class system

Meaning: A class system is a form of social stratification in which people are ranked mainly by economic position: wealth, income, occupation and education. Status is largely achieved, so people can move between classes (social mobility), though family background still shapes outcomes. Marx defined class by relationship to the means of production (owners, the bourgeoisie, versus workers, the proletariat). Weber saw class as one of three dimensions, alongside status (prestige) and power.

On the MCAT: Passages contrast class systems with caste systems, where position is ascribed at birth and mobility is very limited. Questions ask you to classify mobility as intragenerational (within one lifetime) or intergenerational (parent to child), and as vertical (up or down) or horizontal (same level). You may also apply Marx's class conflict, or Weber's idea that a person can rank high on one dimension and low on another.

Common confusion: A class system is not free of barriers just because status is achieved. Inequality and inherited advantage persist, so mobility is possible but not guaranteed. Also, class is not the same as status in Weber's sense: a wealthy newcomer may have high class but low prestige. The class versus caste distinction turns on achieved versus ascribed position, not on whether inequality exists.