Housing status pinpoints social strata in China – A survey on China’s housing groups

LI Qiang

Professor, Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University

 
Abstract:

Sociologists Rex and Moore first raised the housing class theory in 19671, stating that people can be grouped into different classes according to their housing conditions. Defining classes by housing standards seems too simple, though, which is why this theory is controversial. In order to avoid the same confusion of social class, this paper employs the concept of “housing status group.” Like economic status, people’s housing status is normally relatively stable and unlikely to significantly change in a short time span. But China is an exception as the past 30 years have witnessed tremendous institutional reform, particularly in the housing system. Almost overnight, public housing became privatized and the real estate market developed. This transformation also meant an abrupt change in the status of social groups in relation to housing – for the better or worse. From the social stratification perspective, this has also been an important period of reshaping social status. Thus, it is of great significance to study “housing status groups” during the transitional period to shed light on a myriad of social ills.

Key Words:

Housing status group, housing system, social strata

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