Editing Upper middle class (section)

{{Short description|Social class}}
{{About|socio-economic studies|the musical work|Upper Middle Class White Trash}}
{{multiple issues|{{Globalize|article|USA|United Kingdom|France|date=February 2016}}
{{Page numbers needed|date=October 2017}}}}
[[File:University of Chicago, Harper Library.jpg|thumb|[[Higher education]] is one of the most distinguishing features of the upper middle class.]]

In [[sociology]], the '''upper middle class''' is the [[social group]] constituted by higher status members of the [[middle class]]. This is in contrast to the term ''[[lower middle class]]'', which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle-class stratum, and to the broader term ''[[middle class]]''. There is considerable debate as to how the upper middle class might be defined. According to sociologist [[Max Weber]], the upper middle class consists of well-educated professionals with [[postgraduate degree]]s and comfortable incomes.

The [[Upper middle class in the United States|American upper middle class]] is defined similarly using [[Income in the United States|income]], [[Educational attainment in the United States|education]], and occupation as the predominant indicators.{{sfn|Thompson|Hickey|2005}} In the United States, the upper middle class is defined as consisting mostly of [[White-collar worker|white-collar]] professionals who not only have above-average [[Personal income in the United States|personal incomes]] and advanced [[Educational attainment in the United States|educational degrees]]{{sfn|Thompson|Hickey|2005}} but also a higher degree of autonomy in their work.{{sfn|Eichar|1989}} The main occupational tasks of upper-middle-class individuals tend to center on conceptualizing, consulting, and instruction.{{sfn|Ehrenreich|1989}}