ch8 stratification and social mobility Flashcards
social stratification
a concept involving the “classification of people into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions … a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political and ideological dimensions.” When differences lead to greater status, power or privilege for some groups over the other it is called social stratification.
Social stratification is based on four basic principles:
- Social stratification is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences.
- Social stratification carries over from generation to generation.
- Social stratification is universal but variable.
- Social stratification involves not just inequality but beliefs as well. (see Max Weber’s status class in his three-component theory of stratification: status, class, power)
One of the ongoing issues in determining social stratification arises from the point that status inequalities between individuals are common, so it becomes a quantitative issue to determine how much inequality qualifies as stratification.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_stratification
absolute mobility
the extent to which one is financially better off than they’re parents when they were the same age… #adjust for inflation
(Scaeffer 178)
Absolute mobility measures whether (and by how much) living standards in a society have increased—often measured by what percentage of people have higher incomes than their parents. Relative mobility refers to how likely children are to move from their parents’ place in the income distribution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#Absolute_and_relative_mobility
relative mobility
refers to the fluidity of a society. If one grows up in a poor family, one has a decent chance of moving up the relative-income ladder. Because relative mobility depends on one’s place in the distribution, it is a zero-sum phenomenon. In other words, if one person moves up in relative terms, another by definition must have moved down. In contrast, absolute mobility is not zero-sum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#Absolute_and_relative_mobility
social mobility
Social mobility is the movement of individuals or groups in social position. It may refer to classes, ethnic groups, or entire nations, and may measure health status, literacy, or education — but more commonly it refers to individuals or families, and their change in income (economic mobility). It also typically refers to vertical mobility—movement of individuals or groups up (or down) from one socio-economic level to another, often by changing jobs or marriage; but can also refer to horizontal mobility—movement from one position to another within the same social level.
vertical mobility: the movement of individuals and groups up or down the socioeconomic scale. Those who gain in property, income, status, and position are dubbed "upwardly mobile", while those who move in the opposite direction are "downwardly mobile". horizontal mobility: the movement of individuals and groups in similar socio-economic positions, which may be in different work-situations. This may involve change in occupation or remaining in the same occupation but in a different organization, or may be in the same organization but at a different location. lateral mobility: geographical movement between neighborhoods, towns or regions. Modern societies exhibit a great deal of geographical mobility. Lateral mobility is often combined with vertical as well as horizontal mobility.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility
ascribed and acheived status
ascribed status refers to inherited social positions
acheived status refers to social position acquired through effort
(Schaeffer 179)
systems of stratification
systems differ in their emphasis in ascribed and acheived status
some ideal systems useful for analysis include:
castes
social classes
estates
slavery
(Schaeffer 179)
social inequality
describes a condition in which members of society
have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power. Some degree of social inequality characterizes every society.
(Schaeffer 179)
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
prohibits slavery
in all its forms, binding on all members of the United Nations.
(Schaeffer 181)
10 December 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris. The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights
Trafficking Victims Protection Act
In 2000, the U.S. Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which established minimum standards for the elimination
of human trafficking. The act requires the State Department to monitor other countries’ efforts to vigorously investigate, prosecute,
and convict individuals who participate in trafficking—including government officials.
castes
Castes are hereditary ranks that are usually religiously dictated
and that tend to be fixed and immobile. Caste membership is an
ascribed status (at birth, children automatically assume the same caste as they’re parents),
e.g. varnas of hinduism, south africa under apartheid 1948 through the 90’s, and the southern US after the civil war 1960’s
(Schaeffer 181)
estates
associated
with feudal societies during the Middle Ages. The estate system , or feudalism, required peasants to work land leased to them by nobles in exchange for military protection and other services. The basis for the system was the nobles’ ownership of land, which was critical to their superior and privileged status. As in systems based on slavery and caste, inheritance of one’s position largely defined the estate system. The nobles inherited their titles and property; the peasants were born into a subservient position within an agrarian society.
(Schaeffer 182)
social classes
A class system is a social ranking based primarily on economic position in which achieved characteristics can influence social mobility. In contrast to slavery and caste systems, the boundaries between classes are imprecisely defined, and one can move from one stratum, or level, of society to another. Even so, class systems maintain stable stratification hierarchies and patterns of class division, and they, too, are marked by unequal distribution of wealth and power. Class standing, although it is achieved, is heavily dependent on family and ascribed factors, such as race and ethnicity.
(Schaeffer 182)
Davis–Moore hypothesis
The Davis–Moore hypothesis is a central claim within the structural functionalist paradigm of sociological theory, and was advanced by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore in a paper published in 1945. The hypothesis is an explanation of social stratification, based on the idea of “functional necessity.” Davis and Moore argue that the most difficult jobs in any society are the most necessary and require the highest rewards and compensation to sufficiently motivate individuals to fill them. Once the roles are filled, the division of labour functions properly, based on the notion of organic solidarity advanced by Emile Durkheim. This theorist is also associated with Talcott Parson and Merton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis%E2%80%93Moore_hypothesis
organic solidarity
it is social cohesion based upon the dependence individuals have on each other in more advanced societies
Lenski’s viewpoint
Gerhard Emmanuel Lenski (born August 13, 1924 in Washington, DC) is an American sociologist known for contributions to the sociology of religion, social inequality, and ecological-evolutionary theory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Lenski
He argued:
In subsistence-based hunting-and-gathering societies, people focus on survival. While some inequality and differentiation are evident,
a stratification system based on social class does not emerge because there is no real wealth to be claimed. In contemporary industrial society, the degree of social and economic inequality far exceeds what is needed to provide for goods and services
(Schaeffer 188)
