for exam #2 sociology Flashcards
social stratification
arrangements of society into a serious of layers, unequal distribution of resources, prestige, power, such that the stratum at the to has the most resources
social stratification
- trait of society
- generationally durable
- involves beliefs
trait of society
born into wealthy v. poverty as a determinant of life outcome for same biological individual
timing of birth
generational durability
it gets passed down through generations
stratification invloves belief
you have to belief society is correct in order to live within society
meritocracy and class
emphasis on achievement -> justified inequality
mobility is possible
pure ‘meritocracy’
- achievement always overcomes ascription
2.all positions in society allocated based on demonstrated merit - high social mobility possible
- social stratification varies immensely from generation to generation
intergenerational
what your children do, or you do relative to your parents
how mobile is American society
- social mobility has been fairly high in American society in recent generations, ablate limited. long term upward trend for the past 50 years
2.however considerable more downward movement in the agitated over the past 15 years especially - penetrating the top 1% remains extremely difficult and rare
- trend towards more inequality: top 1% are enjoying gains in wealth while poorest quintiles are losing wealth
american dream?
-worker earnings have stalled or diminished
-more new jobs that are now available are paying less
-declines from recession have not rebounded (new recession on top of old ones)
-young people staying home
-contingent, precaroius ‘gig’ employment replacing ‘one job, one life’ model
McNamee
what is a fair and just society
are billionaires billlsions of times smarter and more innovative than everyone else?
is a pure merit based system possible is it desirable?
how are Americans coping with widening stratifications as wealth is redistributed upwards: relying on multiple wage earners -having fewer children -delaying retirement -going into debt
functionalist takes
functionalism (Davis Moore) stratification and inequality is beneficial to society
- individuals justly rewarded for filling more valuable positions in society
- poverty provides motivation
-poverty provides a cheap labor force
- poverty keeps prices down
common critiques of functionalist view
difficulty of specifying value
suffocating the talents of those that might otherwise benefit the society
conflict takes
conflict (marxism) stratification that results from capitalism has done little for the poor
-focus on non merit factors like inhearatince, discrimination, opportunity gaps, upward distribution
-reconstructed society to benefit -or provide opportunity for all - rather than a few
critiques of conflict view
-unequal rewards motivate people
-presence of the middle class
-decentralization of corporate structures (shift away from purer ‘plutocracy’ to public corporations)
-labor gains (sam Gompers and AFL and OSHA)
max webber
class is a continuum from high to low rather than a 2-class model with ridges boundaries
status, prestige and power reflecting class positioning
upper upper
1% seeing biggest gains in wealth
lower users
2-3% have to work to maintain lifestyles
corporate
high corporate positions, supplanting family capitalism
attributes
35% or so of population
shrinking
upper middle class
120-220k a year
college education professionals
ave-middle class
less prestigious white collar, skilled blue collar
depending heavily on earnings to maintain lifestyle
10-120k
working class
another 35% or so of population
20-50k
little to no property
conformity and adherence to rules
lower class
20-25% of the population and growing
instability
poverty
absolute versus relative
