Abstract
The coming of the post-industrial society was accompanied by important changes in the structure of the labour market, most notably the growth of the tertiary or service sector (Bell, 1976). This development was made possible by the increasing automation of industrial production and the rise of modern information systems. The middle classes expanded and many new opportunities for individual professional advancement were created. The debate about the coining of the industrial society and the rise of the information society concealed, to a certain degree, that the dominant mode of production was still capitalist. The continued economic growth and the expansion of services in the welfare state contributed to the idea, held by the majority of the population, that in the present stage of capitalist development, the protection of workers against major economic and social contingencies and risks, based on social and economic rights, was assured. Social and economic inequalities decreased while opportunities for higher education and advancement at work increased. The capitalist society became less class-orientated.
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Berting, J. (1998). Rise and Fall of Middle-Class Society? How the Restructuring of Economic and Social Life Creates Uncertainty, Vulnerability, and Social Exclusion. In: Steijn, B., Berting, J., De Jong, MJ. (eds) Economic Restructuring and the Growing Uncertainty of the Middle Class. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5655-8_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5655-8_2
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