Chapter 5- Lecture Flashcards
What is social stratification?
Society’s hierarchical ranking of people into social classes
What is a social class?
A group of individuals who share a position in a social hierarchy, based on both birth and achievements.
Is a social class a sociological concept or identity?
concept
Do those in the same social class have to know each other?
no
What is social status? Is it groups or individual?
Position within the class structure -individual
What are the four principles of social stratification?
- Meritocracy
- Relatively stable (some social mobility)
- Varies in how it presents itself
- Fair and just
What is meritocracy?
a system of rewards based on personal attributes and demonstrated abilities
-all societies redistribute materials and social rewards to individuals
What are some examples of meritocracy?
Ex. we all have examples–based on how you perform, not based on gender, etc. (grades).
-Ex. Canadian society: dentists and physicians have great talents which results in higher salaries.
What is social mobility?
Movement between social classes
What are the two measure of social mobility? Explain each and give and example.
Intergenerational mobility: comparing adult children’s status to that of their parents. Ex. mother is a worker in Saskatoon transit, daughter is a university professor.
Intragenerational mobility: comparing an individuals status position over his or her lifetime. ex. some one who was a truck driver for 3 years is not a university professor.
What does it mean when social stratification varies in how it presents itself?
income vs prestige
Ex. professor may make $5000 per month and a drug dealer may make $5000 per month
How is social stratification fair and just? Example?
-comparatively
-accepted by the majority
-grounded in dominant ideology
Example: different occupations have different prestige
Are social rewards always allocated equally?
no
When does social inequality exist?
when certain attributes affect a person’s access to socially valued resources
What attributes contribute to social inequality?
gender, minority status, class, etc.
What is social inequality supported by?
the dominant ideology rather than individual capability
How is social stratification fair?
because it is accepted by the majority.
Is social inequality hard or easy to detect? Why?
difficult to detect and challenge because it hides behind ideologies that name the processes associated with their perpetuation as “normal” and “just” and their harmful consequences as being the fault of the disadvantaged.
Is the view on whether a person can actually perform a particular job subjective or objective? Example?
Subjective, no material influence.
Ex. social workers and public school teachers are usually female; CEOs are usually male
What is classism?
An ideology the suggests that people’s relative worth is at least partly determined by their social and economic status.
What are the two types of classism?
blaming the victim ad blaming the system
What is legitimate economic inequality?
the wealthy deserve what they have and the poor are responsible for their failure
What is blaming the victim?
-working harder will alleviate poverty
What is blaming the system?
A perspective that holds that systemic discrimination exists within the social system. Has to do with deindustrialization
What is deindustrialization?
the transformation of an economy from one based on manufacturing to one base don services
What is the dilemma for anti-poverty programs?
Should you provide compensation which encourages laziness? Should you provide compensation for people that challenges policy?
What are the two ways that social systems rank people?
closed systems and open systems.
What are closed systems based on?
ascribed status
In a closed system, is their room for social mobility?
very little room
What is a caste system? Ex?
determines what people can wear, what jobs they can perform, and who they can marry
ex. India and Japan
Membership in a caste system in___.
hereditary
What is an example of a caste system?
Parents work for a company, you work for the same company, you get a promotion because of who your parents are if they have a higher position.
What is an open system based on?
achieved status
What is an open system the result of?
One’s own merit within the class structure
What is social economic status?
income, occupational prestige, and education
What kind of system is Canada?
open
What is an example of an open system (not a country though)
drug dealers and professors can make the same wage, but they have very different prestiges.
What are the two components of inequality?
property and occupational prestige
What is property an important indicator of?
an important indicator wf where one fits s into the class structure
What are the two measures of property? Explain?
Income: is defined as the money one receives annually (what you make per month, year, etc.)
Wealth: is defined as one’s new accumulated assets (all that the income buys for you –> your assets).
What is occupational prestige?
The social values of an occupation.
what are the different sociological approaches to stratification?
Functionalism, Conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, feminist theory