ch 12 - Social Stratification

Question 1

social class

Answer 1

a category of people who share a similar socioeconomic position in society; can be identified by looking at economic opportunities, job positions, lifestyles, attitudes, and behaviors of a given piece of society

Question 2

social stratification

Answer 2

focuses on social inequalities and studies the basic question of who gets what and why

Question 3

socioeconomic status (SES)

Answer 3

may depend on ascribed or achieved status

Question 4

ascribed status

Answer 4

derives from clearly identifiable characteristics, such as age, gender, skin color (involuntary)

Question 5

achieved status

Answer 5

acquired via direct, individual efforts (merit)

Question 6

difference between castes (and estate) systems and class systems

Answer 6

castes are defined by ascribed status; classes are defined by achieved status

Question 7

prestige

Answer 7

refers to the amount of positive regard society has for a given person or idea

Question 8

power

Answer 8

the ability to affect others’ behaviors through real or perceived rewards and punishments, based on the unequal distribution of valued resources

Question 9

Marxist theory

Answer 9

the proletariat (have nots) could overthrow the bourgeoisie (haves), as well as the entire capitalist economy by developing class consciousness

Question 10

class consciousness

Answer 10

refers to the organization of the working class around shared goals and recognition of a need for collective political action

Question 11

false consciousness

Answer 11

major barrier to class consciousness: misperception of one’s actual position within society; in case of Marxism, members of proletariat were either not aware of their class, could not recognize commonalities between their own experiences and others, or otherwise were too clouded to assemble into revolutionaries

Question 12

Anomie

Answer 12

refers to a lack of social norms, or breakdown of social bonds between an individual and society; further accelerates social inequality

Question 13

strain theory

Answer 13

focuses on how anomic conditions can lead to deviance; anomic conditions include excessive individualism, social inequality, and isolation

Question 14

social capital

Answer 14

can be considered the investments people make in their society in return for economic or collective rewards; the greater the investment, the higher the level of social integration and inclusion

Question 15

privilege

Answer 15

inequality in opportunity

Question 16

cultural capital

Answer 16

refers to the benefits one receives from knowledge, abilities and skills

Question 17

strong ties

Answer 17

refer to peer group and kinship contacts, which are quantitatively small and qualitatively powerful

Question 18

weak ties

Answer 18

refer to social connections that are personally superficial, such as associates, but that are large in number and provide connections to a wide range of other individuals

Question 19

intersectionality

Answer 19

the compounding of disadvantage seen in individuals who belong to more than one oppressed group

Question 20

five ethnicities model

Answer 20

white, black, Asian, Latino, Native American

Question 21

social mobility

Answer 21

typically the result of an economic and occupational structure that allows one to acquire higher-level employment opportunities given proper credentials and experience requirements

Question 22

intragenerational changes in social status

Answer 22

happen within a person’s lifetime

Question 23

intergenerational changes in social status

Answer 23

from parents to children

Question 24

meritocracy

Answer 24

based on intellectual talent and achievement, a means for a person to advance up the social ladder

Question 25

plutocracy

Answer 25

a rule by the upper classes

Question 26

vertical mobility

Answer 26

upward and down mobility, movement from one class to another

Question 27

horizontal mobility

Answer 27

change in occupation or lifestyle that remains within the same social class

Question 28

poverty

Answer 28

low socioeconomic status and lack of possessions or financial resources

Question 29

social reproduction

Answer 29

social inequality, especially poverty, can be reproduced or passed on from one generation to the next

Question 30

absolute poverty

Answer 30

socioeconomic condition in which people do not have enough money or resources to maintain quality of living that includes basic life necessities such as shelter, food, clothing, and water.

Question 31

relative poverty

Answer 31

one is poor in comparison to the larger population in which they live

Question 32

poverty line

Answer 32

official definition derived from government’s calculation of the minimum income requirements for families to acquire the minimum necessities of life

Question 33

social exclusion

Answer 33

can arise from the sense of powerlessness when poor individuals feel segregated and isolated from society

Question 34

spatial inequality

Answer 34

focuses on social stratification across territories and their populations

Question 35

suburbanization

Answer 35

migration pattern of the middle classes to suburban communities

Question 36

urban decay

Answer 36

previously functional portion of a city deteriorates and becomes decrepit over time

Question 37

urban renewal

Answer 37

spontaneous reversal of urban decay; land is reclaimed and renovated for public or private use

Question 38

gentrification

Answer 38

upper-and middle-class populations begin to purchase and renovate neighborhoods in deteriorated areas, displacing low-SES population

Question 39

incidence in epidemiology

Answer 39

the number of new cases of an illness per population at risk in a given amount of time

Question 40

prevalence as defined in epidemiology

Answer 40

measure of the number of cases of an illness overall - whether new or chronic - per population in a given amount of time

Question 41

morbidity as defined by epidemiology

Answer 41

the burden or degree of illness associated with a given disease

Question 42

mortality as defined by epidemiology

Answer 42

refers to deaths caused by a given disease

Question 43

second sickness

Answer 43

outcome described by Howard Waitzkin which is an exacerbation of health outcomes caused by social injustice

Question 44

medicare

Answer 44

covers patients over 65, those with end-stage renal disease, and those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Question 45

Medicaid

Answer 45

covers patients who are in significant financial need