Chp 6 Terms - Social Stratification Flashcards
human capital
Investment in education and training.
economic capital
Economic capital is ownership of land, real estate, industrial plants and equipment, and stocks and bonds.
social capital
The social networks to which people are connected and that give them varying degrees of access to others who are well-positioned.
social stratification
The way society is organized in layers or strata.
cultural capital
The widely shared, high-status cultural signals (attitudes, preferences, formal knowledge, behaviours, goals, and credentials) used for social and cultural inclusion and exclusion.
class
According to Marx, a grouping that is determined by a person’s relationship to the means of production or the source of that person’s income. In Weber’s usage, class position is determined by a person’s “market situation,” including the possession of goods, opportunities for income, level of education, and level of technical skill.
functional theory of stratification
Argues that (1) some jobs are more important than others, (2) people must make sacrifices to train for important jobs, and (3) inequality is required to motivate people to undergo these sacrifices.
proletariat
The term Marx gave to the working class. Members of the proletariat perform physical labour but do not own means of production.
They are thus in a position to earn wages.
parties
In Weber’s usage, organizations that seek to impose their will on others.
bourgeoisie
Owners of the means of production, including factories, tools, and land, according to Marx. They do not do any physical labour. Their income derives from profits.
power
The ability to achieve goals, even against the resistance of others.
status groups
Groups that differ from one another in terms of the prestige or social honour they enjoy and in terms of their style of life.
social mobility
Movement up or down the stratification system.
intergenerational mobility
Social mobility that occurs between generations.
intragenerational mobility
Social mobility that occurs within a single generation.
ascription-based stratification system
A system in which your family’s station in life determines your own fortunes
modernization theory
Holds that global inequality results from various dysfunctional characteristics of poor societies: lack of investment capital, Western-style business techniques, stable Western-style governments, and a Western mentality
achievement-based stratification system
A system in which your own talents determine your lot in life
dependency theory
Holds that global inequality is the result of patterns of domination and submission between rich and poor countries. From this point of view, rich countries have impoverished poor countries in order to enrich themselves.
semiperipheral countries
Former colonies that are making considerable headway in their attempt to become prosperous.
core countries
Capitalist countries that are the world’s major sources of capital and technology (the United States, Japan, and- Germany).
peripheral countries
The world’s major sources of raw materials and cheap labour (the former colonies).
