Chapter 8 - Terms Flashcards
social class
according to Weber, a large group of people who rank close to one another in property, power, and prestige; according to Marx, one of two groups: capitalists who own the means of production or workers who sell their labor
property
material possessions: animals, bank accounts, bonds, buildings, businesses, cars, cash, commodities, copyrights, furniture, jewelry, land, and stocks
wealth
the total value of everything someone owns, minus the debts
income
money received, usually from a job, business, or assets
power
the ability to carry out one’s will, even over the resistance of others
power elite
C. Wright Mills’ term for the top people in U.S. corporations, military, and politics who make the nation’s major decisions
prestige
respect or regard
status consistency
ranking high or low on all three dimensions of social class
status inconsistency
ranking high on some dimensions of social class and low on others; also called status discrepancy
status
the position that someone occupies in a social group; also called social status
anomie
Durkheim’s term for a condition of society in which people become detached from the usual norms that guide their behavior
contradictory class locations
Erik Wright’s term for a position in the class structure that generates contradictory interests
underclass
a group of people for whom poverty persists year after year and across generations
intergenerational mobility
the change that family members make in social class from one generation to the next
upward social mobility
movement up the social class ladder
downward social mobility
movement down the social class ladder
structural mobility
movement up or down the social class ladder that is due more to changes in the structure of society than to the actions of individuals
exchange mobility
a large number of people moving up the social class ladder, while a large number move down; it is as though they have exchanged places, and the social class system shows little change
poverty line
the official measure of poverty; calculated to include incomes that are less than three times a low-cost food budget
feminization of poverty
a condition of U.S. poverty in which most poor families are headed by women
culture of poverty
the assumption that the values and behaviors of the poor make them fundamentally different from other people, that these factors are largely responsible for their poverty, and that parents perpetuate poverty across generations by passing these characteristics to their children
deferred gratification
going without something in the present in the hope of achieving greater gains in the future
Horatio Alger myth
the belief that due to limitless possibilities anyone can get ahead if he or she tries hard enough
