Chapter 7: The Structure of Inequality Flashcards
Social Stratification
Society divided into groups based on social hierarchy.
Is maintained through widely shared beliefs.
Systems of Stratification
- Slavery
- Caste: based on heredity
- Social Class: Ranked by wealth, property, power, and prestige
Socioeconomic Status (SES)
Measure of person’s place within social class system.
Intersectionality
How different categories of inequality (race, class, gender) intersect to shape the lives of groups.
Middle Class and White Collar
White Collars workers comprise the middle class. Is lower level professional work.
Lower-MIddle/Working Class and Blue Collar Jobs
Jobs that are semi-skilled who perform labor or work in service.
Status Inconsistency
An individual has differing levels of status
Ex. Sam Walton of WALMART was poor then became rich.
Conflict Theory
Social inequality between the capitalists (bourgeois) and workers (proletariat).
Weberian Theory
Power contributes to the type of class.
Prestige: Social honor people are given because of their membership in a social group.
Structural Functionalism
Social order and solidarity based on commonly shared values about what is good and worthwhile. Jobs carry unequal importance and prestige.
Postmodern- Social Reproduction and Cultural Capital
Social Reproduction: The tendency of social classes to remain stable as class is passed down to the next generation. Cultural Capital: The tastes, habits, expectations, skilled and knowledge that help give us an advantage in society.
Symbolic Interactionism
All social structures come from everyday interaction.
Closed System
Little opportunity for social mobility.
Open System
Many opportunities to change class.
Intergenerational Mobility
Movement between class in a lifetime. Horizontal Social Mobility: changing job within a class. Vertical Social Mobility: Up or down the ladder of class.
