Class Boundaries in Spain: Intergenerational and regional changes in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis

This chapter addresses social class boundaries in Spain. It presents various peculiarities of the country, such as its strong regional heterogeneity and the specific historical trajectory that it has followed since the end of the Franco dictatorship in the 1970s. Socioeconomic changes over the past two decades, including the property bubble, rapidly increasing female participation in the labour market, and substantial waves of migration have made it difficult to draw a simple picture in terms of social class analysis. The 2008 economic crisis disrupted the trends that were then under way, and raised awareness of both intergenerational and labour market inequalities. This contribution therefore focuses on the relations between these various dimensions, and in particular on regional and generational inequalities, which play a structuring role when Spanish society is analysed through the lens of social class. Finally, the chapter suggests that, in a way, the electoral changes witnessed in Spain since 2008 can be partly understood as reflecting these changes in social class boundaries. To this end, the chapter draws on several available sources of empirical data, from both the national statistical office and international surveys.