“They will look at the shoes and make fun of them”: A Qualitative Investigation About Social Class Discrimination Among Adolescents

Abstract

Economic inequality impacts development across the lifespan, influencing access to resources, suitable housing, and quality schooling. However, we lack an understanding of how differences in income shape interpersonal interactions, such as social class discrimination. Adolescence is a key developmental period to examine this construct, given identity formation and cognitive advances. We conducted semi-structured interviews with adolescents (n = 33; 18 cisgender girls and 15 cisgender boys) and adults (n = 8; five teachers and three parents; seven cisgender women and one trans-male). Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, incorporating both structured and reflexive coding. Findings indicated three themes. First, Social Class Discrimination Occurs in a Variety of Ways captured experiences ranging from overt acts to subtle biases. Targets included the adolescent (direct) and via other individuals (indirect). Sources of discrimination were teachers, adolescents, adults in the community, and social media. Second, What Makes Social Class Discrimination Unique highlighted its novel qualities, such as appearance, materials, housing conditions, parental occupation, and wealth. Third, The Intersectionality of Social Class Discrimination indicated its overlap with race/ ethnicity, skin color, and gender. Addressing this topic is crucial for supporting adolescent well-being. Efforts to combat such discrimination should consider its multidimensionality, uniqueness, and intersectionality.

Plain Text Summary: Understanding How Adolescents Experience Social Class Discrimination: Insights from Teens, Teachers, and Parents

This study examined how adolescents experience social class discrimination. Social class discrimination refers to the differential treatment that individuals experience based on their social class. The majority of the research on this topic has focused on adults. To advance scholarship about adolescents, we conducted semi-structured interviews with multiple stakeholders, including 33 adolescents and eight adults (five teachers and three parents). Interviews revealed three main themes. First, the multidimensional nature of social class discrimination showed that this form of bias was experienced as an overt act or a subtle bias. Discrimination targeted the adolescents themselves (direct) or through the treatment of others (indirect). Peers, teachers, community adults, and social media emerged as sources of social class discrimination. Second, the results highlighted unique features of social class discrimination. These comprised judgments based on appearance, possessions, housing, parental occupations, and family wealth. Lastly, results revealed the intersectionality of social class discrimination, highlighting how social class discrimination overlapped with other biases, including those based on race/ethnicity, skin color, and gender. These findings emphasize the pervasive and complex nature of social class discrimination among adolescents. Efforts to combat social class discrimination should focus on fostering inclusive environments in schools, communities, and broader societal contexts to support the well-being of adolescents. Programs should address the multidimensionality, uniqueness, and intersectional qualities of social class discrimination.