SOC Chapter 7: Global Stratification AND Chapter 8: Social Class in the United States Flashcards
Social Stratification
Chapter 7, Page 195
the division of large numbers of people into layers according to their relative property, power, and prestige;
applies to both nations and to people within a nation, society, or other group.
Slavery
Chapter 7, Page 195
a form of social stratification in which some people own other people
Bonded Labor
(Indentured Service)
Chapter 7, Page 196
a contractual system in which someone sells his or her body (services) for a specific period of time in an arrangement very close to slavery, except that it is entered into voluntarily
Ideology
Chapter 7, Page 197
beliefs about the way things ought to be that justify social arrangements
Caste System
Chapter 7, Page 197
a form of social stratification in which people’s statuses are lifelong conditions determined by birth
Endogamy
Chapter 7, Page 197
the practice of marrying within one’s own group
Apartheid
Chapter 7, Page 198
the government-approved-and-enforced separation of racial-ethnic groups as was practiced in South Africa
Estate Stratification System
Chapter 7, Page 200
the stratification system of medieval Europe, consisting of three groups or estates: the nobility, clergy, and commoners
Class System
Chapter 7, Page 201
a form of social stratification based primarily on income, education, and prestige of occupation
Social Mobility
Chapter 7, Page 201
movement up or down the social class ladder
Means of Production
Chapter 7, Page 202
the tools, factories, land, and investment capital used to produce wealth
Bourgeosie
(bo͝orZHwäˈzē)
Chapter 7, Page 202
Marx’s term for capitalists, those who own the means of production
Proletariat
(prōləˈterēət)
Chapter 7, Page 202
Marx’s term for the exploited class, the mass workers who do not own the means to production
Class Consciousness
Chapter 7, Page 202
Marx’s term for awareness of a common identity based on one’s position in the means of production
False Class Consciousness
Chapter 7, Page 202
Marx’s term to refer to workers identifying with the interests of capitalists
Meriocracy
Chapter 7, Page 205
a form of social stratification in which all positions are awarded on the basis of merit
Divine Right of Kings
Chapter 7, Page 202
the idea that the king’s authority comes from God;
in an interesting gender bender, also applies to queens
Colonialism
Chapter 7, Page 218
the process by which one nation takes over another nation, usually for the purpose of exploiting its labor and natural resources
World System Theory
Chapter 7, Page 218
a theory of how economics and political connections developed and now tie the world’s countries together
Globalization of Capitalism
Chapter 7, Page 219
capitalism (investing to make profits within a rational system) becoming the globe’s dominant economic system
Culture of Poverty
Chapter 7, Page 220
the assumption that the values and behaviors of the poor make them fundamentally different from other people, that these factors are largely responsible for their poverty, and that parent’s perpetuate poverty across generations by passing characteristics to their children
Neocolonialism
Chapter 7, Page 221
the economic and political dominance of the Least Industrialized Nations by the Most Industrialized Nations
Multinational Corporations
Chapter 7, Page 221
companies that operate across national boundaries;
also called transitional corporations
Social Class
Chapter 8, Page 227
according to Weber, a large group of people who rank close to one another in poverty, power, and prestige;
according to Marx, one of two groups: capitalists who own the means to production or workers who sell their labor
Poverty
Chapter 8, Page 227
material possessions: includes animals, bank accounts, bonds, buildings, cars, cash, commodities, copyrights, furniture, jewelry, land, and stocks
Wealth
Chapter 8, Page 227
the total value of everything someone owns, minus debts
Income
Chapter 8, Page 227
money received, usually from a job, business, or assets
Power
Chapter 8, Page 230
the ability to carry out your will, even over the resistance of others
Power Elite
Chapter 8, Page 230
C. Wright Mill’s term for the top people in U.S. corporations, military, and politics who make the nation’s major decisions
Prestige
Chapter 8, Page 233
respect or regard
Status Consistency
Chapter 8, Page 233
ranking high or low on all three dimensions of social class
Status Inconsistency
Chapter 8, Page 233
ranking high on some dimensions of social class and low on others; also class status discrepancy
Status
Chapter 8, Page 233
the position that someone occupies in a social group;
also called social status
Anomie
(anəˌmē)
Chapter 8, Page 234
Durkheim’s term for a condition of society in which people become detached from the usual norms that guide their behavior
Contradictory Class Locations
Chapter 8, Page 234
Erik Wright’s term for a position in the class structure that generates contradictory interests
Underclass
Chapter 8, Page 239
a group of people for whom poverty persists year after year and across generations
Intergenerational Mobility
Chapter 8, Page 243
the change that family members make in social class from one generation to the next
Upward Social Mobility
Chapter 8, Page 243
movement up in the social class ladder
Downward Social Mobility
Chapter 8, Page 243
movement down the social class ladder
Structural Mobility
Chapter 8, Page 243
movement up or down the social class ladder that is due more to changes in the structure of society than to the actions of individuals
Exchange Mobility
Chapter 8, Page 244
a large number of people moving up to social class ladder, while a large number move down; it is as tough they have exchanged places, and despite much social mobility the social class system show little change
Poverty Line
Chapter 8, Page 247
the official measure of poverty;
calculated to include incomes that are less than three times a low-cost food budget
Feminization of Poverty
Chapter 8, Page 251
a condition of U.S. poverty in which most poor families are headed by women
Culture of Poverty
Chapter 8, Page 251
the assumption that the values and behaviors of the poor make them fundamentally different from other people, that these factors are largely responsible for their poverty, and that their parents perpetuate poverty across generations by passing these characteristics to their children
Deferred Gratification
Chapter 8, Page 253
going without something in the present in the hope achieving greater gains in the future
Horation Alger Myth
Chapter 8, Page 255
the belief that due to limitless possibilities anyone can get ahead if he or she tries hard enough
