Ch. 8 Flashcards
The creation of layers (strats) of a population who possess unequal shares of scarce desirables
Social stratification
A segment of the population whose members hold a relatively similar share of scarce desirables and who share values, norms, and an identifiable lifestyle
Social class
Economics, power and prestige
Social dimensions of stratification
Members of a society who own the means for producing wealth
Bourgeoisie
Members of a society who labor for the bourgeoisie at subsistence wages
Proletariat
The likelihood of possessing the good things in life like health, happiness, education, wealth, legal protection and life itself
Life chances
The ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will
Power
Social recognition, respect, and admiration that a society attaches to a particular status
Prestige
A sense of identification with the goals and interests of the members of one’s own social class
Class consciousness
People employed in low-skill jobs with the lowest pay who do not earn enough to rise out of poverty
Working poor
People typically unemployed who come from families with a history of unemployment for generations
Underclass
The absence of enough money to secure life’s necessities
Absolute poverty
The designation of poverty resulting from a comparison of the economic condition of those at the bottom of a society with that of other segments of the population
Relative poverty
The trend toward more and more of the poor in the United States being women and children
Feminization of poverty
The movement of individuals or groups within a stratification structure
Social mobility
