Lecture #7- Social Inequality in Canada (Ch. 8, 9 and 19)

Question 1

Social class

Answer 1

The connections between individuals’ educational accomplishments and their family of origin continue to show persistent patterns of inter-generational reproduction of social inequality
-no longer as relevant an explanation of social inequality as it has become an increasingly outdated concept

Question 2

Differential distribution of cultural capital

Answer 2

Children from more affluent backgrounds are more likely to have been exposed to a variety of cultural experiences, exposure to fine arts, beliefs that are valued in the formal education system
-do well in high school and university

Question 3

Resources

Answer 3

• Tangible possessions (finances) or personal attributes (skills) that offer advantages in school competitions
• more educated parents provide their children with “human capital”-basic reading, writing and vocabulary skills, along with disciplined work habits, that bring distinct advantages in school

Question 4

Contexts

Answer 4

Characteristics of schools and neighbourhoods that can influence attainment over and above resources
-communities can generate social capital by forging norms of reciprocity and mutual obligations among parents, youth and schools

Question 5

Expectations

Answer 5

The processes by which people make educational decisions

-we develop expectations by comparing ourselves to similar people, aligning our aspirations and efforts accordingly

Question 6

Socio-economic disparities in education

Answer 6

• socio-economic disparities in cognitive skills can be detected among students from the earliest school years
• socio-economic gaps in literacy appear to widen during the summer months when children are not in school
• these gaps have been shown to predict eventual socio-economic disparities in high school completion and university attendance

Question 7

Bordieu’s perspective

Answer 7

People are oriented by cultural repertories and social scripts, which are historical products of groups internalizing their objective conditions

Question 8

A social interpretation of disability

Answer 8

A social interpretation of disability emphasized that an individual or medical model sees the “problem” of disability as an issue of individual functional limitations and psychological consequences

• dominant social groups are portrayed as “normal” while disability is labelled “abnormal and deviant”
• disability is seen as a social category associated with minority status
• social models emphasize the need to protect human rights, increase inclusion, and enable full participation for people with disabilities

Question 9

What are the determinants of disability?

Answer 9

• biological and genetic factors
• social determinants such as employment and working conditions
• socio-economic status
• education
• exposure to stress
• access to health services
• prenatal factors
• health practices

*these determinants intersect with gender, race and class or origin