Final Flashcards
What is meant by social stratification being universal but variable?
Variable means how equal or unequal a society is depending on what society
Whats the difference between open and closed systems
closed systems = caste systems (allow little change in social position
open systems = class systems (allow much more social mobility)
Who is Talcott Parsons?
he observed that gender helps integrate society (in it’s traditional form)
What type of society is caste systems common in?
traditional/agrarian societies
What type os society is class systems common in?
modern industrial and post modern industrial societies
What is status consistency?
the degree of uniformity in a persons social standing across various dimensions of social inequality
(a caste system has little social mobility, therefore high status consistency)
What is status consistency?
the degree of uniformity in a persons social standing across various dimensions of social inequality
(a caste system has little social mobility, therefore high status consistency)
Which group claimed to be classless? (even though they def weren’t)
The former soviet union
What is STRUCTURAL social mobility?
a shift in the social position of large #’s of people due to changes in society itself rather than individual changes (such as the economy)
China experienced structural upward mobility as the economy expanded
Whats the davis-moore thesis?
argues that social stratification has beneficial consequences for the operations of society
It also suggests that the reason for stratification: that positions in a society that are considered crucial must offer incentives to draw talented people away from less important work.
Whats the “class conflict” Karl Marx talks about?
He claimed that capitalism places economic production under ownership of capitalists (owners) who exploit proletarians (workers).
^^ he claimed that because of this conflict the working majority would overthrow the capitalists eventually
why was there no maxist revolution?
- fragmentation of the capitalist class
- higher standard of living
- more worker organizations
- greater legal protection
What 3 dimensions of social stratification did Weber identify?
- economic class
- social status/prestige
- power
What is soci-economic status?
a ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality (family income, parents’ education level, etc).
Who is in control of horicultural/pastoral/agarian socities?
a small elite control these societies (the masses place these people in an elite and godlike position)
Does industrialization push inequality upward or downward?
DOWNWARD
meritocracy is introduced in industrial societies, weakening the power of the elite.
What is the Kuznets curve?
a graph that demonstrates how greater technological sophistication is generally accompanied by greater social stratification.
aka. more tech = more inequality/heirarchies
Whats a criticism of the Kunets curve?
developed by comparing different societies that were at different levels of economic development
(uses cross sectional data!!)
What types of political values are most likely to be held by someone with low social standing?
More likely to have CONSERVATIVE views
this is because they likely grew up with less supervision/discipline and less education
What are some common trends with social mobility in Canada?
- earnings have stalled for many workers
- more jobs offer little income
- young people are remaining at home way longer
What percentage of people in Canada is poor?
between 8.8% - 13%
(exact percentage depends on what is being measured)
Explain neoliberalism
it is a political idea basically proposing to change the governments control/regulation into the hands of private groups
*the purpose of this is to force people to be self-supporting and move away from government dependency
What is Oscar Lewis’s view of poverty?
he created the “culture of poverty thesis” that states how poverty is caused by shortcomings in the poor themselves (marxist)
aka. he thought that LIVING IN POVERTY CREATES ITS OWN CULTURE
What is William Julius Johnson’s view on poverty?
he believed that poverty is caused by society’s unequal distribution of wealth and lack of good jobs
Is gender bias more prevalent in poor or wealthy societies?
POOR
How many types of slavery are there according to Anti-Slavery International? Explain and name them.
6 types:
- Descent-slavery (someone born into slavery)
- Forced labour imposed by the state
- Child Slavery (families force children to steal/beg)
- Debt bondage (employer pays less than required wage in exchange for housing/food)
- Servile forms of marriage (women forced to marry against their will)
- Human Trafficking
What’s the difference between colonialism and neocolonialism?
colonialism involves direct control over a territory and its people while neocolonialism involves indirect methods to control a territory and its indigenous people.
What is the importance of the Israel Kibbutz for gender research?
it is an important setting for gender research because gender equality is a shared and stated goal there
What did Margaret Mead’s research conclude?
that CULTURE is the KEY to GENDER DISCRIMINATION
*critics say that she exaggerated her findings, they’re too perfect to what she was trying to prove.
What does George Murdock’s research conclude?
found that in over 200 preindustrial societies that there is a GLOBAL AGREEMENT on which tasks are feminine and masculine
What society exists today that is a matriarchy?
the Musou, a Chinese society
In Canada women make ____% of what men make?
79%
What types of jobs are dominated by women (56%)?
THE 5 C’s!
1. caring
2. clerical
3. catering
4. cashiering
5. cleaning
What is the one social institution that women tend to dominate?
Education! (specifically post-secondary undergrads)
What was Frienrich Engels’ view of gender stratification?
To him, the reason for gender stratification was because of the rise of private property & and a class hierarchy
*thought that marriage and property were strategies for men to control the sexuality of women
What are the 3 types of feminists?
- liberal (seeks equal opportunity for both sexes within the existing society)
- radical (seeks to eliminate the concept of gender all together and create a gender free society)
- socialist (believes full gender equality will occur with the replacement of capitalism with socialism)
What is multicultural feminism?
feminism that takes into account the intersection of gender with race and ethnicity
What is the traditional term for intersex?
hermaphrodite
How often does someone believe they are trapped in the body of the wrong sex?
1 or 2 in every 1,000
Sexual practices are ______ issues
cultural!
every sexual practice shows considerable variation from society to society
(kissing, standards of modesty, standards of beauty, etc.)
What is the taboo that exists in every and all society? Why?
the incest taboo
exists in all societies because:
- Biological (reproduction between close relatives can result in disabled children)
- Human Social Organization (limits sexual competition & disruption in families by restricting sex to spouses)
Who’s research greatly influenced the sexual revolution?
Alfred Kinley’s
sexual revolution peaked in the 60s and 70s (new technology played an important role)
baby boomers became the first generation to grow up with the ideas that sex as a normal part of social life
When and why did the sexual COUNTERrevolution occur?
In the 1980s as a response to the “permissiveness” of sex and urged to return to more traditional “family values”
What is extramarital sex?
Cheating, 76% of Canadians agree that married people having an affair is morally unacceptable
What evidence leads researchers to believe that there is a “gay gene”?
studies with the brains of two brothers
researchers believe there is a different gene on the X chromosome of the female
What are some factors that contribute to the likelihood of a teenage pregnancy?
- if the teen’s parents have little education & have a low income
- if teen has separated parents or a living situation that is not the traditional family
How do conservative and liberals views of porn differ?
Liberal = view porn as a power issue and demeaning to women
conservative = criticize porn on moral groups, overall harmful for society
What is Bill C-36 in Canada?
the criminalization of buyers of sex, but not the sex workers themselves
*this bill does not “protect women” like it claims to, it stigmatizes the work they do and makes the sex trade more hidden and dangerous
How does the structural-functional approach view sexuality?
it highlights the need to regulate sexuality
How does the symbolic-interaction approach view sexuality?
it highlights the various MEANINGS people attach to sexuality
What is the reproductive movement?
the movement that brings attention to the fact that many women are disadvantaged to the point that they don’t actually have control make choices about their own lives
What is Queer Theory?
a body of research findings that challenge the HETEROSEXUAL BIAS in Canadian society
It claims that Canadian society is characterized by heterosexism (prejudice/discrimination against non-heterosexuals)
What were the 3 original large categories for race?
- Caucasoid
- Negroid
- Mongoloid
(no biologically pure race)