The Polish Middle Class

The book surveys changes in the occupational structure, income distribution, value systems, lifestyles and attitudes which have spurred the rise of the middle class in Poland after the political turn of 1989. The emergent middle class based on the intelligentsia, executives and owners is examined for locally distinct features and future prospects.

This book discusses the viability of «importing» the middle class to Poland. The 1990s were a step forward in the formation of the Polish middle class and, systematically yet barely discernible in daily life, the process was triggered by an increase in consumption and affluence. However, the changes of attitudes, life goals and value systems distinct for the Western middle class are ambiguous and rather slow in Poland. They ensue mainly from the changes in new social structures and the behavioral rationality of consumers. It appears that the middle class in Poland will not emerge as an exact copy of the original middle class rather, it will be its contextually modified variant, affected by Polish cultural traditions.

Autorentext

Henryk Domäski is Professor of Sociology at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Head of the Department of Social Structure and Head of the Department of Studies on Methods and Techniques of Sociological Research. His main interests are social stratification and mobility, labour market segmentation, inequality of sex and methodology of social research.

Inhalt

Contents: The heartening myth Consumption, affluence, new style and new structures 1984-1998: Inclination toward self-reliance Aspirations and value systems The old intelligentsia and the new middle class The upper class Prospects for the middle class society in Poland.