What does the term "blue-collar"?

turns out, are not only the "blue-collar" and "white", "gray", "pink", "blue".Such an expression, of course, is shaped shade.It is not literally about that item of clothing, and in general about the dress code of certain categories of workers, depending on their professional duties.Also, the expression "blue (white, blue) collar" is used to indicate the status of the person.

Let's understand what is this "colorful" terms.

So, "blue collar."

So call workers who are engaged primarily in physical labor, often in large enterprises.The concept comes to us from the West (from the UK), where he sustained expression sounds like «blue-collar worker».Traditionally, the (historically) is the working class.That expression indicates skilled workers or workers engaged in physical labor in factories, workshops, on construction sites.Uniforms these people literally often dark blue or blue to prevent rapid pollution that was the reason for the name.

In contrast to the concept of "blue collar»

there are "white collar".They are a caste of officers, officials, employees of the administration, management, engineering and technical personnel, personnel engaged in intellectual work.This category of workers is prevalent in developed countries over the number of production workers.

Sociologists (eg, Giddens in the textbook "Sociology"), considering the structure of society, namely, the class system, this division offers a large groups of people:

- upper class (its representatives are rich people, big businessmenindustrialists);

- middle class (represented mainly by "white collar" and experts);

- working class (includes the "blue collar" people engaged in physical labor).

- peasants (people that provide their livelihoods in agricultural production).

In addition to these two main grades, there are also such:

- «pink-collar" - that's the bulk of women working in the office secretaries, typists, telephonists, and so on. D;

- «gray collar" - the so-called workers in the sector of social infrastructure, as well as the service sector;

- «Golden Collars» - this category is represented by highly qualified scientists and specialists who have an entrepreneurial spirit, that they have successfully used in conjunction with professional unique knowledge;

- «brown collar" - the so-called service workers.

Such figurative expressions indicating the kind of professional activity at the same time determine the class, because of the well-being of people and their occupation depends on their status.

Currently, there is a tendency to reduce the size of the working class and an increase in the category of "white collar".This is due to the democratization of the developed world, access to higher education, the development of foreign economic relations.