BETWEEN STABILITY AND VULNERABILITY: MIDDLE-CLASS IDENTITIES IN CONTEMPORARY BRAZIL

Interagency. Institute N.01 AUG 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 1 Between Stability and Vulnerability: Middle-Class Identities in Contemporary Brazil Lygia G. C. Hryniewicz August 5th, 2025 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17488810 Interagency. Institute N.01 AUG 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 1 This Policy Brief discusses the central role of the Brazilian middle class in social stratification and the conceptual limitations surrounding its definition. It analyzes the impact of structural changes in the labor market and credit policies that stimulated consumption but failed to ensure long-term stability. The text critiques simplified interpretations based solely on income, arguing that the economic mobility experienced by segments of the Brazilian population did not lead to class consolidation, but rather to a vulnerable and unstable condition. The study concludes that the Brazilian middle class is deeply heterogeneous, unstable, and contradictory. Its boundaries are fluid, shaped by both objective criteria (such as income and education) and by cultural and symbolic performances. To adequately understand this social group, it is essential to adopt a multidimensional approach that is sensitive to local and historical specificities. The middle class occupies a central position in studies of social stratification, both due to its numerical relevance and its strategic role in economic, political, and cultural dynamics. However, finding a definition for middle class remains marked by persistent controversies. This ambiguity is not merely a technical challenge, but reflects deeper theoretical, methodological, and historical tensions. Based on the premise that social class cannot be reduced to a single criterion, various analytical traditions address the complexity of the middle class. The Marxist approach is explored through the concepts of ―class-in-itself‖ and ―class-for-itself,‖ while the Weberian tradition introduces the categories of class, status, and party as distinct dimensions of stratification. Scholars such as Erik Olin Wright and Anthony Giddens offer valuable insights, emphasizing respectively the contradictory class location of the middle classes and the significance of market capacities. Additionally, the work of Pierre Bourdieu and Loïc Wacquant contributes by highlighting symbolic resources and subjective struggles as fundamental elements in class formation. In Brazil, the debate on the middle class has intensified in recent decades, particularly following the economic growth and credit expansion of the early 2000s. Researchers such as Marcelo Neri (2008) proposed the existence of a ―new middle class,‖ primarily defined by income and consumption criteria. While this narrative gained public traction, it was also sharply criticized by authors such as Jessé Souza (2018) and Marcio Pochmann (2012), who pointed to the structural fragility of such upward mobility. Interagency. Institute N.01 AUG 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 2 Rather than representing a consolidated transformation in the class structure, many of those labeled as part of the ―new middle class‖ remained in conditions of vulnerability and instability, lacking access to durable goods, quality education, or robust social protection networks. I argue that the Brazilian middle class is a fluid and contradictory social category. Its identity is not solely a reflection of economic position but a construction that involves cultural practices, lifestyles, narratives of belonging, and strategies of distinction. In this context, it becomes essential to adopt qualitative methodologies that can capture the perceptions, values, and representations of the individuals who identify—or do not identify—as members of the middle class. The conceptual and methodological foundations of this field identifies the middle class as a relational and contested category. By considering both the objective and subjective dimensions of the social structure, the need for a more nuanced and critical reinterpretation of the middle class in Brazil emerges—one that goes beyond traditional classifications based only on income or occupation. The Brazilian middle class is characterized by a fragmented, unstable identity, marked by the tension between aspirations for upward mobility, fear of social decline, and a constant need for symbolic reaffirmation. The middle class defines itself not only by what it possesses, but above all by how it perceives itself and how it wishes to be perceived — a continuous process of classification and differentiation in relation to social ―others.‖ Regional variations are addressed through case studies and data on urban mobility, access to services, and income inequality across different regions of the country. The analysis demonstrates that the notion of a homogeneous national middle class overlooks the historical and structural disparities between the South/Southeast and the North/Northeast. The Brazilian middle class does not constitute a homogeneous or cohesive bloc. On the contrary, this social group is fragmented across different trajectories, perceptions of belonging, and experiences of social mobility. Its internal heterogeneity is expressed through both objective criteria — such as educational level, income, and occupation — and in the ways individuals represent themselves and others. Middle-class identity thus emerges as a contested field, shaped by values, moralities, and social practices aimed at establishing symbolic boundaries. Interagency. Institute N.01 AUG 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 3 It can be concluded that the notion of a ―new middle class,‖ widely disseminated through political and economic discourse, does not hold up from a sociological perspective. Classifying individuals solely based on income overlooks the multiple layers of inequality that permeate Brazilian society. The construction of middle-class identity involves both recognition and exclusion, and must be understood as an ongoing social practice, historically situated and mediated by symbolic struggles. First and foremost, it is essential to move beyond one-dimensional models that define the middle class solely based on income. Public policies grounded in this logic—such as consumer credit programs or tax incentives—have failed to promote structured and sustainable social inclusion. In this regard, it is recommended that policymakers incorporate multidimensional indicators in their analyses, including variables such as job stability, access to quality education, asset security, cultural capital, and social networks. Secondly, the data show that the social mobility achieved in recent decades has been fragile and poorly resilient to economic crises. Many individuals who experienced upward mobility—particularly through access to credit or income transfer programs— did not secure a stable position within the social structure. Public policies should therefore prioritize the structural improvement of living conditions, investing in quality public education, healthcare, efficient urban transportation, and safe housing, rather than relying exclusively on consumption-driven mechanisms. Another important recommendation concerns the need to address regional inequalities. As demonstrated, the experiences and perceptions of the middle class vary significantly across Brazilian major urban centers and regions. The Northeast region, for example, has an emerging middle class that is more vulnerable and further removed from the consolidated conditions observed in cities like São Paulo. Public policies must, therefore, be designed with territorial and contextual sensitivity, avoiding uniform solutions and statistical generalizations that obscure peripheral realities. Finally, it is crucial to demystify the concept of a ―new middle class‖ as a magical solution to the structural problems of inequality. The narrative of meritocratic upward mobility must be challenged with empirical data and the lived experiences of individuals. Continued efforts are recommended to deconstruct discourses that naturalize social hierarchies, place the burden of inequality on individuals, and render invisible the cumulative effects of inheritance, historical exclusion, and racial and territorial inequality in Brazil. Interagency. Institute N.01 AUG 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 4 Neri, Marcelo Côrtes (2008). A nova classe média. Rio de Janeiro: Fundação Getúlio Vargas/IBRE/CPS. Neri, Marcelo Côrtes (2010). A nova classe média: o lado brilhante dos pobres. Rio de Janeiro: FGV/IBRE/CPS. Pochmann, M. (2012). A Nova Classe Média? O Trabalho na Base da Pirâmide Social Brasileira. Boitempo Editorial. Scalon, C; BOTELHO, A e MELLO, J (2025). Essa tal Classe Média. Rio de Janeiro: BVPS Coleção, 2025 (https://blogbvps.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/BVPS-Colecao_v.007.pdf) Scalon, C.; CAETANO, A.J.; CHAVES, H. et al (2021). Back to the past: gains and losses in Brazilian society . Journal of Chinese Sociology, v. 8, n. 3. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40711-02000132-9. Salata, A. R. (2006) Uma nova abordagem empírica para a hierarquia de status no Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Ciências Sociais, v. 31, n. 92 Salata, André Ricardo (2016). A classe média brasileira: posição social e identidade de classe . Letra Capital Editora LTDA. Souza, J. (2018). Subcidadania brasileira: para entender o país além do jeitinho brasileiro . Leya. Lygia G. C. Hryniewicz is a professor at FGV EBAPE, Rio de Janeiro. A researcher at the InterAgency Institute, she is also a postdoctoral fellow at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in the Graduate Program in Sociology and at Wuppertal University in Germany, in the Department of Education. Research areas: stratification, social and educational inequalities, gender, migration. ORCIDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5553-0955 InterAgency Institute https://interagency.institute/ [email protected] Editor-in-chief: Ana Paula Rodriguez Co-editor: Sabrina Medeiros