Chapter 8 Flashcards
Social stratification
Division of society into categories, ranks or classes
-can be divided according to ascribed or achieved status
Types of stratification
Social stratification, social inequality
Social inequality
Unequal sharing of scarce resources and social rewards
Things to know about social inequality
- social inequality in a closed system
- movement between the strata is impossible
- social inequality in an open system
- movement between the strata is allowed
Two types of stratification systems
- caste system
- class system
Caste system
- resources and social rewards are distributed on the basis of ascribed statuses
- child’s caste is determined by the parents
- effort and talent may effect position in caste but not move you to a higher caste
- has norms for interaction among castes
- exogamy
- endogamy
- example: ancient India (each caste is divided into thousands of subcastes based on occupations)
- Brahmans
- Kshatriyas
- Vaisyas
- Sudras
- Harijans
- India today
Exogamy
Marriage outside one’s caste (is forbidden)
Endogamy
Marriage within one’s social category (is practiced)
Brahmans
Priests and scholars
Kshatriyas
Rulers, nobles and soldiers
Vaisyas
Merchants, bankers and business people
Sudras
Laborers and artisans
Harijans
Group of outcasts considered unclean and given undesirable tasks
India today
- adopted 1950
- movement among castes is legal
- government assistance is given to lower caste members
- Harijans not discriminated against
Class system
- distribution of scarce resources and rewards is determined on the basis of achieved status
- Karl Marx
- max weber
Karl Marx
- conflict theorists
- bourgeoisie
- proletariat
Bourgeoisie
People that own the means of production
Proletariat
People who sell their labor in exchange for wages
Max weber
- class consists of three factors
- property
- prestige
- power
Social class
Grouping of similar people with similar levels of wealth, power and prestige
- wealth - power - prestige
Wealth
The assets (value of everything a person owns) and income (money earned)
Things about wealth
- held by small majority in US
- distributed unequally: top 1% earned over 21% of the national income
Power
Ability to control the behavior of others, with or without consent
Things to know about power
-force, possession of a skill or knowledge, social status, personal characteristics or custom/tradition
Prestige
Respect, honor, recognition or courtesy an individual receives from others
Things about prestige
- occupation, education, family background, area of residence, etc.
- occupation most important in US
- socioeconomic status (SES)
Socioeconomic status (SES)
Calculated rating that combines social factors with income
Functionalist perspective
- stratification is necessary in the social structure
- certain roles need performed to maintain society
* higher rewards for these roles
* the more important the role and the more skill needed the higher the reward - weaknesses of the theory
Weaknesses of functionalist theory
- fails to consider that not everyone has equal access to resources
- assumes that positions that offer higher rewards are more important
Conflict theory
- competition over scarce resources leads to inequality
- Marxist theorists
- American theorists
- weaknesses in theory
Marxist theorists
Social stratification is a result of class exploitation
-upper class exploits the lower classAmerican theorists
- mills, Horowitz and domhoff
- groups compete for scarce resources
- if a group gains power, it can shape public policy and opinion
Weaknesses in conflict theory
- fails to recognize that unequal rewards are based somewhat on talent, skill and desire
- “find the right person for the job”
Determining social class
- social advancement
- most agreed upon systems
Social advancement
Moving up through the ranks of the class system
Most agreed upon classes
- upper
- upper middle
- lower middle
- working class
- working poor
- underclass
Technique 1
Reputational method
- individuals in a community are asked to rank other members of the community based on knowledge of them
- suitable only for small communities where everyone knows everybody else
- findings can’t be used to make conclusions about other communities
Technique 2
Subjective method
- individuals are asked to determine their own social rank
- most people don’t like to put themselves in upper or lower class
- if choices to pick from are expanded, it offers a better representation
Technique 3
Objective method
- define social class by income, occupation and education
- statistical basis makes it least biased
- problem: selection and measurement of social factors (what factors do you use?)
Social classes in the United States (percentages)
Upper class-1% Upper middle-14% Lower middle-30% Working class-30% Working poor-22% Underclass-3%
Upper class
- old money
- new money
- typically comes with great power and influence
Old money
Families that have been wealthy across generations
- most of wealth was inherited
- accustomed to privileged life
New money
Acquired wealth through their own efforts rather than inheritance
- less prestigious
- looked down upon by old money
Upper middle class
- high-income business people and professionals
- have college education and most have an advanced degree
- membership based on income rather than assets
- career oriented
- politically and socially active
* limited to community level
Lower middle class
- hold white-collar jobs; don’t involve manual labor
- requires less education than upper middle
- have a comfortable life but work hard to keep what they have achieved
Working class
- some jobs involve manual labor; blue-collar jobs
- jobs carry less prestige even though they make as much, if not more, than lower middle
- blue collar examples
- pink collar examples
- have few financial reserves
Blue collar examples
Factory, tradespeople, service workers
Pink collar examples
Clerical, lower-level sales
*traditionally women hold these positions
Working poor
- lowest paying jobs
- often temporary and seasonal
- housecleaning, migrant farm work, day laboring
- rarely make a living wage
- many depends on government-support programs
- most are high school drop outs; lack education
- typically not involved politically
Underclass
- have experienced unemployment and poverty over several generations
- usually have undesirable, low-paying jobs
- income is usually public assistance
- only 50% of children make it to a higher class
Social mobility
Movement between or within social class
Things to know about social mobility
- horizontal mobility
- vertical mobility
- intragenerational mobility
- intergenerational mobility
- rarely move up more than one class
Horizontal mobility
Movement within a social class
Vertical mobility
Movement between social classes (can be upward or downward)
* intragenerational mobility * intergenerational mobility
Intragenerational mobility
Changes in social position during one’s life
Intergenerational mobility
Status differences between generations in the same family
Structural causes of upward mobility
- advances in technology
- merchandising patterns
- increase in level of education
Advances in technology
-jobs available change
Merchandising patterns
- large increase in credit industry
- greater emphasis on insurance
- increased real-estate transactions
- exponential growth in personal services
Increase in level of education
- smaller number with no high school diploma
- larger number going to college
Structural causes of downward mobility
- personal factors
- changes in economy
Personal factors
-illness, divorce and retirement
Changes in economy
- technology changes demand for labor; workers become unemployed
- economic recession
Defining poverty in U.S.
- 13% of the population lives below the poverty line (2010); 14.5% (2013)
- poverty
- poverty level
- modern definition of poverty
Poverty
Standard of living that is below the minimum level considered adequate by society
Poverty level
Minimum annual income needed for a family to survive
- based on cost of providing an adequate diet - adjusted every year - modified for number of people in the family: (2015)
Poverty level 2015
- $11,770 for individuals
- $15,930 for a family of two
- $20,090 for a family of three
- $24,250 for a family of four
- $28,410 for a family of five
- $32,570 for a family of six
- $36,730 for a family of seven
- $40,890 for a family of eight
Modern definition of poverty
Based on providing the necessities of food, clothing, housing and “a little bit more”
Variations in American poverty
- children have largest percentage in poverty
- 33%
- level is twice as high for African American and Hispanic
- women-57% of poor are women
- head about 1/2 of all poor families
- african American and Hispanic are more likely than Caucasian
Life changes
- likelihood that individuals have of sharing opportunities and benefits of society
- includes health, length of life, housing and education
- vary by social class; effects poor most
Vary by social class; effects poor most
- higher health concerns for the poor (diabetes, heart disease, pneumonia, etc.)
- have shorter life expectancies (average number of years a person can expect to live)
- inadequate nutrition
- less access to medical care
- environment they work and live in
- educational opportunities limited
Patterns of behavior
- divorce rates are higher among low-income families
- more likely to be arrested, convicted and sent to prison
- more likely to commit crimes that police pursue aggressively
* violent crime and crimes against property
Government responses to poverty
- 37 million still live in poverty (2010); 46.5 million (2012)
- increased social security benefits and introduction of Medicare
- helped decrease number of elderly in poverty
Social welfare programs
- transfer payments
- government subsidies
- personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act (1996)
Transfer payments
Redistribute money within society by funneling a percentage of tax revenues to groups that need public assistance
-examples: SSI and TANF
Government subsidies
Transfer of goods and services
-examples: food stamps, housing, school lunches and Medicaid
Personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act (1996)
- turned some welfare programs over to states
- limited time they can receive payments
