7- Social Class

Question 1

Social stratification

Answer 1

-dif groupings of ppl

Social class = category of people w/ similar SES
Social cohesion/integration = sense of connectedness/unity/solidarity among different social classes

Class consciousness- recognize need for collective political action
False consciousness = misperception of actual psition

Question 2

Socioeconomic status / SES

Answer 2

$

ppl in higher social class have more power, more network ability
-causes status hierarchies to emerge

Question 3

Ascribed status (involuntary)

Answer 3

• status put onto you, no control

ex) age, sex, skin color

Question 4

Achieved status (voluntary)

Answer 4

• acquired by direct individual effort
• educational attainment is an important factor
  ex) Doctor, degree/education, profession, becoming mother/father

sometimes social class

Question 5

Class

Answer 5

-upper, middle, lower

You can be upper middle, middle, or lower middle
-currently middle class is shrinking

-low fluidity b/w classes

Question 6

Power

Answer 6

• ability to affect other ppl’s behavior
• b/c of unequal distribution of resources
• Power creates worldwide social inequalities- haves and have-nots (Marxism)

Question 7

Social capital

Answer 7

• benefits from cooperation b/w individuals and groups
• someone w/ a lot of friends and family and contacts- higher social capital- can get favors
• popularity basically, social networking, retirement funds

Social integration = movement of new/minority pop’s into larger culture while maintaining ethnic identities

Privilege = inequality in opportunity

Cultural capital = benefits one gets from knowledge, abilities, skills

Question 8

Anomie

Answer 8

-separation from society
-lack of norms
-disorder = breakdown of social bonds + lack of norms
can cause deviant behavior or depression (feel like you don’t belong)

Strain theory = anomic conditions lead to deviance

Social solidarity is eroded by social inequality and isolation and excessive individualism

Question 9

Social norms of reciprocity

Answer 9

-change over time

Question 10

Social networks

Answer 10

part of social capital

-strong and weak ties
strong ties = primary groups
weak ties = secondary groups

Everyone has some strong ties, more social capital is generally tied to having more weak ties

Question 11

Intergenerational mobility

Answer 11

change in social status from parents to children

First time children worse than parents in 50 yrs

Question 12

Intragenerational mobility

Answer 12

-change social status w/in lifetime

Mobility can be upwards or downwards in vertical mobility
Horizontal mobility = change in lifestyle/occupation but not class

Question 13

Meritocracy

Answer 13

Intellectual talent and achievement determines social mobility

Social mobility = structural mobility

Question 14

Plutocracy

Answer 14

Upper class rules, little social mobility

Question 15

Social reproduction

Answer 15

Social inequality like poverty is reproduced generation to generation
-low intergenerational mobility

Question 16

Absolute poverty

Answer 16

-inability to afford basic necessities- food, water, clothes, shelter

Question 17

Relative poverty

Answer 17

-poor in comparison to larger population

Question 18

Poverty line

Answer 18

-minimum income requirement to afford basic necessities

Family of 4 – >$23,000 annually

Question 19

Social exclusion

Answer 19

alienation from society for poor people, who feel powerless
anomie
happens for poor ppl a lot- can’t get access society/culture- ex) less technology

Question 20

Spatial inequality

Answer 20

differences in where ppl live
ex) ghettos, slums

Further away from city tends to be poorer ppl

Question 21

Residential segregation

Answer 21

• urban centers- lower SES communities
• ring of middle to upper SES suburbs
• outer ring of low SES exurbs and rural areas

suburbanization = migration pattern of middle classes to suburban communities- cleaner, less crowd

Urban decay = city deteriorates
Urban renewal = reverse decay 
----usually due to gentrification = upper and middle class people buy and renovate deteriorated neighborhoods, which displaces poor people

self-maintaining
-less sanitation/education/healthcare = less mobility = can’t move to more affluent areas

Question 22

Environmental justice

Answer 22

poor ppl have less sanitation, less clean water, more pollution
-housing costs are lower near factories = poorer health

Question 23

Global inequalities

Answer 23

There are countries where most ppl are living in poverty, and there are countries where most people aren’t

Industrialized/developed nations are better off
northern ones tend to be more affluent

World-system theory - inequalities globally based on country
Core nations = first world countries/developed
Peripheral nations= underdeveloped
Semi-peripheral = developing

Poverty in India, Africa, S-central Asia