classist

Classist refers to attitudes, actions, or policies that discriminate on the basis of social class, or that presume inherent superiority or inferiority of people according to their economic status or social standing. The term is used both as an adjective (classist attitudes) and as a noun (a classist measure or remark). Etymologically, it blends class with the suffix -ist, signaling a person or tendency related to class.

Classism can operate at both individual and structural levels. Individual classism includes stereotypes, prejudice, or contempt toward people from certain economic backgrounds. Institutional or systemic classism involves policies, practices, or norms that advantage some classes over others, such as biased hiring, unequal access to education or healthcare, or discriminatory housing markets. Classist rhetoric often frames poverty or wealth as a result of personal virtue or deficiency, rather than reflecting broader economic structures.

Context and discourse: classism is discussed in debates on economic inequality, social mobility, and welfare policy. It intersects with other forms of discrimination, including race, gender, and immigration status, shaping experiences in education, employment, and public life. Some scholars distinguish classism from elitism, which centers on admiration or privilege for a privileged class, while classism centers on devaluation of lower-class groups.

Measurement and response: researchers study attitudes toward poverty, stigma, and implicit biases, and policymakers pursue anti-discrimination protections, affordable housing, equitable education funding, and programs aimed at reducing class-based barriers and stigma. Anti-classism movements advocate fair treatment and equal opportunities irrespective of economic background.