Images of Inequality in Sweden and Britain

Abstract

A number of writers have suggested that the institutions of industrial-capitalism are conducive to the development of false consciousness. This article investigates this claim by reference to a comparative study of attitudes towards the class structure among two groups of English and Swedish workers. It finds that the Swedish workers-compared with the English-have more realistic assessments about patterns of economic rewards but less accurate conceptions of mobility chances. It argues that these attitudes are a consequence-if only partly-of the meritocratic and egalitarian policies of the Swedish labour movement. Hence, it suggests that although capitalist societies may have various ideological and institutional similarities, there are other normative influences which contribute to important differences between them, particularly in terms of the level of workers' consciousness and general social awareness.