Midterm 2 Flashcards
Sex
A persons biological distinction between male and female
Genitalia and reproductive organs
Sexual orientation
A persons romantic and emotional attraction to another person
Heterosexuality
Attraction to the opposite sex
Homosexuality
Attraction to the same sex
Bisexual
Attraction to both sexes
Asexual
No sexual attraction to either sex
Is sexual orientation biological or sociological
Sociological- our sexuality comes from what society teaches us to do
We would expect that as conversation around homosexuality increases, so would the number of homosexuals
Biological- sexuality is innate, isn’t new, and possibly is genetic
Pornograph
Sexually explicit material used for pleasure
Porn is about power- men with less power tend to watch more porn because it portrays men as having power
Prostitution
Selling of sexual acts and favours
Street prostitutes vs escorts- danger increases but money decreases
Sexual violence
Any non consensual sexual activity
Structural Functional analysis of sexuality
Culture and social institutions regulate with whom and when people seek to reproduce (manifest function)
All cultures have regulations about who to reproduce with
Prostitution is a latent function that aids in the regulation of sexuality
Dysfunction- the gender imbalance of men buying and women selling
Symbolic Interaction Analysis of sexuality
How do societies construct their sexuality
Not all sexual constructs are contextual
Social Conflict and Feminist Analysis of sexuality
Sexuality reflects inequality and creates inequality
Queer Theory
Heterosexual culture stigmatizes homosexuality; wants to remove the stigma and power inequality
Hyper sexuality is linked to
Mental health problems Cognitive development problems Poor sexual and physical health Problems with intimacy Increased acceptance of violence
Deviance
Recognized violation of social and cultural norms
Definition of deviance are socially situated
Social control
Attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behaviour
Informal- human interaction shuns certain behaviours
Formal- police, laws
Social Foundations of Deviance
Varies according to cultural norms
Based on social definitions- nothing is inherently deviant
Social power gives greater ability to define deviance
4 Functions of Deviance (Emile Durkheim)
1) Deviance affirms cultural values and norms
2) Deviance and responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries
3) responding to deviance draws people together
4) deviance encourages social change
Robert Mertons Strain Theory
Accept Accept- conformity Accept m reject g- ritualism Reject m accept g- innovation Reject reject- retreatism New new- rebellion
Labelling Theory- Howard Becker
Deviance and conformity result not from what people do but rather to how others respond to those actions
Primary Deviance
responding to primary deviance has little effect of self confidence and on what other think of you
Secondary deviance
An individual takes on a deviant identity within an accepting subculture
Deviance becomes normalized and is important to the individuals identity
Stigma
Powerfully negative label that changes our concept of self and how others view us
Medicalization of deviance
Deviance is increasingly medicalized and attributed to mental illness
People view their actions differently the more they are medicalized
Sutherland Differential Association Theory
Conformity and deviance influenced by the level of contact we have with those who encourage or discourage certain attitudes and behaviours
Hitachi’ Control Theory
Behaviour and social control come from anticipating punishment
Attachment- the stronger an attachment to a group, the greater the likelihood of conformity
Opportunity- greater access to opportunities, the greater conformity
Involvement- deviance is prevented when people are involved in legitimate activities
Belief- a shared morality and authority figure leads to a greater degree of deviance
Social Conflict Analysis of Deviance
Deviance is based on status, position and power in society
Deviance threatens the interests of the wealthy
The powerful can resist deviant labels
The law is unequally applied and designed
Deviance and Capitalism- 4 Ideas
The poor who steal are deviant, the rich are not
The unemployed are deviant and it’s their fault
Disrespecting authority is deviant
Challenging the status quo is deviant
Crime
An act against a person or property
Hate crimes
Crimes based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc
Retribution
Eye for an eye punishment
Deterrence
Punishment such as fines which attempt to deter crime by fear of punishment
Rehabilitation
Form of redo coalition to prevent later offenses
Societal Protection
Separation from society in order to protect society
Community based corrections
Reduce overcrowding of prison, reduces stigma, allows for close personal supervision, saves money
Probation
Community based correction where the perp remains in society under certain conditions
Parole
Community based correction where the perp is supervised in society
Sentencing circles
Aboriginal offender meets with the victim, elders, and community members
Social stratification
A system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy
- trait of society not individuals
- persists over generations
- universal but variable
- involves underlying beliefs that dictate what is good and who should benefit
Culture of Poverty
The poor are responsible for for their poverty
They cannot or will not take advantage of opportunities
LICO
Low income cut off- how Canada measures poverty
If you spend more than 63% of your income on basic needs
Relative poverty
Poverty relative to those within your society
Absolute poverty
Poverty which is life threatening
Basic Needs Income
Can a family afford to provide for all their basic needs
Living wage
Measurement of amount a family or individual needs to provide for their basic needs
Takes into account safety, time for family, saving for future, dignified standard of living
Caste system
Social stratification is based on ascription or birth
Movement up and down the social strata is impossible
Class System
Social stratification based on birth and individual effort
Meritocracy- stratification based on personal effort
Classless society
No defined strata
Doesn’t really exist
Status Consistency
Does a persons social standing stay consistent if inequality is measured differently (based on race, gender, etc)
Open Stratification System
Stratification system in which merit rather than inheritance determines social rank
Ability for social mobility
Closed Stratification System
Stratification in which inheritance rather than merit determines social rank
Little mobility and social change possible
Davis-Moore Thesis (S-F analysis)
Social stratification allows for the filling of necessary positions in society
The greater talent or importance of a position the more reward society attaches to it
Egalitarian societies offer little incentive for people to try their best
Social Conflict Analysis of Social Stratification
Capitalist society leads to great stratification
2 classes- capitalists and proletariat
Alienation- the experience of isolation and misery resulting from powerlessness
Marx believed eventually the proletariats would revolt
S-I Analysis of Social Stratification
Max Weber- Class, Status, Power
Stratification is a multidimensional ranking; social, economic, status, power
Socioeconomic Status- composite ranking based on several dimensions of social inequality
Pierre Bourdieus Cultural Capital
Collection of symbolic elements that one acquires as part of a particular social class We embody our position in the social strata Conspicuous Consumption- people interact primarily with others of similar social standing, so we buy things to portray outwardly where we belong
Social Mobility
Movement upward or downward in terms of socioeconomic status
Intergenerational mobility
Movement that takes place across generations in one family
Intragenerational Mobility
Movement within ones lifetime that results in chance of social strata
High income nations
Nations with the highest overall standards of living
Middle Income Countries
Nations with a standard of living which is about average for the world
Low income countries
Nations with a low standard of living in which most people are poor
Factors (Correlates of) Causing Poverty
Lack of technology limits production
High birth rates produce rapid pop increase
Traditional cultural pattern make people resist change
Extreme social inequality distributed wealth unequally
Extreme gender inequality limits opportunities for women
Colonialism allowed for the exploitation of some nations by others
Colonialism
Process by which nations better themselves by controlling lower income nations
Direct political and economic exploitation
Neocolonialism
Economic exploitation of natural resources of lower income nations by higher income nations
Multinational Corporations
The head office of large corporations is in a high income country but there is exploitation in the low income earning country
Sets up neocolonialism
Modernization Theory
Model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of technological and cultural differences between nations
Rostow’s Stages of Modernization
Traditional Stage- socialized to traditional ways, fam and community are imp
Take off stage- groups and cultures begin to break away from tradition
Drive to Technological Maturity- greater breakaway as individuals embrace the idea that they can have a higher standard of living
High Mass Consumption- mass production means that people can produce based on wants not needs
Dependency Theory
Explains global inequality in terms of the historical exploitation of low income nations by high income ones
Economic development of LIN is hampered by HIN
Colonialism undermines development of LIN
Wallerstein’s Capitalist World Economy
Core, Semi Periphery, Periphery countries (HIN, MIN, LIN)
Core takes resources from the periphery countries, refines them, and the. Sells them back for a higher price, which means they have to take out loans
Gender
Personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being male or female
Gender roles
Are on a continuum- there are 52 categories which people can lie somewhere between
Gender roles are often in conflict with other roles
Gender stratification
Unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between men and women when looking at the group, not individuals
Patriarchy
Society in which as a group males hold more power
Matriarchy
Society in which as a group females hold the most power
Gender as a social construct
Socially constructed within the society
Not stable or fixed
Does not to be linked to or congruent with sex assigned at birth
Not polar opposites
Gender inequality is reinforced by gender stereotypes
Gender and The Work Force
Workforce is nearly equal in men and women
Women dominate helping professions while men dominate senior positions and trades
More low income single parent families are single moms rather than dads
Women employed full time earn 19-20% less than men employed full time
45% of women working full time are occupied in the bottom 20% of low paying jobs
Reasons for Gender Stratification
1) women’s “second shift”
2) women’s ability to have children means they are payed 71.3c to every 1$ a man makes
3) glass ceiling
Structural Function Analysis of Gender Stratification
Talcott Parsons
Gender inequality has a function
Gender roles are inherently linked to biological roles
Instrumental Roles- men built to provide and to think strategically and rationally
Expressive Roles- women built to raise children and to nurture
S-I Approach of Gender Stratification
How do men and women negotiate their roles in society
Woman woman and man man biter action the individuals involved hold a firm body posture
Woman man interaction, men act bigger and women act smaller
S-C analysis of gender stratification
Frederich Engels
Men gained power over women in the past
Capitalism depends on well nurtured men to work, therefore the women must nurture them at home
Capitalism depends on women consuming products
Feminism
Works to Increase equality Expand human choice Eliminate gender stratification Eliminate sexual violence Promote sexual freedom
Liberal Feminism
Gender inequalities are caused and perpetuated by gender stereotyping and gendered roles
Socialist Feminism
Women’s unpaid domestic labour maintains and reproduces to labour force
Capitalists benefit from women being unequal
Radical Feminism
Sexism is so embedded in our society that we need to eliminate the terms for gender
Intersection Theory
The study of the interaction of race, class, and gender, often leading to multiple dimensions of disadvantage
Exercising Power
Male power and control over women characterizes all social relations, routine behaviours, and commonly accepted practices
Economy
Social system which organizes a society’s production, distributions and consumption of goods and services
Agricultural Exonomic System
Characterized by agricultural tech, specialized work, permanent settlements, no travel
Industrial economic system
Characterized by more centralized factory work, mass production, introduction of surplus, more specialized work, wage labour
Information/ Postindustrial economic system
Provision of services rather than just goods, advanced technology, selling ideas rather than goods, increased need for literacy, ability to work from almost anywhere
Capitalism
Economic system in which natural resources and the means of producing goods and services are privately owned
Private Ownership of Property
Pursuit of personal profit
Competition and consumer choice
Laissez- Faire Economics
Adam smith
Government is to maintain authority and not interfere in the economy
Welfare Capitalism
Combines a mostly market based economy with an extensive social welfare program
Provision of welfare allows more people to spend money in the market based economy
Characterized by higher taxes but often higher standards of living
Socialism
Natural resources and the means of producing goods and services are collectively owned
Everyone is able to have their basic needs met
Government owns and runs industry
Economics and the future
2011- 17.99 million people employed, 80% in the service sector
Seeing a rise in self employment, unemployment, and precarious (seasonal or sporadic) work
Political institution
Institution that contributes to the governance of a society
Government or State
Monopolizes the legitimate power and authority
Formal organization that directs political life of a society
Individuals give up their right to self govern freely
Politics
The social institution that distributes power, sets a societies agenda, and makes decisions
Power
Ability of an individual to meet desired ends despite opposition
Authority
Power that is seen as legitimate and is gained through legitimate means
Political Parties
Organizations that seek to control state power
Social Movements
Used by those who lack the power to impose their will
Groups that form with a purpose
Traditional Authority
Long established
Based in the validity of long standing norms
Often inherited
Rational-Legal Authority
Leadership is based on legally enacted rules
Unwritten contract between the ruler and subjects
Often seen in hierarchal societies
Charismatic Authority
Leadership that attract allegiance based on personal or extraordinary abilities
Routinization of Charisma
Charismatic authority becomes traditional or rational-legal authority
Monarchy
Single family rules over generations
Absolute Monarchu
The monarch has power over all decisions made
Constitutional Monarchy
Monarch is the head of the state but other individuals in government make decisions
Democracy
Power is given to the peopl as a whole
People given the power to vote for who they want
Associated with rational legal authority
Authoritarianism
Denies popular participation; high levels of corruption as power is concentrated in the hands of the few
Totalitarianism
A highly centralized political system that extensively regulates people’s lives
Charismatic authority
Pluralist Model
S-F analysis
People rule
Power is dispersed among many competing interest groups
Those in power attempt to appease as man of those groups as possible
Allows for individuals and groups to share their opinions
Power Elite Model
Power is concentrated among the very rich
C Wright Mills- Triangle of Power
Political, military, and economic institutions are included in the discretion of the rich
Marxist Political Economy Model
Explains politics in terms of the operation of a society’s economic system
The rich capitalists will try to keep their power and shut out the vast majority of people from the political process
Terrorism
Acts of violence or the threat of violence as a political strategy
New social movements
Social movements considered new in terms of their goals (secure rights and freedoms of humanity as a whole), the people they attract (more minority groups), the global focus (globalization)
