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Business Daily: Middle classes 

07/02/2011

Middle classes 

BBC World Service - Business Daily, Middle classes

How middle classes grow in Indonesia and shrink in the US: plus alpha women and marriage

How middle classes are growing in Indonesia and shrinking in the US. Plus, should alpha women marry supportive, unambitious men?

The size of the middle class is growing in Indonesia, as its economy enjoys strong domestic demand and international investment. From Jakarta, the BBC's Phil Mercer reports on rising affluence, but a persistent gap between rich and poor. 

In America, the middle class has been squeezed by the lasting effects of the financial crisis. Lesley Curwen talks to Robert Frank, Professor of Management at Cornell University, about how middle class expectations are having to change. 

Plus, should driven, ambitious, 'alpha' women marry 'alpha' males, or men who are devoted and supportive instead? Lucy Kellaway spots a pattern among the world's top 50 businesswomen.

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