Chapter 12: Social Stratification Flashcards
Social class.
Define as a category of people who share a similar socioeconomic position in society and can be an edified by looking at the economic opportunities, job positions, lifestyles, attitudes and behaviors of a given slice of society.
Social Cohesion.
Social integration refers to the solidarity in the sense of connectedness among different social groups and social classes.
Social Stratification.
Focuses on social inequalities and studies the basic question of who gets what and why. Social stratification is thus related to one socioeconomic status, Which may depend on ascribed or achieved status.
Ascribed status.
Derives from clearly identified characteristics such as age, gender, and skin color.
Achieved status.
Acquired via direct individual efforts.
Educational Attainment.
Which is the highest degree obtained or number of years of education completed
Class
There are three major classes, upper, Middle and lower. The upper class consists of those who have great wealth, along with recognized reputations and lifestyles, and have a larger influence on society’s political and economic system. They have a high concentration of prestige and power. The middle class can be further divided into 3 levels, upper middle, middle-middle and lower middle class. The middle class includes successful business and professional people (upper-middle). Those who have been unable to achieve the upper middle lifestyle because of educational and economic shortcomings (middle-middle) and those who are skilled and semi-skilled workers with fewer luxuries (lower middle). The lower class includes people who have lower incomes and has a greatly reduced amount of social political power.
Socioeconomic gradient.
Proportional improvement in healthcare as one moves up in socioeconomic status.
Prestige
Amount of positive regard society has for a given person or idea.
Class consciousness.
Refers to the organization of the working class around shared goals and recognition of a need for collective political action.
Power
Described as the ability to affect others behaviors through real or perceived rewards and punishments, and is based on the unequal distribution of valued resources. Power creates worldwide social inequalities as we put into fall somewhere within the haves and have nots.
False consciousness.
A misconception of one’s actual position within society.
Anomie
Social inequality is further accelerated by what is called anomie. Which refers to a lack of widely accepted social norms and the breakdown of social bonds between an individual and society. Strain theory focuses on how anomic conditions can lead to deviance. Social solidarity Is the sense of community and social cohesion. Anomic condition is suppose industrial modern life have accelerated the decline of social inclusion and as a result, have further obstructed opportunities to acquire social capital.
Social Capital.
Investment people make in their society in return for economic or collective rewards. The greater the investment, the higher the level of social integration, which is the movement of new or underrepresented populations into a larger culture while maintaining their ethnic identities. Social networks can create two types of social inequality: Situation (socioeconomic advantage) and position of (based on how connected one is within a network and one centrality within that network).
Privilege
Inequality in opportunity.
Weak ties.
Refer to social connections. They are personally superficial such as associates, but they are large number and provide connections to wide range of other individuals.
Cultural Capital.
Benefits one receives from knowledge, abilities and skill.
Strong ties
Refer to peer group in kinship contacts which are quantitatively small but qualitative powerful.