CHAPTER IX: SOCIAL CLASS STRUCTURE

Social class structure is the core of social structure. Social class structure exists in other domains of the social structure, such as employment structure, urban–rural structure and consumption structure. Since the founding of New China in 1949, the social class structure has experienced three major shifts and the prototype of a modern social structure has been formed. However, at the same time, configuration of resources and opportunities among social classes became unbalanced and conflicts of interests between social strata manifested. Adjusting and reforming social policies, further promoting the formation of a modern social class structure and, at the same time, coordinating the interests of different social classes to provide strong class support for China’s entrance into a critical period of development are the important goals for the current and future social structure adjustment.