<P> A social class is a set of subjectively defined concepts in the social sciences and political theory centered on models of social stratification in which people are grouped into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the upper, middle and lower classes . </P> <P> "Class" is a subject of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists and social historians . However, there is not a consensus on a definition of "class" and the term has a wide range of sometimes conflicting meanings . In common parlance, the term "social class" is usually synonymous with "socio - economic class", defined as "people having the same social, economic, cultural, political or educational status", e.g., "the working class"; "an emerging professional class". However, academics distinguish social class and socioeconomic status, with the former referring to one's relatively stable sociocultural background and the latter referring to one's current social and economic situation and consequently being more changeable over time . </P>

N. the social class between the lower and upper classes