How do sociologists explain social class? Marx explained social class as derived from one’s relationship with the means of production. People were divided into owners, who had capital, and workers,...

How do sociologists explain social class? Marx explained social class as derived from one’s relationship with the means of production. People were divided into owners, who had capital, and workers, who had labor to sell. According to Marx, the owners, or bourgeoisie, exploited the workers, or proletariat, for profit. Weber said social class depended on economics, status (or prestige), and power.