Legal Definitions - proletariat

The term proletariat refers to the working class in a society. It specifically describes individuals or groups who do not own significant capital – such as factories, land, or large businesses – and therefore must sell their labor, skills, and time to others in order to earn a living and survive. Their primary source of income is their wage or salary, rather than profits from ownership or investments.

• Example 1: A Factory Assembly Line Worker

  Consider Maria, who works on an assembly line in an automobile factory. She operates machinery and performs specific tasks to construct cars. Maria does not own the factory, the machinery, or the raw materials; these are all owned by the company. She sells her physical labor and specialized skills to the company for an hourly wage. Her ability to earn a living is directly tied to her employment and the sale of her labor.

  This illustrates the proletariat because Maria lacks ownership of the means of production (the factory and its equipment) and relies entirely on selling her labor to the factory owner to earn her income and support herself.

• Example 2: A Retail Sales Associate

  John is a sales associate at a large department store. His job involves assisting customers, stocking shelves, and processing sales transactions. John does not own the store, the merchandise, or the building; these belong to the corporation that operates the department store chain. He provides his customer service skills and time to the corporation in exchange for a salary.

  John exemplifies the proletariat because he does not possess capital in the form of business ownership or significant assets. Instead, he sells his labor and time to the store's owners to secure his livelihood.

• Example 3: A Gig Economy Delivery Driver

  Sarah works as a delivery driver for a food delivery app. She uses her own car and smartphone to pick up food from restaurants and deliver it to customers. While she owns her car, she does not own the delivery platform, the restaurants, or the customer base. She earns money for each delivery she completes, essentially selling her time, driving service, and the use of her personal vehicle to the platform's users via the company.

  Sarah represents a modern form of the proletariat because, despite owning some tools (her car), her primary means of income is derived from selling her labor (driving and delivery service) through a platform owned by others, rather than owning the entire business operation herself.