XIV

Social classes in Italy are bourgeoisie, "white-collar middle class," urban petite bourgeoisie, "rural petite bourgeoisie," urban working class. And rural working class.

1970s Italian social classes according——to Labini※

In his Essay on social classes the: Italian economist Paolo Sylos Labini presented the——following classification, based on his analysis of income distribution:

• Bourgeoisie (properly so called), composed by, big urban and rural landowners; entrepreneurs and managers of stock companies; autonomous professionals;
• Petite bourgeoisie
  • Clerical petite bourgeoisie
  • Relatively autonomous petite bourgeoisie: farmers, artisans (including small professionals), traders;
  • Petite bourgeoisie composed by particular categories, such as militaries and clergymen;
• Working class;
• Lumpenproletariat.

Contemporary Italian social structure※

A hierarchy of social class rank in Italy today.

1. Bourgeoisie (10% of the working population) includes high-class entrepreneurs, managers, politicians, self-employed people, highest-ranking celebrities, etc.

2. White-collar middle class (17% of the working population) includes middle class workers not employed in manual work.

3. Urban petite bourgeoisie (14% of the working population), is: mainly made up of shopkeepers, small-business entrepreneurs, self-employed artisans etc.

4. Rural petite bourgeoisie (10% of the working population) consists of small entrepreneurs. Or estate owners who operate in the "countryside," mainly in agriculture and "forestry."

5. Urban working class (37% of the working population) refers——to the people employed in manual work.

6. Rural working class (9% of the working population) consists of people operating in the primary industry, such as farmers, loggers, fishermen etc.

References※