Chapter 7: Vocabulary Flashcards
absolute poverty
a level of economic deprivation that exists when people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life.
alienation
a feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from other people and from oneself.
capitalist class (bourgeoisie)
Karl Marx’s term for those who own and control the means of production.
caste system
a system of social inequality in which people’s status is permanently determined at birth based on their parents’ ascribed characteristics.
class conflict
Karl Marx’s term for the struggle between the capitalist class and the working class.
class system
a type of stratification based on the ownership and control of resources and on the type of work that people do.
feminization of poverty
the trend in which women are disproportionately represented among individuals living in poverty.
income
the economic gain derived from wages, salaries, income transfers (governmental aid), and ownership of property.
intergenerational mobility
the social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.
intragenerational mobility
the social movement of individuals within their own lifetime.
job deskilling
a reduction in the proficiency needed to perform a specific job that leads to a corresponding reduction in the wages for that job or in the use of nonhuman technologies to perform the work.
life chances
Max Weber’s term for the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care.
meritocracy
a hierarchy in which all positions are rewarded based on people’s ability and credentials.
official poverty line
the income standard that is based on what the federal government considers to be the minimum amount of money required for living at a subsistence level.
pink-collar occupations
relatively low-paying, nonmanual, semiskilled positions primarily held by women.
power
according to Max Weber, the ability of persons or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.
prestige
the respect or regard that a person or status position is given by others.
relative poverty
a level of economic deprivation that exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living.
slavery
an extreme form of stratification in which some people are owned or controlled by others for the purpose of economic or sexual exploitation.
social mobility
the movement of individuals or groups from one level in a stratification system to another.
social stratification
the hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on their control of basic resources.
socioeconomic status (SES)
a combined measure that attempts to classify individuals, families, or households in terms of factors such as income, occupation, and education to determine class location.
underclass
those who are poor, seldom employed, and caught in long-term deprivation that results from low levels of education and income and high rates of unemployment.
wealth
the value of all of a person’s or family’s economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property.
working class (proletariat)
Karl Marx’s term for those who must sell their labor to the owners in order to earn enough money to survive.
