Class (Lecture 18&19)

Question 1

Wealth Distribution

Answer 1

Measure differences in TOTAL WEALTH, including pension funds, housing, other assets, as well as cash

Question 2

Income Distribution

Answer 2

Measures DIFFERENCES in annual income from (eg: wages, investments) in a particular year

Question 3

Stratification

Answer 3

• Any system of ranking people in society, as manifest in objectively-identifiable ways
• May include political, gendered, ethnic or economic forms

Question 4

Strata (Forms of Stratification)

Answer 4

• Ranks society as a whole by one principle (eg: wealth) them compares people as statistical groups (quantiles, eg: top 20&)
• Strata just statistical constructs of the sociologist: no claims of objective unity

Question 5

Class (Forms of Stratification)

Answer 5

• Describes certain shared economic features or situations of a group– characteristics that they have in common
• Class based on certain objective features about social structure: QUALITATIVE, not quantitative

Question 6

Group (Forms of Stratification)

Answer 6

• Self-identifies groups (aristocracy, artists etc..) gain power by seizing certain instruments of social control or sources of wealth
• groups define selves: they exist because members perceive a unity of interests

Question 7

Quantile

Answer 7

• Statistical units of identical sized chunks of population, used to compare across social hierarchy
• Usually given specific name (based on latin numbers) depending on size of group (eg: deciles are groups of 10% of society)

Question 8

Class

Answer 8

• Your economic position in society, as defined by certain objective criteria– which differ between theorists
• All those in the same class position share these features; the boundaries between classes aren’t just arbitrary

Question 9

Davis-Moore Hypothesis

Answer 9

• To ensure certain difficult bu necessary positions are filled, society rewards those who do them very highly. This attracts most talented to do such jobs
• Inequality is therefore FUNCTIONAL; it creates a hierarchy that benefits everyone

Question 10

Life Chances

Answer 10

The opportunities open to an individual or chances they will be able to climb the social hierarchy, depending on their class origin

Question 11

Poverty

Answer 11

Extreme low-income; inability to buy necessities

Question 12

Absolute Poverty

Answer 12

Poverty measured by universal standard (eg: ability to get food and shelter)

Question 13

Relative Poverty

Answer 13

Poverty compared to other members of society (eg: how far behind richness are you?)

Question 14

Poverty Trap

Answer 14

• Any self-reinforcing (often structural) mechanism that makes it hard for people to escape poverty once they’ve fallen in to it
• May affect people or even whole countries

Question 15

Food Desert

Answer 15

• Area without easy access to foods required for a healthy diet (eg: fresh fruit and veggies)
• Technically, significant number of households more than 1 mile (urban) or 20 miles (rural) from groceries

Question 16

Underclass

Answer 16

The long-term poor; those stuck in a position of poverty or unemployment with few prospects for getting out

Question 17

Culture of Poverty

Answer 17

• Oscar Lewis’ term for values, norms and behaviour patterns of some urban poor, which left them ill-suited to urban life
• Often embraced hedonism, accepted marginalized status, didn’t see selves rising

Question 18

Differential Association

Answer 18

Theoretical explanation for crime suggesting it’s learned by associating with other criminals with those who hold law in contempt

Question 19

Delinquent

Answer 19

• An ill-disciplined individual; petty criminal, perhaps including minor public disorder
• Someone not really ‘trained’ to lead responsible life of good, hardworking citizen

Question 20

Marx on Class

Answer 20

• Class is STRUCTURAL; it’s defined as a specific position within a system of social relations, defined by ownership or means of production
• Class is central–> other forms of inequality are derived from class

Question 21

Weber on Class

Answer 21

• Class is defined by your MARKET situation, what resources do you have to get what you want?
• Economic class is only one form of inequality, and can itself be shaped by other forms

Question 22

Mode of Production

Answer 22

• The way a society is organized in order to produce the things its members need
• Based on ECONOMIC organization around existing technology for getting food
• other social relations depend on economy

Question 23

Class Relations

Answer 23

Specific positions within a mode of production, defined by OWNERSHIP of means of production and the relations between people in different positions

Question 24

Post-Industrial Society

Answer 24

Used to describe modern Western societies, which were formally industrial centres, but which have now transitioned to service economies with less manual labor

Question 25

Privileges

Answer 25

Particular rights or opportunities permitted only to members of certain groups (eg: right to join a particular club, marry a prince)

Question 26

Closure

Answer 26

Strategic monopolization of access to privileges for all except members of your own group (eg: male-only clubs–> often uses law)

Question 27

Status Inconsistency

Answer 27

• An individual’s rank in one class system may differ from his/ her rank in another
• Often leads to anxiety or radicalism

Question 28

Divisions of Labour

Answer 28

Each worker performs a single, highly-specialized role for whole, instead of making a product on his own, like traditional artisans

Question 29

Taylorism or Scientific Management

Answer 29

• Aims at absolute maximum efficiency in the workplace, especially factories
• Trains workers to follow exact procedures and ‘manages’ them like machines

Question 30

Deskilling

Answer 30

Reducing the level of skill or specialization required to perform or a advanced division of labour to replace skilled works

Question 31

Non-standard Work Agreements

Answer 31

• so called ‘McJobs’ short term, low skill jobs with limited future prospects
• Often involved part-time work multiple jobs lack of security–> may be self employed

Question 32

Monopoly Capital

Answer 32

Giant corporations that dominate economy, excluding small businesses and leaving workers with few options but to work for them

Question 33

Alienation

Answer 33

• Feeling of distance from your life, work, other people, leading to sense of having no control
• Marx comes from treating labour as a commodity to be bought and sold

Question 34

Class Interests

Answer 34

• The goals and desires of people as defined by their position within a class system

Question 35

Exploitation

Answer 35

• Using a position of strength to compel someone in a position of weakness to given you something they otherwise wouldn’t
• Profiting at expense of another

Question 36

Labour Union

Answer 36

Organization of workers for collective bargaining of pay, defence of rights against employer, provision of other services to workers

Question 37

Class conflict

Answer 37

• Social struggles caused by conformation of interests between structurally-defined classes

Question 38

Class Conscious-ness

Answer 38

BOTH an individual’s awareness of being a member of particular class, and self- identity of class member and a class’s awareness of its real group interest in long run

Question 39

Classless Society

Answer 39

A society in which all class conflicts are resolved by the abolition of class. The ‘means of production’ are in everyone’s hand, so no one has power over others