Chapter 8 - Social Stratification Flashcards
Social Stratification
the way in which society is organized into layers based on wealth, power, and status
Income Quintile Share
measures the share of total income earned by each fifth of the population, ranked by income
How to compute income quintile shares (4)
- rank families in population from lowest to highest incomes
- compute the total income generated by all families
- compute the total income for each quintile
- divide the total income for each quintile by the total family income to calculate the income quintile share
Gini Coefficient
reports the proportion of total income that would have to be re-distributed for perfect quality to exist
Human Capital
the sum of useful skills and knowledge that an individual possesses
Social Capital
networks or connections that individuals possess
Cultural Captial
the stock of knowledge, tastes, and habits that legitimate the maintenance of power and status
Low-Income Cutoff
statistic canada’s term for the income threshold below which a family devotes at least 20% of it’s income to the necessities of food, shelter, and clothing than does the average family
Myths about the poor (3)
- they don’t want to work and that is why they are poor
- most people living in poverty are immigrants
- most poor people are trapped in poverty
Explanations of Poverty (3)
- Individual Level = attributes of poor people
- Economic Organization = capitalism
- Social Policy = example: minimum wage
Feudalism (what and who)
what: a legal arrangement in preindustrial Europe that bound peasants to the land and obliged them to give their landlords a set part of the harvest. in exchange, the landlords were required to protect peasants from marauders and open their storehouses to feed the peasants if crops failed
who: marx
Class Consciousness (what and who)
what: being aware of membership in a class
who: marx
Class (Marx’s Definition)
determined by a person’s relationship to the means of production
Class (Weber’s Definition)
determined by a person’s “market situation”
Bourgeoisie (what and who)
what: owners of the means of production, inducing factories, tools, and land. they do not do any physical labour. their income derives from profits
who: marx
Proletariat (what and who)
what: the working class. do physical labour, do not own means of production in a position to earn wages
who: marx
Petite Bourgeoisie (what and who)
what: small-scale capitalists, own means of production. employ only a few workers or none at all, forcing them to do physical labour themselves
who: marx
Status Groups (what and who)
what: differ from one another in terms of the prestige or social honour they enjoy and in terms of their style of life
who: weber
Parties (what and who)
what: organizations that seek to impose their will on others
who: weber
Functional Theory of Stratification (3)
argues that:
- some jobs are more important than others
- people must make sacrifices to train for important jobs
- inequality is required to motivate people to undergo these sacrifices
Feminization of Poverty (2)
argues that:
- women are more likely to become low-income earners than men
- the low-income gap between women and men is growing
Power
the ability to impose one’s will on others despite resistance
Authority
legitimate, institutionalized power
Socioeconomic Status (SES)
combines data on income, education, and occupational prestige in a single index of a person’s position in the socioeconomic hierarchy
Social Mobility
movement up or down the stratification system
Intergenerational Mobility
social mobility between generations
Intragenerational Mobility
social mobility within a generation
How do most Canadians view the class system? (3)
- aware of existence of the class system and their place in it
- believe that large inequalities are not necessary to achieve national prosperity
- disapprove of government intervention to lower the level of inequality
What do Canadians think is the reason that inequality persists?
because it serves the interests of the most advantaged members of society and because disadvantaged members do not join together to change things
Why does Canada have no statistics on the amount of poor people?
because there is no official definition of poverty
According to the functionalist theory of poverty, what is the ideal determinant of socioeconomic status?
achievement
Ascribed Status
status that we receive involuntarily, without regard to our unique talents, skills, or accomplishments
Achieved Status
status that we attain through talent, ability, effort, or other unique characteristics
