Chapter 5; Social Inequality Flashcards
social inequality
An unequal distribution of wealth
what is social stratification and what is it based on?
socially sanction patterns/classes of social inequality in society based on distinguishable attributes such as race, age, gender, income, or occupation
closed systems of stratification
little or no movement between social rankings, ex. slavery
what is the caste system and what does it result in?
a closed system of stratification; hierarchical, based solely on inherited social standings. Result in social reproduction, ex. caste system in India
social reproduction
the tendency of people to remain in their social classes of origin and to reproduce the experience of their parents
endogamy
marriage occurs within castes
open systems of stratification
possibility of moving from one level to another
class system
open system of stratification, dominant system, based on achieved and ascribed economic measures such as annual income or possession of resources
social class
a group whose membership is based on economic measures such as annual income
social mobility
movement within or between social classes in a stratification system
vertical mobility
movement up or down the social ladder
horizontal mobility
changes in social positions within the same level of class
intragenerational mobility
changes in social class that occur within a person’s lifetime
socioeconomic status (SES)
social standing based on a combined measure of education, income, and occupation
intergenerational mobility
changes in the social classes of children relative to their parents
financial wealth
corresponds to economic assets derived from income, real estate, savings, investments, ect.
median after-tax yearly income
55,500
how to measure financial wealth
by lining up all of the after-tax incomes for Canadian economic families/individuals and partitioning them into 10 equal groups each containing 10% of the population (deciles), so we can see how income denotes class structure
ultra rich
> 1% of income earners, millions
high class
10% of society, 100,000+ annual salary
middle class
20% of society 44,400-82,400 annual salary
lower middle class
10% of the population
shrinking middle class
the growing income equality, due to structural changes in the labour market
lower class
bottom 30% of the population, >39,300 annual salary, working poor, little to no social mobility
cost of living
a measure of the average price for essential goods and services in a given area, including transportation
food insecurity
the inability to acquire or consume an adequate diet quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so, 57% of households in Nunavut experience food insecurity
net worth
total assets calculated by subtracting all existing debts from assets
Canada’s official poverty line
the amount of money needed to purchase a market basket of goods and services to meet basic needs and allow for a modest standard of living in a community over a year, 37, 542/year for a family of 4, based off MBM
official poverty line for 1 person
16,436-20,389
MBM - market based measure
an absolute measure of poverty
low - income cutoff
an annual family income value in dollars below which a family is worse off than average due to the high proportion of income allocated to food, clothing, and shelter; LICO families spend about 63% of their income on necessities
what do poverty measures also look at?
unmet housing needs (12.7% of population), unmet health needs (11.2% of the population), and food insecurity (8.3% of the population)
relative low income
measure based on incomes that are less than half the median after-tax income adjusted for family size (1 in 10)
average poverty gap
measure based on an income that is 75% or more below the poverty line (5% of the population)
Groups at high risk of poverty
single unattached people aged 45-64
lone-parent families
recent immigrants
Indigenous peoples
persons with disabilities
feminization of poverty
females experience a higher-than-average risk of poverty
stats for kids that live in low income families
18.6% of all kids
53% of Indigenous kids living on reserves
35% of kids of recent immigrants
Negative consequences of social inequality/ being impoverished
do worse in school
must forgo certain healthcare practices
are vulnerable to predatory lending
go hungry/malnourished
higher risk of obesity, heart disease, and stroke
vulnerable to homelessness
homelessness
a state in which a person in unable to secure stable, safe, and permanent housing
ranges of homelessness
- unsheltered: living on the streets
- emergency sheltered: staying in a homeless shelter
- provisionally accommodated: accommodation is temporary
- at risk of homelessness: people whose current economic/housing situation doesn’t meet public health standards
What are the 2 main factors that contribute to homelessness
inadequate income and lack of affordable housing
social safety net
services and programs designed to lessen the financial burdens experienced by low-income groups; take the form of supplemental financial supports ex. income benefits for seniors and child tax benefits) and employment benefits (ex. EI to cover periods of unemployment)
the problem with social safety nets
they cost money that isn’t in the budget so they must be funded through cutbacks, increased taxes, or deficit expenditures
The functionalist perspective on stratification
stratification is beneficial because it leads to meritocracy. Social stratification is functional because it motivates people to achieve higher education and develop their skills. It also ensures the most capable people end up occupying the most important positions in society.
Meritocracy
a condition of advancement based on worth derived from experience, skills, and education.
The conflict perspective on stratification
stratification is a byproduct of capitalism
Marx- private ownership of property and surplus create alienation
Weber-the spirit of capitalism emerged from Protestantism
Elite theory- power resides in a small group of authority in economic and political structures
Porter- predominance of the corporate elite
An intermediate view
stratification produces surplus value and societal rewards are distributed according to both societal needs (functionalist view) and power (conflict view)
