Chapter 7: Social Inequalities Flashcards
is familiar but not ineviatble
social inequality
2 types of actions that can be taken to reduce the gap between rich and poor
- gov action
2. civic action
this country has taken government action and created progressive taxation policies
Denmark
what is an example of a civic action taken
Take a knee protest
any difference among individuals that have consequential effects for their rights and opportunities, and privileges and rewards
social inequality
the attributes, roles, identities, statuses that are used to differentiate and divide ppl
social differentiation
an institutionalized system of inequality that allocated individuals and groups according to various hierarchies
social stratification
examples of social stratification hierarchies (3)
status
power
prestige
contains “layers” of individuals who differ in opportunities, freedoms, beliefs, and backgrounds
stratified social system
systems of stratification can be
open or closed
there are opportunities for upward or downward mobility in this system
open system
even in an open system, NOT all positions reflect
merit or achievement
based primarily on earned accomplishments
achieved status
open system =
achieved status
closed system =
ascribed status
leading to little or no opportunities for mobility or to advance your position
closed system
kind of status one is born into
closed system
usually assigned at birth and is connected to characteristics like ethnic, racial background, gender, etc.
ascribed status
an extreme system of inequality where ppl inherit their position and experience little mobility
caste system
the caste boundaries are reinforced by
endogamy (marriage within a similar group)
refers to one’s economic position, measured by occupation and education
social class
most upper-class ppl in Canada have ______ their wealth
inherited
this group is demographically homogenous white Anglo-Saxon protestant men
upper-class
what are the 4 social classes
upper-class middle-class working-class underclass
this class is more ethically diverse
middle-class
defined as families who earn between $35,000-$100,000 annually
middle-class
2 subgroupings of middle-class
- upper-middle class
- lower-middle class
made up of salaried professional, technical, and managerial workers with marketable credentials
upper-middle-class
made up of middle or lower management or highly skilled blue-collar workers
lower-middle class
workers in admin, sales jobs, and blue-collar jobs are
medium skilled
low wage-jobs in personal, food services, and security services industries are
low skilled
involves skilled and unskilled work
working class
technical workers like carpenters and electricians are
skilled workers
plumbers, clerical workers, sales associates, cooks and servers are
low skilled workers
the lowest economic class of unemployed and underemployed workers
underclass
lacks marketable skills and vulnerable to economic exploitation
underclass
power derived from prestige or social honour
status group
ability to get others to do what you want them to do
power
a mismatch between one’s position in 1 hierarchy vs. another
status inconsistency
ppl with doctoral degrees who work as a taxi driver is an example of
status inconsistency
refers to the relationship between a person’s ranking and a set of social hierarchies
status consistency
is the extent to which income is distributed unevenly in a country
income inequality
a way to measure how equitably a pops income is distributed by dividing the pop into 5ths
income quintile
nationally, income inequality in Canada has _____ overtime
increased
the Gini coefficient is the most common measure of _______, with 0 representing total equality
income inequality
the Gini coefficient is measured on a scale from
0 to 1
Gini coefficient of 0 =
perfect equality
Gini coefficient of 1 =
total inequality
looks at the distribution of the value of assets minus the debts of individuals and families
wealth inequality
wealth can be transferred intergenerationally , reproducing _______
class inequality
the greatest disparities in society are not found in distribution of income, but in the
distribution of wealth
a multifaceted phenomenon that refers to a condition of extremely poor
poverty
when household income is below a level that makes it hard for the ind or family to meet the basic needs of life
absolute poverty
when a person lacks access to all or many of the goods needed for living
extreme poverty
poverty in relation to the economic status of other members of society
relative poverty
cant afford anything above the basics (may lack tv, internet, clean clothes)
relative poverty
can be a permanent situation where some ppl have no chance of enjoying same standards of living as others in same society
relative poverty
2 groups at a higher risk of being in poverty:
- seniors
- single-parent families
refers to the male-female gap in poverty, as measured by income
the feminization of poverty
2 additional groups that face higher levels of poverty
- women
- racialized individuals
even though immigrants are often more highly educated, they are more likely than Candian-borns to have
low incomes
has left Indigenous ppl among the poorest in Canada
colonization
there is no word for _____ in the Indigenous language
poverty
refers to the movement up or down the system of stratification over time
social mobility
movement up or down a certain hierarchy, depending on whether status is enhanced or lost
vertical mobility
movement from a lower class to middle class is an example of
vertical mobility
a flight attendant losing her job to work as an hourly wage retail employee is an example of
vertical mobility
a change in position within the same rank
horizontal mobility
a nurse leaving her job to another hospital to work as a nurse is an example of
horizontal mobility
the difference between the parent’s social class position and the achieved position of their children
intergenerational mobility
children who have risen higher in the stratification system than their parents, have experienced
upward intergenerational mobility
upward or downward mobility within a lifetime
intragenerational mobility
starting adult life as a cashier and pursuing education and becoming an accountant is example of
intragenerational mobility
movement up or down the ladder bcuz of changes in the structure of society
structural mobility
agriculture used to be common job in Canada, but due to restructuring of farming production, ag work has declined
structural mobility
these 3 things have allowed ppl to improve their social status and find higher-level jobs
- industrialization
- increase in education
- postindustrial computerization
poor countries are dysfunctional bcuz they lack Western economic values (technology, capitalism)
modernization theory
nations that lack a stable ______ form of gov also don’t have a shared mentality that values education, hard work, dedication
democratic
views the Western structure of gov, work ethic, attitudes, and productivity of rich countries as the solution for poverty in poor countries
modernization theory
primarily focuses on internal characteristics of poor countries rather than on external influences (political, economic, cultural)
modernization theory
idea that valuable resources flow from a periphery of poor countries to a core group of wealthy and powerful countries
dependency theory
according to dependency theory, ________ are the true source of impending the development of a stable gov, economy in poor countries
external influences
these policies continue this relationship of dependency between poor and rich regions
structural adjustment policies
offer financial assistance in the forms of loans to struggling countries
structural adjustment programs
have created more poverty in developing countries
structural adjustments
the World systems theory divides the world into: (3)
core
periphery
semi-periphery
are dependent on core countries for capital and have underdeveloped industry
peripheral countries
made up of former colonies that act as major sources of raw materials and cheap labour
peripheral countries
their unequal status sinks ______ into poverty and makes them dependent on _________ for invsetment
peripheral countries
core countries
dominant capitalist countries which exploit the peripheral countries for labour and raw materials
core countries
command the most power, pay lowest price for raw materials and extract land’s valuable resources
core contries
have developed past peripheral levels but not acquired same level of development or power as core countries
semi-peripheral countries
act as intermediaries or buffer zones in the political, economic, and social activities going on between periphery and core
semi-periphery
majority of countries that are falling behind and that are ranked at the bottom of the global inequality system
the bottom billion
are caught in a complex series of traps: civil unrest, high mortality, low life expectancy
the bottom billion
competitive situation where a poor country tries to undercut its competitor’s prices by compromising and damaging its own standards and values
race to the bottom
the gap in access to technological resources between the developed and developing countries of the world
global digital divide
mechanism of giving back to society but also as an evolution growing into a long-term community sustainable development plan
corporate social responsibility (CSR)
sociologists play critical role in advancing issues of inequality by: (2)
- offering evidence based alternatives
- monitoring gov commitments to reducing inequality
Lebron James experienced ______. coming from poverty to being one of the highest paid athletes in the world
vertical upward mobility
