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The middle classes, a power issue
The middle classes, a power issue – (franceinfo)
Emmanuel Macron, during his press conference on Tuesday January 16, mentioned these people who are not rich, but who are too rich to benefit from aid: the middle classes. Who is part of it? Is this still an appropriate term?
It is a very present notion in political speeches: the middle class. Often described as the France that works and gets up early, there are several definitions of this term. For example, for INSEE, the middle class includes people who earn the median salary (plus or minus 10%), i.e. between €1,692 and €2,068 per month for a single person. The OECD proposes a wider range by designating middle class as those who earn between €1,448 and €3,860 per month.
A political issue
The middle classes are at the heart of political issues: they were the subject of part of Emmanuel Macron’s speech on January 16. The new Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, also mentioned them during his inauguration by defining them as the “beating heart of our country, architects of the greatness and strength of our French nation”.
