Chapter 7 Social Inequalities Flashcards
What is social inequality?
The long-term existence of significant differences in access to goods and services among social groups.
Kimberle Williams Cremshaw and Patricia Hill Collins
Studied intersectionality-interactions of different social locations “matrix of domination”.
Class Consciousness
Awareness of what is in the best interest of one’s class (owner class always possesses this)
False Consciousness
Working class-belief that something is in it’s best interest when it is actually not.
Marx’s ideas of social inequality
Class is relational, reflects relationship to “means of production”.
Max Weber’s 3 elements of social inequality
Wealth, prestige, and power.
Class Reductionism
Occurs when a sociologist attributes all forms of oppression to class, downplays race, gender, age etc.
Strata
Units of analysis in stratified sampling (sample is drawn from each stratum/level of population)
Herbert Brown Ames
Engaged in Canadas first comprehensive urban sociological study promoting construction of affordable housing for working class Montreal.
Colin McKay
Was a working class intellectual.
Liberal Ideology
Views the individual as more or less an independent player on the sociological scene. Great deal of social mobility, blames individual for lack of success. Minimizes criticism of social inequality.
Antonio Gramsci
Critiqued dominant ideology. Co-founder and leader of Italian Communist Party, opposed Benito Mussolini. Developed “hegemony”
Hegemony
Non-coercive methods of maintaining power. Inequality exists not because of problems in the system but because some people are willing to work harder than others. Dominance over.
Living wage
Represents a target above the existing minimum wage which is considered too low for the working poor to live on.
Structural Functionalist Approach
Davis and Moore- Social inequalities are beneficial for the functioning of society. Egalitarian societies offer little incentive for people to try their best.