Ch. 10 - Social Stratification, Inequality, Poverty Flashcards
a subfield of sociology that examines inequalities among individuals and groups
social stratification
the unequal distribution of valued goods and opportunities in society
inequality
a social system that denies some individuals all basic rights, allowing these individuals to be owned, controlled, and compelled to work for others
slavery
a social order in which those who own land (landlords) are entitled to receive the products of the laborers (serfs) who are legally obligated to work for landowner
feudalism
under feudalism, a person who is legally obligated to work for the landowner
serf
a statistical term that refers to the average value of a set of data. Add all values and then divide the total by the number of values used
mean
a statistical term that refers to the value that lies at the middle (or waypoint) of all the data, with an equal number of cases with either higher or lower values
median
the receipt of money or goods over a particular accounting period (such as hourly, weekly, monthly, or yearly). Income may include wages from a job, benefits from a pension or government program, or income from investments.
income
the wealth of an individual or family is the net value of all assets owned by an individual or family, including the value of their home
wealth
the total value of savings, investments, and other convertible assets a person has, minus any debts, and excluding one’s primary home (if it is owned)
net financial assets (NFA)
the act of purchasing and using goods and services
consumption
a group of people who occupy the middle positions in terms of income and status in an economic system
middle class
the sociological concept that refers to a group of people who share a similar social and economic position in society
class
an individual’s long-term possibilities and potential, including future income and opportunities, given his or her current attributes such as level of education, social networks, and possession of marketable skills or assets. Members of the same class are generally said to have similar life chances.
life chances
the study of society focused on class or changes in the system of class inequality. Emphasis is placed on examining how, when, and where people’s actions and beliefs are influenced by their economic position
class analysis
the group in a capitalist economy who own businesses and employ people to work for them. This term is used in the Marxist tradition to refer to the most powerful class in a capitalist society
bourgeoisie
individuals in capitalist economies who work in exchange for pay. The term is usually reserved for people performing manual jobs and is synonymous with “working class”
proletariat
a broad definition of a person’s social class based on components such as education, income, and occupation
socioeconomic status (SES)
Given two people earning $10/hour, one person earning $15/hour, and two people earning $20/hour, what is the median pay rate being earned?
$15/hour
In Marxism, the distinction between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat was the defining quality of which of the following types of society?
capitalist
An individual’s assets make up __________.
his or her wealth
Which of the following best describes members of the same social class?
they have similar attitudes and behaviors
Many scholars believe that one of the best measures of _________ is to calculate __________.
income; the median
a society, organization, or group characterized by having little or very low levels of inequality
egalitarian
related to when people with less than a college degree have seen their earnings decline or have increasing trouble finding good jobs
college wage premium
a steady decline in industrial or manufacturing jobs
deindustrialization
the growing permeability of national borders and the increase in flows of goods, services, and people across national borders
globalization
a workplace that may be characterized by unsafe conditions, very low wages, and harsh working conditions
sweatshop
common in globalization, outsourcing refers to the contracting of parts of the production process to another party, possibly located abroad
outsourcing