Anatomy of the Moroccan Middle Class: Characterization and Determinants

Abstract

This article conducts an in-depth analysis of the Moroccan middle class, addressing the central question: To what extent is the official definition of the middle class in Morocco adapted to the Moroccan context and, to a large extent, to the African context? Utilizing a clustering method that combines economic and sociological approaches, the study reveals the vulnerability and strong heterogeneity of the middle class. Three distinct social fractions emerge: the new middle class, primarily comprised of middle and senior managers and highly educated employees; the marginal middle class, mainly consisting of the unskilled in the informal sector; and the inactive middle class, exclusively composed of inactive and unemployed individuals. While the new middle class embodies typical characteristics of the middle class, a significant portion of this category remains vulnerable to poverty, emphasizing the inadequacy of income as the sole defining factor and highlighting the need to introduce additional dimensions.

KEYWORDS : :

• Middle class
• social fractions
• heterogeneity
• clusters analysis
• Morocco

JEL Classifications : :

• I31
• Z13
• C38

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The use of the plural is essential to highlight the heterogeneity of this group (Damon, 2012). However, in this article, the term “middle class” will be used interchangeably in both singular and plural forms.

2 The use of the mean is not appropriate because of the extreme values ​​that could influence the middle class ranges.