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5 min read•june 18, 2024
Nathan Wichert
Nathan Wichert
Kulturelle Perspektiven Soziale Hierarchien—Cultural perspectives and Social Hierarchies
Social hierarchies are important to a lot of Germans, and they tend to differentiate themselves based on their perceived social ranking. There is often more respect for those who have the expertise, a higher education**,** and experience.
Germans may also take into consideration a person’s accent, where they are from, and their occupation to make conclusions about their social status. These class barriers were largely broken down after World War II. As a result, most Germans share the benefits of the strong middle class and everyone has access to a comprehensive education.
As in every society, there are those who do not have as much privilege as a portion of the population that is unemployed (or underemployed). Recent refugee and immigrant arrivals from the Middle East and North Africa also tend to find themselves in lower-paying occupations. However, the dominant German attitude is that everyone should have equal access to opportunity regardless of their social background. In Germany, there is an expectation of equality in society.
While social hierarchies are still a thing in modern Germany, the majority of the population is on equal footing with regard to education levels and in many cases, income levels. In Germany, people tend to start on equal footing. What they do from there and what career path they choose is entirely up to them.
Privacy is highly valued in Germany. People do not give out a lot of personal information or discuss their political and social views when first meeting strangers. To foreigners, this can make Germans come across as distant. However, one can understand why privacy is so important when considering how it has been invaded by governments in the past. For example, people in Germany during the Cold War were a part of one of the most expansive and repressive secret citizen surveillance networks in human history (the Staatssicherheit or Stasi).
Germans tend to compartmentalize leisure and work time, which means they distinguish between their relationships with people at work and outside of work. For example, if someone is talking about something personal at work, you may hear a German say “That’s none of my business.”
Above all else, Germans are known for being very honest people, and sometimes even critical of others. This assertiveness combined with their reserved approach to strangers can produce a misjudgment of them being mean or standoffish. However, Germans usually become very open and personal once they really get to know someone. From a German viewpoint, reserving warmth and friendly energy for those who are truly important to them gives their relationships greater integrity and value. Personal friendships are deeply prized.
die Lebensqualität | quality of life |
die Zufriedenheit | contentment |
die Liebe | love |
die Arbeit | work |
die Ausbildung | education |
das Geld | money |
die Sicherheit | security/safety |
die Gesundheit | health |
die Verbindung | connection |
die Beziehung | relationship |
die Umwelt | environment |
das Wohnen | shelter |
das Einkommen | income |
das Wohlbefinden | well-being |
die Gemeinschaft | society |
die Freizeift | free time |
die Bekannten | acquaintances |
das soziale Engagement | community involvement |
die Notwendigkeit | necessity |
die Wahl | choice |
das Glück | happiness/joy/luck |
der Erfolg | success |
das soziale Umfeld | social setting/surroundings |
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