Chapter 9-Social Stratification Flashcards
Social inequality
The unequal sharing of scarce resources and social rewards
Caste system
A system in which scarce resources and social rewards are distributed on the basis of ascribed statuses
Exogamy
Marriage outside one’s own social category
Endogamy
Marriage within one’s own social category
Class system
A system in which the distribution of scarce resources is determined on the basis of achieved statuses
Bourgeoisie
The owners of the means of production in a capitalist society
Proletariat
Workers who sell their labor in exchange for wages
Social class
A grouping of people with similar levels of wealth, power, and prestige
Wealth
One’s assets and income
Power
The ability to control the behavior of others
Prestige
The respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy an individual receives from other members of society
Socioeconomic status
A rating that combines social factors such as educational level, occupational prestige, and place of residence with the economic factor of income
Reputational method
A method of determining social class in which individuals in the community are asked to rank other community members based on what they know of their characters and lifestyles
Subjective method
A technique used to determine social class in which individuals are asked to determine their own social rank
Objective method
A classification technique used to determine social class in which sociologists define social class by income, occupation, and education
Social mobility
The movement between or within social classes or strata
Horizontal mobility
Movement within a social class or stratum
Vertical mobility
The movement between social classes or strata
Intergenerational mobility
Status differences between generations in the same family
Poverty
The standard of living that is below the minimum level considered adequate by society
Poverty level
The minimum annual income needed by a family to survive
Life chances
The likelihood that individuals have of sharing in the opportunities and benefits of society
Life expectancy
The average number of years a person born in a particular year can expect to live
Transfer payments
A program used to redistribute money among various segments of society
Social stratification
The division of society into categories, ranks, or classes
