[Nerwen]

StW, Yes, England has a reputation for being particularly class-obsessed. Morthoron has outlined some of the historical reasons why this may be the case.

However, inequality is a fact of life everywhere– including America.

I am Australian, and here you also get people saying that we live in a classless society... even though this clearly contradicts daily experience.

Yes, people at the very bottom of the heap can be there because they're feckless, and many people rise through their own efforts– but overall a lot depends on opportunity. Middle class and upper class kids get much more of it than working class ones. From everything I know of the United States, it's much the same there.

EDIT: X'd with Nogrod and Bethberry.