ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies the new middle strata. It presents an empirical analysis of the emergence of the new middle strata in the modern Republic of Komi in Russia. Professionals working in enterprises are usually considered members of the new middle strata. The dream of the majority of Russia’s white-collar employees is to gain a status position in the middle strata and to ‘live as in the West’. The conviction that equal incomes for professionals and workers are an injustice is still widespread, especially among managers and engineers. Official statistics give very limited information on the process of class formation and on social stratification in general. Some groups of intellectuals belong to the old or traditional middle strata, e.g. doctors, dentists, writers, and artists. The majority of professionals who are able to find a niche for themselves in the market prefer not to submit themselves to entrepreneurial risks.
