Chapter 9 - Social Stratification Flashcards
9.1
Define Social Straitification
fefers to a society’s categorization of its people into rankings based on factors like wealth, income, education, family background, and power
9.1
What makes up society’s layers? What does it represent?
In correlation to social stratification
People; represents the uneven distribution of society’s resources
9.1
Those on top of the social structure of stratificaiton are considered to have…
more resources
Think of a mountain and the various horizontal layers building up
9.1
Define socioeconomic status (SES)
An individual’s place within this stratification
9.1
Define equality
a belief that everyone has an
equal chance at success
9.1
What is a common belief between people and institutions in the United States?
In relation to equality
Hard work and talent determine social mobility
9.1
What does the United States value of equality emphasize?
Choice, motivation, and
self-effort perpetuates the American belief that people control their own social standing
9.1
Do sociologist recognize that someone’s “rising and falling” in their societal standing is based on individual choice?
They disagree with the idea, and look to how the STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY affects a person’s social standing and therefore is created and supported by society
9.1
Define wealth
Net value of money and assets a person has
9.1
Define income
A person’s wages or investment dividends (payment from companies as a shareholder)
9.1
What factors decide social standing?
There is 5 in total
- Wealth
- Income
- prestige
- parents (inherited)
- society’s occupational structure
9.1
How do parents affect social standing?
By passing social position + cultural norms, values, and beliefs onto children
9.1
What are the 2 types of stratification?
- Closed Systems
- Open Systems
9.1
Define close systems
As a system of stratification
A system that accomodates little change in social position. They do not allow people to shift levels and do not permit social relationships between levels.
Ex: estate, slavery, and caste systems
Caste systems: social structure dividing people into classes at birth.
9.1
Define open systems
Based on achievement & allow for movement and interaction between layers and classes.
9.1
Different systems reflect, emphasize, and foster specific ________ ____, shaping individual beliefs.
cultural values
9.1
Define caste systems
closed stratification systems where people can do little or nothing to change the social standing of their birth.
9.1
What does a caste system predetermine?
determines all aspects of an individual’s life: occupations, marriage partners, and housing
9.1
How does caste system reflect a close stratification system?
Individual talents, interests, or potential do not provide opportunities to improve a person’s social position; little or nothing can change social standing at birth.
9.1
Define ideology
Cultural belief system that justifies a society’s system of stratification.
9.1
What types of beliefs caste systems promote?
Promote beliefs in fate, destiny, and the will of a higher power
9.1
What beliefs does a caste system DO NOT promote?
It does not promote individual freedom as a vallue
9.1
Examples of Caste System
Work occupation and marriage in Hindu is based on caste + acceptance and moral obligation of social standing.
9.1
Define class system, what type of system is it, and explain how it differs from a caste system.
Social standing based on social factors and individual accomplishments. It is a open stratification system.
- Education or employment status can change, but models can guide a person towards a career.
- Personal choice and opportunity are important.
- Can socialize w/ and marry members of other classes.
9.1
Define class
a set of people who share similar status based on factors like wealth, income, education, family background, and occupation.
9.1
Define exogamous marriage
A union of spouses from different social categories. It values love and compatibility.
9.1
Define endogamous marriage
Free to pick spouse and not as pressured to pick parner on social location, though social conformities still encourage partners in own class.
9.1
Define Meritocracy
A hypothetical system in which social stratification is determined by personal effort and merit. No society of meritocracy has existed.
9.1
Define status consistency
It’s used to describe the consistency, or lack thereof, of an individual’s rank across the factors that determine social stratification.
- Closed -> high status consistency
- Open -> low status consistency
9.1
In a class system, low status consistency correlates with…
fill in blank
having more choices and opportunities
9.1
Define primogeniture
a law stating that all property would be inherited by the firstborn son.
9.2
How did Economist J.D. Foster determine the upper, middle, and lower class?
- top 20% of earners = upper income
- low 20% of earners = lower income
- Remaining 60% = middle income
9.2
How does the Pew Center define the classes?
- Low class = income 2/3 of national median
- Upper class = income 2x national median
- Middle class = vary on state but between $48,500 - $145,500
9.2
Other than income, what is another perspective on how to distinguish the classes?
Perspective on class based on relative power and control over their lives.
ex: High -> power and control on own lives and others
Middle -> control over own lives, generally does not have much control on society
Low -> little control over power and lives
9.2
What’s the difference between “old” and “new” money?
Old -> inherited wealth from gen to gen
New -> wealth earnt and built yourself
9.2
What are the categories in the middle class?
The lower or higher middle class
9.2
What are the categories of the lower class?
- Working class (work, but small income)
- Working poor (work, but income not enough to support cost of living)
- Underclass (unemployed or underemployed)
9.2
Define class traits/markers
The typical behaviors, customs, and norms that define each class.
9.2
Define social mobility
The ability of individuals to change positions within a social stratification system.
9.2
Define upward mobility
an increase—or upward shift—when they move from a lower to a higher
socioeconomical class
9.2
Define downward mobility.
when they move from higher
socioeconomic class to a lower one.
9.2
What may cause downward mobility?
because of business setbacks,
unemployment, or illness. Dropping out of school, losing a job, or getting a divorce may result in a loss of
income or status.
9.2
Define intergenerational mobility
different generations of a family belonging to varying social classes //
inter- between 2 things
9.2
Define intragenerational mobility
refers to changes in a person’s social mobility over the course of their lifetime // intra- within 1 thing
9.2
Define structural mobility
when societal changes enable a whole group of people to move up or down the
social class ladder // attributable to changes in society as a whole
ex: outsourcing of jobs outside of U.S. during induralization period
9.2
Define standard of living
the level of wealth available to acquire the material necessities and comforts to maintain a specific lifestyle.
9.2
What determines standard of living?
Factors such as:
1. income
2. employment
3. class
4. literacy rates
5. mortality rates
6. poverty rates
7. housing affordability
9.2
Define feminization of poverty
acknowledges that women disproportionately make up the majority of individuals in poverty across the globe and have a lower standard of living.
9.2
Define Absolute poverty
an economic condition in which a family or individual cannot afford basic necessities, so survival is in jeopardy
9.2
Define relative poverty
an economic condition in which a family or individuals have 50% income less than the average median income (the poverty line).
9.2
Define TANF
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; provides cash assistance to help families w/ children to achieve economic self-sufficiency. It is time limited, at best 5 years.
9.2
Who recieves TANF?
- childcare
- parents working or training a req. number of hours a week
- other services
(to adults 50% below median income)
9.2
Define SNAP. How did it come about?
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Food Stamp Program; gave out food assistance to people w/ low-income // It was formed in the Great Depression, and formally recognized by John F. Kennedy + in the Food Stamp Act of 1964 by Lyndon B. Johnson.
9.3
Define global stratification. What does it show to sociologist?
compares the wealth, status, power, and economic stability of countries across the world //
Global stratification highlights worldwide patterns of social inequality
9.3
What determines global stratification?
- Income
- Purchasing power
- Wealth
- Quality of life
9.3
Define GNP
Gross national product; the value of goods & services produced by a nation’s citizens within and abroad.
9.3
Define GDP
Gross domestic product; a country’s national wealthby looking at total income of everyone within a country’s boarders or the value of all goods & services produced in the country in a year + government spending.
9.3
What does the GDP of a country reveal?
It indicates the country’s productivity and performance
9.3
What is used to determine the stratification or ranking of a country?
GNP or GDP
9.3
What is the difference between “first”, “second”, and “third world” in the traditional model of global stratification?
First and second described industralized nations, while third world refers to “underdeveloped countries.”
9.3
In global stratificaiton, whom is referred to as “more-developed” nations and “less-developed” nations?
More-developed: Canada, Japan, and Australia
Less-developed: many countries in central Africa, South America, and some island nations.
9.3
Who is the PRB. What do they do?
The Population Reference Bureau; they publich an annual report measuring relativeeconomic well-being of all countries using the Gross National Income (GNI) and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).
9.3
Define GNI
Measures the current value of goods & services produced by a country. The productive output.
9.3
Define PPP
Measures the power a country has to purchase the goods & services they produce. The buying power.
9.3
How is the GNI PPP calculated? What does it tell us?
- PPP is used to convert GNI into a relative international unit.
- GNI then divided by # of residents living in a country = avg. relative income of a resident of country
//
It allow us to compare countries’ standard of living.
9.3
What is the purpose of social stratification?
According to Functionalist
- Kingsley Davis & Wilbert Moore publish the Davis-Moore thesis: greater functional importance = greater the reward from society
9.3
According to the Davis-Moore thesis, what would they say about firefighters vs. grocery cashier
A firefighter is more impotrant than a grocery store cashier. Without higher levels of income, prestige, and power the firefighter would not be encouraged to work hard and long.
9.3
What are the arguments of the Davis-Moore thesis?
- Does not explain inequalities in the education system
- Does not explain inequalities due to race or gender
9.3
How do conflict theorist view social stratification?
Stratification perpetuates inequality. They would bring awareness to these inequalities.
9.3
According to Marx, what 2 types of people are in social stratification?
Bourgeois captalist and proletariats
9.3
What did Marx believe about social stratification?
What is social stratification based upon.
Social stratification results from people’s relationship to production.
