Chapter 9 - Social Stratification Flashcards
Caste System
A system in which people are born into a social standing that they will retain their entire lives.
Class
A group who shares a common social status based on factors like wealth, income, education and occupation.
Class System
Social standing based on social factors and individuals accomplishments.
Class Traits
The typical behaviors, customs, and norms that define each class (also called class markers).
Conspicuous Consumption
The act of buying and using products to make a statement about social standing.
David-Moore Thesis
A thesis that argues some social stratification is a social necessity.
Downward Mobility
A lowering of one’s social class.
Endogenous Marriages
Unions of people within the same social categories.
Exogamous Unions
Unions of spouses from different social categories.
Global Stratification
A comparison of the wealth, economic stability, status, and power of countries as a whole.
Income
The money a person earns from work or investments
Intergenerational Mobility
A difference in social class between different generations of a family.
Intragenerational Mobility
A difference in social class between different members of the same generation.
Meritocracy
An ideal system in which personal effort — or merit — determines social standing.
Primogeniture
A law stating that all property positions within a social stratification system.
Social Stratification
A socioeconomic system that divides society’s members into categories ranking from high to low, based on things like wealth, power, and prestige.
Standard of Living
The level of wealth available to acquire material goods and comforts to maintain a particular socioeconomic lifestyle.
Status Consistency
The consistency, or lack thereof, of an individual’s rank across social categories like income, education, and occupation.
Structural Mobility
A societal change that enables a whole group of people to move up or down the class ladder.
Upward mobility
An increase — or upward shift — in social class.
Wealth
The value of money and assets a person has from, for example, inheritance.
