Socioeconomic level is understood as the set of economic, sociological, educational and labor variables that qualify an individual or certain group within a social hierarchy .
Socioeconomic status is popularly considered on the basis of a simple scale: low, medium and high; even so, there are no deep calculations that allow us to include a person at this or that level. Its classification in sociological terms is much more precise and can be done in a general way as different factors within each specific area are analyzed and assigned a value on this scale depending on the level of predominance of each one.
In this way, the study of income, assets, the social circle in which it is inserted, the educational level acquired and the general conditions of its closest surroundings, are factors that are usually interrelated and allow for a more or less exact definition the socioeconomic level to which an individual or his/her family nucleus belongs .
Problems in measuring socioeconomic status
Despite everything, measuring socioeconomic status is faced with several difficulties. One of them is the different criteria to be followed by different countries or even in relation to the moment lived, as the algorithms that serve to measure the socioeconomic level are evolving and incorporate new factors that determine the condition of a family even if its situation has changed .
It should be taken into account that certain factors may lose their validity, which makes a replacement necessary.
In this way it is possible to analyze and change these data, showing that the validity of these measurements is not permanent.
Anyway, the trend is to move forward with universal measurement systems and allow for a homogenization of the results obtained in different parts of the world. For this, several dimensions can be identified that allow structuring and defining the concept in a general way, such as space, health, hygiene, convenience, practicality, connectivity, etc.
So, despite not being the only variable in play, the level of income continues to be one of the most relevant points in this type of measurement, as it generally conditions other aspects that this type of measurement usually takes into account.
