Class, Prestige and Status Attainment in Comparative Perspective

The paper examines, in a comparative perspective, the interferences between class and social status, measured in various ways, taking place in a process of status achievement. The class and the status constitute two separate dimensions of social stratification. The mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of social positions are different on these two dimensions. The differences resulting from various scales application in international comparison are discussed as well, with a special emphasis on the social position of farmers.