Chapter 8 Key Term Flashcards
social stratification
the existence of structured inequalities between groups and society in terms of their access to material or symbolic rewards. While all societies involve some forms of stratification, only with the development of state-based systems did wide differences in wealth and power arise. The most distinctive form of stratification in modern times is class divisions.
intersectionality
a sociological perspective that holds that our multiple group memberships affect our lives in ways that are distinct from single group memberships. For example, the experience of a Black woman may be distinct from that of a White woman or a Black man.
structured inequalities
social inequalities that result from patterns in the social structure.
slavery
a form of social stratification in which some people are owned by others as their property.
caste
a social system in which one social status is held for life.
class systems
a system of social hierarchy that allows individuals to move among classes. The four chief bases of class are ownership of wealth, occupation, income, and education.
class
although it is one of the most frequently used concepts in sociology, there is no clear agreement about how the notion should be defined. Most sociologists use the term to refer to socioeconomic variations among groups of individuals that create variations in their material prosperity and power.
life chances
a term introduced by Max Weber to signify a person’s opportunities for achieving economic prosperity.
income
money received from paid wages and salaries or earned from investments
wealth
money and material possessions held by an individual or group.
means of production
the means whereby the production of material goods is carried on in a society, including not just technology but also the social relations between producers
bourgeoisie
people who own companies, land, or stocks (shares) and use these to generate economic returns.
proletariat
people who sell their labor for wages, according to Marx.
4) Surplus Value: in Marxist theory, the value of a worker’s labor power left over when an employer has repaid the cost of hiring the worker.
surplus value
in Marxist theory, the value of a worker’s labor power left over when an employer has repaid the cost of hiring the worker.
communism
a social system based on everyone owning the means of production and sharing in the wealth it produces.
status
the social honor or prestige a particular group is accorded by other members of a society. Status groups normally display distinct styles of life–patterns of behavior that the members of a group follow. Status privilege may be positive or negative
pariah groups
groups who suffer from negative status discrimination–they are looked down on by most other members of society.
contradictory class locations
positions in the class structure, particularly routine white-collar and lower managerial jobs, that share characteristics with the class positions both above and below them.
Marxist theories
the exploitation of working classes in capitalist societies is the key to understanding social and economic inequality in the contemporary world.
Weberian Theories
status and power are as important as class in our understanding of social and economic inequality.
functionalist theories
Inequality be beneficial to society in so far as it inspires people to develop the skills and expertise necessary to excel at difficult jobs
Contradictory class locations (theory developed by Erik Olin Wright in the 1980s, when the middle class was at the height of its political power.):
Professional workers in modern capitalist society occupy contradictory positions: they exert control over the working classes, but remain subordinate to the upper classes.
upper class
a social class broadly composed of the more affluent members of society, especially those who have inherited wealth, owned businesses, or hold large numbers of stocks (shares).
middle class
a social class composed broadly of those working in white-collar and lower managerial occupations.
working class
a social class broadly composed of people working in blue-collar, or manual, occupations.
lower class
social class comprising those who work part time or not at all and whose household income is typically lower than $31,000 a year.
social mobility
movement of individuals or groups between different social positions
intergenerational mobility
movement up or down a social stratification hierarchy from one generation to another
intragenerational mobility
movement up or down a social stratification hierarchy within the course of a personal career.
structural mobility
mobility resulting from changes in the number and kinds of jobs available in a society.
exchange mobility
the exchange of positions on the socioeconomic scale such that talented people move up the economic hierarchy while the less talented move down.
cultural capital
noneconomic or cultural resources that parents passed down to their children, such as languages or knowledge. These resources contribute to the process of social reproduction, according to Bourdieu.
absolute poverty
not meeting the minimal requirements necessary to sustain a healthy existence
relative poverrty
poverty defined according to the living standards of the majority in any given society
poverty line
an official government measure to define those living in poverty in the United States.
working poor
people who work but whose earnings are not enough to life them above the poverty line
feminization of poverty
an increase in the proportion of the poor who are female
homeless
people who have no place to sleep and either stay in free shelters or sleep in public places not meant for habitation
Kuznets curve
a formula showing that inequality increase during the early stages of capitalist development, then declines, and eventually stabilizes at a relatively love level; advanced by the economist Simon Kuznets
dependency culture
A term popularized by Charles Murray to describe individuals who rely on state welfare provision rather than entering the labor market. The dependency culture is seen as the outcome of the “paternalistic” welfare state that undermines individual ambition and people’s capacity for self-help.
