of
the Census, combines
occupation, family
income, and education
level.
21
Social Class Mobility
Upward mobility
Downward mobility
Rags to riches?
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Geodemographic
Clusters
A composite
segmentation
strategy that uses
both geographic
variables (zip codes,
neighborhoods) and
demographic
variables (e.g.,
income, occupation)
to identify target
markets.
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The Affluent Consumer
Growing number
of households can
be classified as
mass affluent
with incomes of at
least $75,000
Some researchers
are defining
affluent to include
lifestyle and
psychographic
factors in addition
to income
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What Is the Name of the Segment Targeted by This
Ad, and Why Is the Appeal Shown Here Used?
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This Ad was Used Because it is
Effective for the Affluent Consumer.
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What Is the Middle Class?
The middle 50 percent of household
incomes - households earning between
$25,000 and $85,000
The emerging Chinese middle class
Moving up to more near luxuries
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The Working Class?
Households earning $40,000 or less control
more than 30 percent of the total income in
the U.S.
These consumers tend to be more brand loyal
than wealthier consumers.
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The Techno Class
Having competency with technology
Those without are referred to as
technologically underclassed
Parents are seeking computer exposure for
their children
Geeks now viewed as friendly and fun
Those very involved in technology, commonly referred to
as geeks, are seeing that they are gaining popularity,
both as adults and teens.
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In What Ways Have the Prestige and
Status of Geeks Been Changing?
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The Change is Due to the
Importance of Computers.
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Consumer Behavior and
Social Class
Clothing, Fashion, and Shopping
The Pursuit of Leisure
Saving, Spending, and Credit
Social Class and Communication
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