Know the definition of the middle class and upper class so you know which group you are in; We tell you how much each one earns.
Despite the diversity of indicators and the ease with which social classes can be reclassified, there are some measures that make it much clearer to know if you belong to the upper class or upper class and we tell you how much you should earn.
The discussion about belonging to the middle class or lower class in Mexico is not new, however, it has increased in recent years in light of the contemporary social debate about whether there is a reduction in poverty in Mexico.
“Until now, what gives me the most satisfaction is that we have managed to reduce poverty. That is, for me, the most satisfactory thing. Poverty and inequality, despite the fact that we had to face the pandemic and other external factors,” said the president. Andrés Manuel López Obrador at a press conference.
What social classes exist in Mexico?
The Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) states that in Mexico there are six social classes and this depends on the functions, customs, economic situation and purchasing power of the people. It is classified as follows:
Low-low: According to Profeco data, 35 out of every 100 Mexicans belong to this social class, which is made up of temporary workers, informal merchants, immigrants, the unemployed and people who live on social assistance, whether public or private.
Low-upper: The lower-upper class is made up of workers and peasants, which means that 20 out of every 100 Mexicans belong to it, according to Profeco. “It is the physical force of society, since it carries out arduous work in exchange for an income slightly higher than the minimum wage,” according to the ‘National Program for the Protection of Consumer Rights 2013-2018’.
Medium-low: Clerks, technicians, supervisors and qualified artisans make up this social class, who represent 20 out of every 100 Mexicans. They are characterized by having stable incomes, although these are not high.
Upper-middle: Profeco defined the upper-middle class as “businessmen and professionals who have succeeded.” 14 out of every 100 Mexicans belong to this social stratum. The people who make up this sector not only have stable incomes, but are also well paid in their areas.
Upper-lower: The upper-lower class is made up of families that have high purchasing power in recent generations, and it is estimated that only five out of every 100 Mexicans belong to this social class. As for their income, they are stable and large.
Upper-upper: Only one in every 100 Mexicans is part of the upper-upper class, which is defined as a sector in which families have been rich for several generations and have already “forgotten” when or how they obtained their fortune. In all social classes, according to Profeco, possessions are an indicator of status.
How is the upper middle and lower class defined?
Luis de la Calle and Luis Rubio in their book Clasemedieros (2010) point out that the middle class is an elastic concept and includes people with very different income levels. It is not only income that defines the group, it is also a group of satisfiers that change the quality of life of people. These satisfiers change over time, as do the aspirations that parents have for their children’s lives.
As the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO) points out, recalling the study by Rubio and de la Calle, one of the main characteristics of those who make up the middle class is that they have their basic needs covered. The family’s income is enough for food, clothing and shelter, but it is not enough, these families aspire for more.
Due to the ambiguity in classifying social classes in Mexico, there are almost 37 million people who are not technically poor but have basic needs such as access to health, social security or education.
Access to education, public or private, is one of the ways to measure the social class to which you belong.
This is because the Mexican government’s poverty line is too low. To be middle class, according to the Evalúa Social Development Index of Mexico City, you need to have sufficient income to satisfy the needs of education, health, sanitary services, drainage, telephone, social security, electricity, fuel, basic durable goods and not work more than 48 hours a week. On average, the middle class in Mexico achieves this by earning an average of 16 thousand pesos per person.
For its part, Inegi pointed out that when talking about lower class, poverty should not be confused as an equal situation since there are lower class households that are not necessarily poor since their income levels exceed the thresholds set by Coneval.
How do I know if I am middle or upper class?
According to the Inegi study called “Quantifying the Middle Class in Mexico”, 42.2% of Mexican households belong to the middle class, this translates into a total of 15 million 96.9 households that in turn involve 47 million 201 1,616 Mexicans in said social class.
These households have an average monthly income of 22,297 pesos. In urban areas, the average monthly income amounts to 23,451 pesos, while in rural areas it is 18,569 pesos per month.
On the other hand, for Inegi, the lower class has an average income of 11,343 pesos per month. In the country, 56.6 percent of households belong to the lower class.
According to the same agency, the upper class has an average income of 77,975 pesos per month.
Taking this comparison to a global level, the measurements are even more variable due to the salaries of each country. In an analysis to get closer to the answer, the Pew research center points out that the middle class receives incomes between 10 and 22,927 pesos, being the first for the lower-middle class. In addition to this, the Pew Research Center points out that worldwide people in this sector earn an average of 20 dollars a day, that is, 341 Mexican pesos.
Source: Milenio
