SOCI Final (2nd half of class) Flashcards
Social Stratification (SS)
How a society ranks categories of people into a hierarchy
How does SS affect peoples life chances (1)
Access to important resources (food, shelter, education, employment)
It takes about 2 generations for a low-income family to reach the average income of OECD nations
False
- its takes about 4-5 generations
Principle features of SS (3)
- Persists over generations
- It’s universal but variable
- the amount, type, definition, practice of and reason for inequality varies from society to society - SS involves inequality & beliefs
Social Mobility
Change in position within social hierarchy
Social mobility is only used when referring to some one’s social status being elevated
False
- it can refer to up, down and horizontal movement in a hierarchy
Only industrialized socities show signs of stratification
False
- all socities and groups are stratified
Ethnicity is a fully ascribed trait
False
- its not totally fixed, depends on where ur born
Talent can be either an ascribed or achieved trait
True
Characteristics of an open Society (3)
- Meritocracy (if you work hard enough you can move up)
- but still a mix of ascribed and achieved traits - Stratification based on work type prestige
- Blurring the lines of class distinction (particularly middle class)
Why did meritocracy develop as a result of industrialization?
industrial societies need to develop broad range of abilities and knowledge (specialization - people choosing what they want to contribute) - no set roles (a job will be performed by those who are best for it)
Why is meritocracy a slay (2)
- People have greater independence and choice over their lives (career, spouse etc)
- It promotes productivity and efficiency (working hard to achieve what you want)
Why would a pure meritocracy be a no slay (4)
- Ongoing social mobility would blur social categories
- Dissociating of social groups
- If there was no competition/concept of winners/losers and its accompanying rewards/consequences, highly specialized professions like surgery would be chaos
- Industrial societies esp need to keep some element of caste to maintain order and social unity
d
Industrialized societies rely more on prestige (in work types) than other societies
True
- Industrialized societies are meritocratic so status is partly based on your effort and talent
Why is stratified society a good thing for society? (3)
- Incentivises us to do things (to be rewarded)
- Upholds meaning + order
- Competition (winners + losers)
The greater possibility of social mobility means greater probability as well
false
Davis-Moore Thesis (Functionalist analysis of SS)
Social stratification has beneficial consequences for the operation of a society
Karl Marx on SS
Says SS is problematic
Goes off on capitalism as per usual
- Capitalist society reproduces the class structure in each new generation
- Capitalism makes owners richer
Characteristics of a Closed society/Caste System (4)
- Stratification based on ascribed traits
- Wastes human potential - individualism not present
- Stratification based on cultural beliefs (ie. India’s based on Hindu moral duties)
- Demands endogamous marriage
- keeping people with their “own kind” - Pretty much impossible to move up or down class ladder
Caste systems are unstable and messy structures
False
- they are stable and orderly
Why are caste/closed society systems found in agrarian societies? (3)
- Agriculture demands lifelong routine of hard work (discipline and willingness to keep same jobs as parents)
- People in rural areas have less choices for work and spouses
- Farming is open to everyone (don’t need to be highly skilled/trained)
India’s caste system is still practiced, but only in rural areas
True
- outlawed formally 70 years ago
4 major castes in India
Each have hundreds of jatis/sub caste groups
1. Brahmin
2. Kshatriya
3. Vaishya
4. Sudra
Name of South African caste
Apartheid
- racial separation instituded by whites
Apartheid legacy (3)
In South Africa:
1. 1/7 people live on less than $2/day
2. 30% unemployment rate for adults
3. Economy still dominated by whites
How does ascription shape peoples lives (4)
- Generations of a family in a particular caste will do the same work
- Marriage partners are determined by the respective families
- Everyday life is structured such that there is no ‘mixing’ (stay on rung)
- Legitimacy is founded on deep cultural norms/beliefs (ideology)
Caste system definition
Social stratification based on ascription/birth
Class system definition
Social stratification based on both birth and individual achievement
The richest 20% of the global population has 95% of global income
false
- Richest 20% of global population have 67% of global income
Poorest 20% have 2% of global income
true
Why is the first, second, third world labelling system not useful today? (2)
- it was product of cold war politics
- Capitalist west (first world) vs socialist east (second) & third on sidelines
- Now Distinctive 2nd world doesn’t exist
- it lumps more than 100 countries into “third world”
What is a better way to group countries together (that isn’t 1st, 2nd, 3rd world terminology)? Why?
Talk about countries in terms of income
- High income countries
- Middle-income countries
- Low-income countries
- This system focusses on economic development (more relevant today) rather than political structure
High income countries
nations with highest overall standards of living
Middle-income countries
nations with about average standard of living
Low-income countries
nations with a low standard of living, most are poor
Nations where industrial revolution have more than 2 centuries ago are generally less productive now because of how much time has lapsed since.
False
- Nations where industrial revolution happened >2 centuries ago, productivity went 100x
- ie. Japan: more economically productive than entire African continent S of Sahara
Poor in NA are generally economically better off than half the world
true
Middle-income countries make up most of the land in the world
False
- High-income countries make up the largest % of land in the world
Low income countries make up most of the worlds population
False
- Middle income countries make up the largest % of the worlds population
Note: high population density in low income countries
Why are rich nations so productive? (2)
- Advanced technology
- Control of the global economy
Many of todays middle-income countries’ economies are socialist
False
- many used to have socialist economies
- now more are free-market systems (capitalism)
Most low-income countries are agrarian with some industry
True
Though it is invisibilised, poverty is more severe in rich countries
false
- poverty more severe in poor countries
Canadians have the highest quality of life (based on income, education, longevity)
False - this title belongs to Norwegians
1/10 children in low income countries don’t make it to age 5
True ;(
Poverty is greatest in Sub sahara
True
All 12 nations with the highest rates of infant mortality are in Asia
False
- in Africa
Children in Poverty (4)
- High disease risk
- High pregnancy risk (for girls)
- High violence risk
- Miss out on school (have to provide income for family)
Males under the age of 12 make up the majority of sweatshop workers
False
- Women make up majority of sweatshop workers
Women in poverty (2)
- Tradition makes women responsible for child rearing
- No reproductive health care
- high birth rates which limits economic production of country
Gender inequality is greater in low-income countries
true
Older, single men more susceptible to poverty
False
- Older, single women are more susceptible to poverty
Only a few thousand people globally experience a form of slavery today
False
- roughly 20 million people live in slavery conditions
Descent based slavery
Owner owns slave and offspring, generally involves the enslavement of people of one ethnic group
Forced-labour slavery
imposed by state (ie. criminal violations),
- China if ur a prostitute
Leasing of convicts for work is cheaper than descent-based slavery
True
Child slavery
poor families send kids out to beg, steal or work in production
Debt bondage slavery
Ie. sweatshops
workers given wages is less than that of their food & housing prices
- always in debt, can’t repay
Marriage slavery
women married off against will, slave for husband family, sex work
Human trafficking
promise of a job but instead forced to become prostitutes or perform farm labour
Trading people (human trafficking) is one of the greatest profits to organized crime
True
Explanations of Global Poverty (5)
- Lack of technology: economic production
- Population growth: birth rates
- Social Stratification: wealth distribution
- Gender Inequality: women raise lotta kids
- Global power relationships
Africa population projected to double every 25 years
true
A societies living standards depends heavily on women’s social standing
True
- If women aren’t given opportunties to work they will be forced to stay at home (why not have a lot of kids)
- greater population = slower economic development
Colonialism
nation enriched by political/economical control of other nations
Neocolonialism
economic exploitation by multinational corporations (large business operating in many countries)
Examples of neocolonialism (2)
- Owners impose will on countries they do business with to create favourable economic conditions for their operation
- Buying property in poor nations (ie. China’s “friendship farms” in Africa)
3 statuses in Aristocratic England
- First Estate
- Second Estate
- Third Estate
First Estate in Aristocratic England
Highest church officials
- lived in palaces
- power to shape politics
Second Estate in Aristocratic England
Royalty/hereditary nobility
- No occupations (just rode horses, learned war, art, music, literature stuff)
Gendered stuff in Aristocratic england
Second Estate (3)
- All property passed to oldest son/male relation
- Younger sons would become leaders in church (tying the two together), military officers, judges
- Women depended on marrying well for her security
Law of primogeniture
Pertaining to Second estate in Aristocractic England
- all property passed to oldest son/male relation
Third Estate in Aristocratic England
Commoners
- worked land of those in 1st and 2nd estate
- little schooling, largely illiterate
How did industrialization help those in third estate aristocratic england slay (2)
- Rise of the class system/meritocracy (blurring of differences between aristocrats and commoners)
- schooling expansion, legal rights
- All this empowered some to make enough to challenge nobility
Why are the british sometimes referred to as “a single people divided by a common language”
The importance attached to linguistic accents
- “the King’s English vs sepaking “like commoners”
Can any society be truly classless?
Nope
Russian revolution effects on class
- Transferred productive property from private ownership to state control (gave greater economic equality)
Boasted of being a “classless society” (but nope)
- In a single generation, USSR became industrial, with near elimination of homelessness and unemployment & provision of free education and health care
4 categories of Russia’s class
- High government officials (Apparatchiks)
- political power concentrated here - Soviet intelligentsia
- lower government, professors, scientists - Manual workers
- Rural peasantry
Gorbachez’s suggestions of restructuring (perestroika) Russian federation
- He saw that living standards lagged behind other industrial nations
- Reduce centralization economical control to generate economic growth
- Led to a reformation of people blaming poverty on communist ruling class
Results of perestroika (Russian reformation in 1980s) to Russian society
- Toppled socialist government in 1989
- Soviet Union collapsed in 1991
- something similar to great depression because of so much structural social mobility - Increased poverty and decreased lifespan
Social mobility in “classless” societies (ie. Russia)
A lot of upward social mobility (USSR in 20th century)
- expanding industry drawing peasants out of rural areas into factories
Structural social mobility
a shift in the social position of large numbers of people due more to changes in society itself than to individual efforts
- ie. as a result of industrialization
4 categories of China’s society
- political elite (who rule country)
- Managers and skilled professionals
- Industrial workers
- Rural peasants
Overall, China’s population has experienced structural downward mobility over the past 4 decades
False
- In general China’s population has experienced structural upward mobility by 10%/year with economic expansion over 4 decades
Hai gui
China’s society:
- “returned from overseas” increasing in # as many return from international educations
Economic/income ineuqality in China is decreasing
False
- China has seen an Increase in economic inequality (more and more business and political elite members become mill/billionaires)
Current Communist party leader of China Xi Jingping declares all work to be equally important
False
- It was Parter leader Mao Zedong (in the 20th century) who declared all work to be equally important (no official social classes, but ofc social differences remained)
Social hierarchies are maintained by ideology
True
- maintained by cultural beliefs that justify social arrangements
Belief is ideological if it supports inequality by defining it as fair
True
- ie. rich = smart, poor = lazy
Plato on ideology
every culture considers some type of inequality fair
Marx on ideology
more critical than Plato
1. blames capitalism for defending wealth/power in hands of the few & allows money to stay in families
2. Culture and institutions support society’s elite and consequently, hierarchies
Caste systems are associated with capitalist & industrial societies because hierarchy and organization is needed to maintain structure
False
- Meritocracy & class systems are associated with industrial/capitalist societies
- they rely on specialization and competition based on skill/merit for all the new jobs
Caste systems are typical of agrarian societies
tru dat
Compare and contrast how poor are treated in Industrial vs Feudalist societies
given charity under feudalism & looked down on as undeserving in industrial societies
Herbert Spencer (2)
- Coined “the survival of the fittest” (from darwinism)
- Incorrectly applied this to society (which doesn’t follow biological principles) - opposed social welfare (penalized “best” through taxes, reward “worst”)
Structural Functional Theory of Inequality (person(s))
Davis & Moore
Social Conflict theory of inequality (person(s))
Marx and lil Weber
Structural Functional Theory of Inequality (Davis & Moore)
- Social stratification has beneficial consequences for society’s operation
- Stratification exists to show that crucial positions must be offered enough rewards to draw talented people away from less important work
- unequal rewards benefit society as a whole (encourages productivity & efficiency)
- Equality says that a job poorly and well done should be rewarded equally
What does Tumin argue against Davis & Moore’s functionalist theory of social inequality?
this theory can ignore how caste element of social stratification can prevent development of individual talent
Social Conflict Theory (Marx & a lil bit of Weber)
- Social stratification benefits some and disadvantages other
- Marx → Social stratification is rooted in people’s relation to means of production
Owners (capitalists/bourgeoisie) and workers (proletarians)
What was Marx’s prediction about the end of capitalism
- capitalism destroy itself (working majority to overthrow capitalists)
- Proposed a socialist system (meet needs of
all) - Capitalism produces alienation
Why was there no marxist revolution? (as he predicted) (4)
- Fragmentation of capitalist class (millions of stockholders rather than single families own companies)
- Higher standard of living (higher income, less hours)
- More worker organizations (unions, strikes rights)
- Greater legal projections (safety/financial security)
This century sees a greater percentage of white collar workers (compared to blue collar workers in last century)
true
This century sees a greater percentage of white collar workers (compared to blue collar workers in last century)
true
Wealth is quite evenly distributed in Canada
False - it remains highly concentrated
There are now lower rates of unemployment, downsizing, budgets cutting & job benefits in Canada
false
Marx’s class model
Stratification is about economy
1. Owners (capitalists/bourgeoisie)
2. workers (proletarians)
Weber’s 3 dimensions of inequality (multidimensional)
Stratification is about culture
- Economic position (class) - how much $$ you make
- agrarian societies
- Social prestige (status) - respect
- economic class in industrial/capitalist societies
- Power (party) - ability to achieve goals despite
- bureaucratic/socialist societies
Marx’s thoughts on socialism
abolish capitalism to eliminate social stratification, replace with socialism
Webers thoughts on socialism
socialism’s expanding government & concentration of power would increase inequality
Marx & weber treat social stratification as a micro-level issue
false
- they look at it from a macro perspective
People tend to live/socialize with similar people (because of SS)
True
Symbolic interaction theory of social inequality
- Conspicuous consumption
- we size people up by looking for clues to their social standing
Conspicuous consumption
consuming product b/c of its attachment to social position
→ showing off status through buying things
Thorsten Veblen
Associated with conspicuous consumption
The Jazz age (1920s)
- beginning of consumerism ig
- quantity is the best
- Challenges concept of authenticity - we can change things so fast so what is real? (anomie)
Consumerism is independent of pop culture
False
- Consumerism has always been at the centre of pop culture
Pop culture as a political space (for good and bad)
Focus on on youth as consumers (up to age 25)
- concern comes b/c people are scared what’s
happening to youth
Infused with gender & race
-Fear in 1920s was esp about how women were
dressing
Hunting and gathering societies
no categories better off
Simple technology, produce for needs, survival based on sharing
teach us ties to the natural environment
Horticultural, Pastoral & Agrarian Societies
Social inequality increases as technological advances create a surplus in work
Small elite (godlike) control most of surplus, agriculture more productive
Social inequality greatest in Horticultural, Pastoral & Agrarian Societies
true
Gerhard Lenski on Horticultural, Pastoral & Agrarian societies
advancing technology initially increases SS
Marxist revolutions occurred in Industrial Societies as he predicted
false they happened in agrarian societies
Industrial Societies
Inequality moves downward
- meritocracy weakens elite power, wealth less concentrated
- Higher living standard, specialized work reduces illiteracy
- women voicing political views
Income inequality today is similar to that of….
1920
- 1990 was a slay though
Post-industrial Societies
Upturn in economic inequality
Kuznets Curve (Simon Kuznets)
Trend of how technological advances first increase but then moderate intensity of SS
-Agrarian societies function better with greater inequality
- Industrial societies function better in a more equal system
There is more income inequality in nations where a larger share of the labour force is farming
true
- less in High-income, post industrial nations
Criticism of Kuznets Curve
Canada shows increase in economic inequality suggesting the curve may need revision
Income inequality reflects society’s political & economic priorities
true
Canada had a rigid distinct ranking caste system once in history
false
- don’t forget the racism though
canada is still highly stratified
- rich get the best of it all, millions in poverty
- Many think of Canada as “middle-class” where people are more or less alike
Canada had a rigid distinct ranking caste system once in history
false
- don’t forget the racism though
canada is still highly stratified
- rich get the best of it all, millions in poverty
- Many think of Canada as “middle-class” where people are more or less alike
Income
earnings from work/investments
Wealth
total value of money, mutual funds & assets minus debts
How does wealth concentration weaken democracy
Democracy becomes a system that serves interests of the super rich
- Those who control much of the wealth also control/shape the society’s agenda
Occupational Prestige varies from time to time and varies within high income nations
False
- its Constant in high-income nations and over time
High ranking jobs are dominated by men
true
lower-ranking jobs are dominated by racial minorities
true
What is occupational prestige based on? (3)
income
level of training
skill/ability
60% of degree holders are women
true
visible minorities & immigrants tend to have higher level of education
true
- but still income disparity
there are more single-parent families among Indigenous peoples
true
There is high status consistency in Canada
false
- position may change over lifetime (blurry middle class)
Capitalists in Canada
owners of production means
- Business owners, top officials (historically white)
Source of income (primarily inherited) - stock/bond shares, real estate
Upper uppers (old upper class/blue bloods/society)
Queen Elizabeth
- Practically always because of birth (old money), live in exclusive neighborhoods
- Women work charities, help larger community, broadens elite power & network
- make up smallest portion of canadian pop
HNWI
high net worth individuals
ie. queen lizzy
Lower uppers (new upper class/working rich)
JK Rowling
Some of the richest in the world
Earn money not inheriting it
Can’t enter associations of “old money” families
Middle Class
Largest portion of Canada
- influence on culture
- highly represented in media (average consumers)
- Build up small wealth over working lives (house/retirement account)
What class in Canada are More seeking post-secondary credentials in?
Middle class
Upper middle class
you bitch
Upper-middles (fairly nice houses, multiple cars, build investments)
High prestige occupations
Children attend university
Influence local political affairs
Average middle class
Less prestigious white-collar jobs or highly skilled blue collar jobs
Working class
- blue collar workers are Marx’s industrial proletariat
- Little to no wealth, vulnerable to financial problems (unemployment & illness)
- Little personal satisfaction in discipline not imagination/independence centred jobs
- Precarious employment
From highest to lowest percentage of Canadians name the classes
Middle class, working class, lower class, lower-upper, upper-upper
Precarious employment
few benefits like medical insurance and pension plans
- Jobs not guaranteed to be kept long term
- Most people are going to have 4-5 careers
Lower Class
- low income
- insecure & difficult lives
- Working poor → Low prestige jobs with little satisfaction and income
- Segregated (esp racial & ethnic minorities) by Canadian society
The higher the social standing the less confidence you have because of the pressure on you
false
more confidence (others see them as having more importance)
Old rich values
- strong sense of family history (position based on inherited money)
- Don’t need to prove who they are - understated manners & tastes
New rich values
engage in conspicuous consumption
Why is the working class more socially conservative?
grew up in greater supervision & discipline
- they are economically conservative
Why is the upper class more socially liberal?
Affluent with greater education & financial security
Why is the upper class more economically conservative
to protect wealth
Lower class are more involved in politics (voting, joining political organizations)
false
- well off are like this
Compare and contrast children of working vs upper class
Working class
- conform to norms, respect authority, boundaries
- work in jobs requiring them to follow rules
High income
- flexible, develop individuality
Friendships in working class vs upper
Working class - friendships as sources of material assistance
Higher incomes - friendships involved shared interest & leisure pursuits
Marriage in working vs upper class
Working class couples → traditional gender roles
Middle class → egalitarian with greater intimacy
Social mobility has to do with individual change
false
Social mobility more to do with changes in society
- ie. industrialization: expanding of economy, higher living standards
- outsourcing of jobs (factories close) = downward structural social mobility
Examples of experiencing upward social mobility
getting a PSI degree, high paying job, marrying rich
Examples of experiencing downward social mobility
dropping out, losing job, becoming divorced (esp for women)
Examples of experiencing downward social mobility
dropping out, losing job, becoming divorced (esp for women)
Keister study of social mobility
jaz
those at the bottom are most likely to experience no social mobility (keister study)
true
- Largest % of people who “stayed put” were at either extreme
there is more pronounced mobility in middle ranges of income (keister study)
true
Men are more likely to have same work type as dad
true
Compared to Canada, Australia and Nordic countries, where is social mobility lower?
UK, US, France, S. Europe
Horizontal social mobility
changing jobs at same class level
It is the exception that will experience social mobility compared to their parents
false
- 80% of kids show some type of social mobility in relation to their parents
Social mobility is high in a single generation
false
within a single generation, social mobility is usually small (not large interclass mvmt)
Long-term and short-term trend of social mobility
Long-term trend in social mobility has been upward (but shows signs of ending)
Short-term trend (since ‘07) in social mobility has been downward (middle class shrink)
Real minimum wage has been virtually unchanged since 70s
true - staleld earnings
Expanding global economy has increased income for all
false
- More jobs now offer little income
- less high paying factory jobs & more service jobs
- Increase of low-paying jobs brought downward mobility for middle
Expanding global economy has increased income for all
false
- has increased increased and upward social mobility for educated people
- More jobs now offer little income
- less high paying factory jobs & more service jobs (pays less)
- Increase of low-paying jobs brought downward mobility for middle
Median Canadian family income has increased for all
true
- but gap has gotten bigger b/w top & bottom
There is less industry in Canada
true
we are consumers of technology made in ie. Asia
Relative poverty
- deprivation of resources that is life harming
- invisible
Absolute poverty
lack of resources that is life-threatening (750 million globally)
How does Canada measure poverty rate
LICO (Low-income Cut-off): family spends over 60% of after-tax income on necessities
LIM (Low-Income Measure): 50% of national median income
MBM (Market Basket Measure): cost of things to maintain physical health
Who is more at risk of poverty?
elderly, woman, single parent family, visible minority, Indigenous
Visible minorities make up the majority of Canadians people in poverty
false
majority is white, but visible minorities have higher odds (in relation to population)
- Highest rates of poverty for children are on-reserve kids in Manitoba & Saskatchewan
Order of visible minorities in poverty (most to less)
Arab Canadians, Korean Canadians, Indigenous peoples
Feminization of poverty
more households headed by single women
- more likely to be in poverty if single parent and womand
- more women living in poverty (of all ages)
Poverty is higher in rural areas than urban
false
- Poverty higher in urban than rural (more hidden & no infrastructures to service poor in rural areas)
“New Homeless”
people thrown out of work, escaping domestic violence, rent increases
Liberal thoughts on welfare
its a bandaid approach
- Amounts spent on welfare are nothing compared to tax write offs for RRSPs
- left want to improve and expand social assistance
Conservative thoughts on welfare
- makes country broke
- Worsened poverty: Eroded traditional family
- doesn’t help non-working women make transition to self-sufficiency, encourages out-of-wedlock births
- Government assistance undermines self-reliance
- welfare should be redesigned into work-for-welfare programs
People in poverty thoughts on welfare
its degrading and confusing
Is the Canadian dream rlly a thing
Canadian dream - make the effort, economic security, improve social standing
No
- there is more income inequality
- the myth of if you work hard you can get ahead
More and more Canadians are identifying as middle class
false
- less are
Marx says that capitalist society reproduces ________ in each new generation
Class structure (you are owner or worker)
There is a trend of more courses for less money in public uni
False
Less for more
Higher tuition, fewer courses
Political party
- macro-structure demanding change be made
- Weber recognized that mass change happens when people collect and form political parties
Who’s classifications of stratification influence our national census questions?
Weber (dimensions of class, status and power)
- how much do you make, what is your job
Socioeconomic status
- A profile based on various dimensions of social inequality (income, education, occupational prestige)
- A set of cultural beliefs we’ve been socialized with
Contradictory class locations
Contradiction is that you have lots of skills + income but you aren’t the owner
- most of middle class occupies this
Erik Olin Wright
Contradictory class locations
Classism
A belief that those in higher classes are inherently superior (values, behavior, lifestyle)
Intergenerational Mobility
- Mobility of a family’s children and grandchildren
- Kids will generally do better than their parents - Status anxiety
- Will I do as well as my parents
Intragenerational mobility
Mobility of people in their lifetime
- Ie. if you’re gen z - how are you doing relative to other gen z’s
Why is the middle class shrinking
- its invisible (blurred)
- increasingly going into debt
- same amount of money for smaller portions
- We’re being resocialized to learn what middle class is
How are we being resocialized to learn what middle class is:
Old vs Modern
- Wanting to buy a house vs condo/renting
- Having 2 cars vs biking, transiting
- Privacy vs work/leisure blending
Pierre Bourdieu
- Book: “Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste” (1979)
- Interested in taste (food, movies, literature)
- We can tell social classes based on what we see
Pierre Bourdieu on taste
- A practice that gives people a sense of their place in the social world/order
- Humour, food, friends, leisure activities, what we’re comfortable saying, neighbourhoods, social media
- Middle class people going to middle class restaurants because it feels more “them”
All types of capital are intimately related to one another and are represented symbolically
true
read it again marie i know you skipped it
Economic capital
Financial resources
Marx
Cultural capital
Strategies of thinking, ways of speaking
Social capital
Your network: Knowing the right people (who will help you get various opportunities)
Social capital
Your network: Knowing the right people (who will help you get various opportunities)
Symbolic capital
Credentialism
Stuff (material objects)
- What you wear
- Where you live
-Where you go to school
Attributional symbols
Symbols that represents capital we actually possess (Bsc, UBC)
Aspirational symbols
Using symbols that represent what we hope to achieve/become (UBC 2026)
- Knock off brands
Unionization is going up in industrialized countries
FASLE
Billionaire club is growing
True
- we legitmize their practices by consuming their products
- watching yacht club reality tv shows
Protestant ethic (weber says slay?)
How to get to Heaven DIY
- Work hard
- Save your money
- Be honest
- Suffer through work that you don’t like doing
Criminalizing poverty
- making it illegal to live in your car (parking in residential neighborhoods)
- Poverty disproportionately affects women and people of color
Poverty is inherited (generational)
- Poverty disproportionately affects women and people of color
subjective poverty
- deprivation of resources in relation to others (ie. based on where we live)
Food Insecurity
Inability to obtain sufficient, nutritious, personally acceptable food through normal food chanells or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so
Kraft Dinner article
- Comfort for food-secure (have all the resources to cook it, feel good donating)
- Discomfort for food-insecure (don’t got all resources to cook, symbol of poverty)
- food banks as a thing for rich to do to make themselves feel betetr
Why do we blame the poor for poverty
- individualising of problems
- cultural value on self-reliance - Canada’s values of competitive individualism and personal responsibility
-people should receive rewards proportional to abilities and efforts
Explaining poverty: Blame the poor
- Lazy/don’t work hard enough
- Trapped in a culture of poverty (destroys ambition to improve life) - Poor impulse control, planning skills, decision making (school, budgeting)
- Substance abuse (saying its purely a choice)
- Learned helplessness
Neoliberalism
transfer of government control to private actors (forces sufficiency)
- does not like expanded welfare program (discourages sufficiency)
Leaders who supported neoliberalism brought down social spending
Explaining poverty: blame society
William Julius Wilson
- Loss of jobs in cities (available jobs off only low wages)
- housing not affordable
- Discrimination
- Lack of trying of the poor b/c of little opportunity
- Closing down of mental institutions in recent decades
William Julius Wilson
says government should take lead in funding jobs, child care
- In light of recent recession, cuts to welfare & higher income inequality
- Limited government support for lower-income people
The working poor
Those experiencing poverty working full time in precarious employment
post uni graduation the gender wage gap closes as time goes on
false
- it increases
wage gap is invisible
Nellie McClung
Struggled for women’s rights in 1870s
Goldwin Smith
Toronto journalist
- Giving women right to vote would lead to “national emasculation”
- Protested right of women to enter universities
Males tend to do better in math and writing, women in reading
false
Males do better in mathematics & reading, females in writing
Why were women denied the vote
it was assumed they didn’t have enough intelligence
- reflection of cultural patterns at the time
Margaret Mead’s Research on gender
If gender is biological everyone should define it similarly
Culture is key to gender distinctions
- new guinea found different gender roles
Israeli Kibbutz research on gender
no gendered adult and kid roles
George Murdock’s Research
With simple technology, pre-industrial societies assign roles reflecting physicality
Women have the highest social standing in Nordic countries and Holland
true
- low in mali, chad
Examples of institutional sexism
- women highly concentrated in low-paying jobs
- excusing of violence (more in the past)
What does patriarchy cost men?
- masculinity encouraging driving stupid, dangerous sports, substances
- Suicide, violence & stress related diseases
- Type A associated with masculine impatience, competitiveness, heart disease
Gendered way of handling infants
cuddles for girls, air throws for boys
Women dominate sociology field
true
The beauty myth
striving to be physically attractive to men is key to women’s happiness
- Motivates men to think of women as objects/status symbols
in advertising
- Men taller (women sitting) focus on products being advertised, women watch men
Change in labour force (in gender section)
- less farming/kids
- higher divorce rate
- city growth
- neoliberalism
- higher divorce rate
5 c’s/pink collar jobs
caring, clerical, catering, cashiering, cleaning
Women fare worse in the public sector of government
false
- in the private sector
Women have a higher level of unemployment
false
- Men higher level of unemployment (men in factory jobs that have moved abroad)
Gendered earning differences are less in younger workers
true
- both genders have similar schooling
What jobs does the wage Gap increase in?
medical fields and even greater in retail sales supervisors
Why do women earn less?
- The type of work they do
- Being behind when they return to labour force after raising kids
- Women more likely to take time off from work to care for parents
- General discrimination (practiced subtly)
What is the policy of “comparable worth” and who has adopted it
- paying people according to skill & responsibility in work
Have been adopted by Canada, Great Britain & Australia
The “second shift”
Some women work outside the home for pay and then come home and also clean the house
Amount of housework women do has decreased but share has stayed the same
Women have less leisure time (marital stress)
- job & housework
Agnes Macphail
first woman member of parliament
Kim Campbell
canadas first female PM
Elizabeth May
only female federal leader on parliament hill
before 1960, Indigenous people had to give up treaty rights or status to vote
true
Captain Nicole Goddard
first female soldier to be killed in battle in 2006
Gender and the military
- Women are nurturers - give life, help not trained to kill
- Women face harm within their own ranks (sexual harassment)
Most white women doesn’t see themselves as a minority
true
Sexual violence is about sex
not entirely
- mostly about power
Those in position of power often understand the extent of sexual harassment in their establishments
false
- they underestimate it
Porn as a power issue
- dehumanizing women
- Encourage violence and contempt against women
Structural Functional Theory of Gender (Parsons)
Sex-based division of labour in past societies
Gives men and women distinct roles that helps society run smoothly
brings women and men togetehr to form famileis
Symbolic Interaction theory of gender
Everyday life (giving men more value)
- conversations - men set topics, women maintain eye contact
Reality construction
- women who marry young and are more feminine more likely to not keep their last name
Social Conflict Theory of Gender (engels)
Gender as a structural system of power that creates division and tension
Surplus wealth passed on to male heirs (controlling women’s sexuality)
remaining virgins and build lives around man
Capitalism concentrates wealth further in hands of a few men
Talcott Parson
saw gender in terms of complementary roles
Marx’s work mostly talked about men
true
- friedrich engels knew the vibes
Liberal Feminism
Accepts basic order of society
Seek to change, but only to ensure equality of opportunity
- individual change according to personal ability and effort
Socialist Feminism (marx)
Capitalism increases patriarchy
Does not accept basic order of society
Want to end social classes and family gender roles that encourage “domestic slavery”
- collective change through socialist revolution
Radical Feminism
Does not accept basic order of society
Want to end the family system
- collective change to eliminate gender
Radical Feminism
Does not accept basic order of society
Want to end the family system
- collective change to eliminate gender
Multicultural and Global feminism
intersectionality, understanding common themes
Human capital model
Wage gaps and job disparities is because of individual choice (ie of women to stay home)
Essentialism
gender differences are a product of naturally evolved dispositions
Leaky Pipeline
Underrepresentation of women in STEM workforce
Women get sicker
Men die quick
Women are more likely to admit being sick (weak sex)
Women lead higher stress lives (higher role accumulation)
Men do dangerous jobs, do stupid things, stubborn and tough
Examples of things women have invented
agriculture and beer
Reasons for income disparity
Types of jobs women do
Glass ceiling
Family penalty or bonus
Education
Discrimination
Pink Ghetto
Feminization of poverty
Predominance of women in poorly paid occupations
pay equity
payment received is based on value of job
Feminist ideas
Importance of change (culture
Expanding human choice
Eliminated gender stratification
Ending violence against women
Promoting sexual autonomy
Friedrich Engels on gender
Capitalism intensifies male domination
- Women need to be at home to “re energize” men in between work days
Canada has an extensive national daycare program
no
and ofc this disproportionately affects women (primary caregivers)
How to study gender ethically
Study it as a fluid system:
Looking at culture
Look at big institutions
Women AND men
heterosexism
prejudice or discrimination against non straight ppl
Homosexuality was seen as a mental illness before it was criminalized
false
- one it was decriminalized (in certain countries anyway) it was seen as a mental illness
How would Erving Goffman suggest stigmatized groups go about their lives?
Passing - acting straight
Paul Harfleet pansy project
Harfleet planted 250 pansies in London
1 pansy for every area a slur was aimed at him
micro cultural changes for sexuality justice
Roles, interactions
-Language (using gay as a pejorative term)
- Pop Culture Landscape (representation)
macro cultural changes for sexuality justice
Institutional
- Legalizing Gay Marriage
- Human Rights Protections
- Safe School Coalitions
The active normalization of our collective conscience
Things so ingrained in culture (seeing something as permanent, natural, normal)
Changes what we see as normal and natural
provincial divorce laws don’t hold on reserves for Indigenous peoples
true - risk of property loss after separation
colonialism
Ethnic group forcibly placed under economic/political control of dominant group
Indigenous practices holds back industrialization
Sixties scoop
Taking Indigeous children from home (kidnapping yikes)
Microfiche
Nutritional experiments on children (giving some kids vitamins)
Indigenous kids treated as control group
Sociologists say that more genetic variation within categories and not between them
true
Environmental racism
If you are black in US you are more likely to live in areas of toxicity and waste
⅔ of reservations under water boil advisories
Less canopy cover
**Bureaucracy invisibilizes the problem
Split labour market theory
“Good” jobs (need degrees) and “bad” jobs (precarious employment)
Division of the economy into primary & secondary sectors with the dominated having access to only the secondary sector
John Porter
Book called “The Vertical Mosaic”
- ladder, whos at top, whos at bottom
Canada needs to go from vertical mosaic (ladder) to a cultural mosaic (based on merit)
1988 Multiculturalism act
Enshrining the need to recognize all Canadians as full and equal partners in Canadian society
How do minorities see assimilation
Avenue to upward social mobility and escape prejudice & discrimination
Multiculturalism is predated on __________
pluralism
pluralism
recognition that ethnic & racial minorities are distinct but have social parity
Is Canada pluralistic under law?
Yes
but rise of white supremacist groups as minority population increases
Diminishing of ethnic traits is called …
assimilation
- the melting pot
Diminishing of racial traits is calle d
miscegenation/interracial marriage
What is the most segregated group of ppl rn
Jews
De jure segregation
by law
- internment camps WWI and WWII
def acto segregation
concentration of different groups (though not by law)
Nisga’a treaty
Self-government (can create laws on their language, family services, policing, property)
Resources - ownership of all forests and resources within their land)
1st wave of Canada’s immigration
late
French
2nd wave of Canada’s immigration
- 1820 to 1890
British from UK or America
3rd wave of Canada’s immigration
1890 to 1920
“non preferred” europeans (europeans now see as white, but then seen as minorities)
- seen as enemy aliens during WWI (internment of Ukrainians)
4th wave of Canada’s immigration
1940-1960
Post WWII
- low to middle income countries (many asian)
- economic immigration
Economic immigration
preferred immigrants (certain skills and capital)
Race
group who share biological features that members of a society deem socially significant
- Society tells us what to think about race
Ethnicity
constructed from cultural traits
shared cultural heritage (common ancestry, language, religion)
more complex than race b/c many any ethnic backgrounds
- people will also play up or down cultural traits
Culture is malleable
Characteristics of ethnic groups
Unique cultural traits
Sense of community
Sense of ethnocentrism
Ascribed membership (skin colour, geographic origins)
Territoriality (geography)
2 important characteristics of minorities
Share a distinct identity (physical or cultural)
Experience subordination
Visible minority
persons other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-white in race/colour
Visible minorities are more likely to have higher university aspirations
true
There is a trend of more euro-canadians than minorities in Canada
false
- minority population is increasing
Where do visible minorities tend to live in canada
metropolitan areas
Ulrich Beck
“Risk society”
Though we live in one of the safest points in history (in terms of health) we’re more anxious and detached than ever
- we see each other as a threat (globalization, individualization)
- no way out of it
Prejudice
attitude
rigid and unfair generalisation about an entire category of people
- positive: exaggeration of people similar to us’ virtues
- negative: condemn those different from us
Stereotype
simplified description applied to every person in some category
Emory S. Bogardus
Social distance scale (experiment, analyzing patterns)
- how closely people are willing to interact with a category
Discrimination
Unequal treatment of various categories of people
Positive - providing special advantages
Negative - creating obstacles
Positive feedback loop of prejudice and discrimination
White people think they’re better so they project this through social inferiority, pushing minorities into low-paying jobs. White people interpret this as evidence that minorities don’t measure up
Positive feedback loop of prejudice and discrimination
White people think they’re better so they project this through social inferiority, pushing minorities into low-paying jobs. White people interpret this as evidence that minorities don’t measure up
Xenophobia
Hostility toward foreigners
Who says that race is uniquely modern
Fredrickson
- racism as a way of though in 19th century (Europoean renaissance)
There is a single source of prejudice
false
- the most important factor depends on time, history and place
Scapegoat theory of race
blaming people for our problems (esp marginalized groups without power)
- doens’t improve the situation, just express anger
Authoritarian/Personality theory of race
If you put authoritarian people in change (that don’t embrace diversity) this will fuel discrimination
- Theodor Adorono saw extreme prejudice trait belonging to only a select few
- come from childhood stuff (cold parents, little schooling)
Cultural theory of race
some prejudice is found in everyone (part of culture)
Social distance scale
Social conflict theory of race
There’s a good reason for maximising distance between us and them - power and exploitation
If you don’t challenge ethnocentricity:
- white privilege
Polite racism
saying the right things in public
Michael Walzer on toleration
its an openness to others
- don’t have to like the thing
- dislike its absence
Not him rlly - need to create and continually maintain inclusive social space
Damon Tweedy
Black Man in a White Coat
Found that black patients didn’t want a black doctor
Internalized racism
“Being black is bad for your health”
Access to healthcare - quality of care, mistrust of system
Living conditions
Health immigrant effect
Immigrants are socialised into bad health
Immigrants thriving when they first come - but health decline after 10 years
Visible minorities in communities far away from health help
Stress
Aspects of culture
Language
Medical cures
Religion
Child-rearing
Food
Folk-art
Celebrations
Manners
2 reasons for Canada’s ageing population
Declining fertility rates (higher % of old people)
Declining morality
Dependency-free life expectancy
number of years people in a given population can expect to live in good health with minor disabling health conditions
Period between disease onset and dying is getting longer
false
- shorter
More and more are able to postpone age of onset chronic disability
We all going live real long full lives then die real quick
Which generation was like hollup ageism is present honey
baby boomers
Why were mandatory retirement plans created
there were lots of kids & workers
Gotta get the old people out of the way, free up working space for young people
Limitations of data gathered about elderly abuse crimes (2)
sensitive crime - not reported (ie. out of shame)
conservative data (because not everyone reports)
What makes gen z and millennials the “sandwech generation”
the ageining population (living longer)
- could be looking after 3 generations of people (kids, parents, grandparents)
ageing is the physical process of getting older
false
- also psychological and social processes associated with it
Evaluating age: Chronologically
How old are you
Evaluating age: Functionally
physical abilities (we peak at 20)
Evaluating age: Spiritually
GETS IGNORED THE MOST
attitude toward life (personality, self, socialization)
flexibility
Gerontology
the study of ageing
What age groups are most discriminated against
younger and older
Myths of senior citizens
unproductive
- volunteer, politicians, childcare
Disengaged
- commenting online, high voter turnout
Inflexible
Senile
Elders vs Elderly
prestigious vs perjorative
Biggest challenge of growing old
Retirement
- disconnection from family AND work
- what is my purpose
- i have no income now
Functionalist analysis of ageing
Taking on the role of your age (passing on knowledge)
Disengagement theory
- detach from previous roles, prepare for death by adopting new roles (we take on death role later, but start thinking about death at bout 30)
Conflict theory of ageing
Abuse, marginalization
Representation of ages - ads showing young people at best, old people at worst
Interactionist theory of ageing
Presentation of self - redefining what being a senior means (baby boomers)
Where does a cultural norm come from?
Abstraction - the idea
Cooperative behavior - all agree on idea
Institutions - giving it physical reality
constraining
feeling the influence of societal roles and structures
- good: expectation of going to uni
- bad: oppressive gender roles
What in canada has made sex a matter of freedom and choice
- individualism and privatization
Women have more sexual partners
false
Sexual revolution (Alfred Kinsey)
in the 60s (do it if it feels good) - baby boomers
- birth control pill
Roaring 20s
living apart from families, meeting new people at work
Kinsey wrote a book revealing the unconventionality of sexuality (unexpected and outrageous)
the sexual revolution was of greatest significance for men
false (women)
- historically subjected to greater sexual regulation
Sexual counterrevolution
conservative call for return to family values
- limiting of sexual partners (not necessarily b/c of the conservative ideas, could be b/c of STI concerns)
Sexual activity in high school students has gone up
false
- gone down (do it later than previous generation)
- more people having oral sex
Abstinence choice still in minority
What category has the most sex
married people (with their partners)
and then young adults
Men have more affairs
true
- and its higher in older groups
“real” men had homosexual relations in ancient greek
true
upper-class men - considered homosexuality highest form of relationship (women inferior)
Gay marriage became legalized in 2010 in Canada
no
2003
Kessler and McKenna on Transgenderism
Transgender as synonymous with transsexual (want to change sex)
Transgender as dinstinct from transsexual (without changing sex characteristics)
Transgender as distinct from transsexual (leaving behind binary gender system)
whos most likely to a have an unplanned pregnancy (esp when teenage?)
Lower level of parental education & income
Non both biological parent relationship
Rural teens (less access to reproductive care)
_______ has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates of high income countries
US
Sexual revolution raised teen pregnancy levels
false (did not)
- rate was already high because people married young
what is considered the worlds oldest profession
prostitution
- selling of sexual services
Women are more likely to think that prostitution should be legal
false
- men
Prostitution is more common _____ income countries
low
- strong patriarchy (women limited in work options)
- high risk of STIs and abuse
Canada’s Bill C-36
- criminalizing of buying sex (to “protect” sex workers)
- but stigmatizes and increases danger
What is the legality state of Prostitution in Canada
smi-illegal
- pushed underground (not rlly illegal)
- don’t get same benefits and rights as others
Hierarchy of sex workers (weitzer)
Call girls (Educated, attractive, rich)
Escort agency workers (high fees, agency employed)
Brothel employees (less choice about clients)
Streetwalkers (Indigenous women and drug users at high risk)
______ people tend to end up in sex work
gay - after being rejected by community
There has been an increase in hookup culture
true
- people getting married later
______ and ______ make up disproportionate share of sexual assault victims
women and children
Psychological scars get more serious the ______ the rape victim
younger
Functionalist theory of sexuality
Regulating sexuality (when and whom)
Purpose of sexuality (reproduction to intimacy to recreation to work)
problems with Functionalist theory of sexuality
ignores gender (davis’ analysis of prostitution focusses on benefits to men)
interactionist theory of sexuality
Changing importance of virginity
- weakened as society separates sex from reproduction (ie. with birth control)
teaching sex ed younger and younger
feelings towards sexual orientation vary from culture to culture
social-conflict theory of sexuality
Uneven enforcement of prostitution
- men now more likely to be arrested, used to be women
defining those with less power in terms of their sexuality (devalues them)
Difference in access to abortion
the lower the economic development of a country the ________ the abortion rate
higher
- but unsafe abortions
culture
ways of thinking, acting and material objects that form a people’s way of life
nonmaterial culture
ideas created by members of a society (ie art)
Material culture
physical things created by members of a society
values in canada vs japan
canada - individualism
japan - collective harmony
Culture shock is a one way process
false
- travellers experience and inflict it
Humans are the one animal that rely on _________ not instinct to survive
culture
- product of evolution (replacing instincts with culture)
Why are languages decreasing
globalization, high tech communication, increasing international migration, expanding economy
largest set of symbols
language
- shapes reality (Sapir and Whorf)
- cultural transmission (connection with time)
Values vs beliefs vs ideology
values: abstract goodness standard
beliefs: specific matters
ideology - deeply engrained beliefs about societal norms
if you want to stay in charge you subscribe to ideology
hegemony
- cultural hegemony (Gramsci)
higher income countries are more tolerant of others who are different from themselves
true
Sumner (3 types of norms)
Folkways (norms for casual interaction)
Mores (widely observed, morally significant norms)
Laws (most well defined norms)
We gain capacity to evaluate our behavior as we learn _________
cultural norms
Canadian example of how material culture reflects underlying cultural values
Independence
- we have so many cars (more than 1 for every licensed driver)
Agriculture (society)
animal power energy (plow)
replacing barter system with money
Expansion of human choice
Increase in social inequality and diversity
Industrial society
production of things
pushing aside family centred agraian values (large factory work under stranger supervision)
reducing of economic inequality
Primary sector in industry
drawing raw materials form natural environment
- low income nations
secondary sector in industry
transforming raw materials into manufacture goods
- low and high income nations
tertiary sector in industry
production of services rather than goods
Post-industrial/information technology society
production of info/ideas
- learning to work with symbols
Capitalism vs socialism
Cap (private ownership or property & pursuit of profit)
- greater income inequality
- freedom to act accoridng to self inetrest
- greater consumer choice
Soci - collective ownership of property through government control
- less income inequality
- freedom from basic want
- greater social safety net
Subculture
patterns that set apart a segment of s population
- groups of people that influecne what we see as dominant and maintsretam
What are criticisms of multiculturalism
- encourages divisiveness not unity (identifying with nation)
- erodes claims of universal truth
- doubt it can help minorities (depoliticizing the problem)
counterculture
cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within a society (ie. hippies
cultural integration
close relationship of various elements of a cultural system
cultural lag
some cultural element changes more quickly than others
Material culture usually changes faster than nonmaterial culture
causes of cultural change (3) what is greatest rn
invention - new ideas
discovery - understanding something in existance
diffusion (spreading traits) - greatest rn with tech
We should have no ethnocentrism
nah - we should have to some degree to be emotionally attached to our way of life
Cultural relativism
judging a culture by its own standards
Functionalist theory of culture
cultural patterns are rooted in a society’s core values and beliefs
Social conflict/feminist theory of culture
dominant cultural values serves interests of elite
capitalism teaches us that the rich and powerful serve their wealth and that its natural
Feminist - cultural conflict is rooted in gender (male is more important)
How is culture a constraint
- habit (limits choices)
- competition (isolation)
- material possesions > relatiopnships
how is culture freedom
forces us to make choices as we make and reshape the world for ourselves (to meet our needs)
Pop culture change is generational
true
pop culture emerges when there is growth in: (4)
affluence (discretionary income)
industrial development (mass media)
leisure time
middle class (masses, spending money)
4 defining traits of social change
happens all the time (though at different paces)
sometimes intentional, often unplanned
contraversial
some changes matter more than others
Conflict and change (marx)
class conflict drives societies from era to era (in order to improve life of working class)
- struggle b/w capitalists and workers pushes society toward socialism
ideas and change (weber)
change comes from ideas
- protestant work ethic from west europe = industrial capitalism
temporary gathering of people, share common focus of attention & influence each other
crowd
- fairly new thing
highly emotional crowd that pursues a violent or destructive goal
mob
- lynching
social eruptions that is highly emotional, violent and undirected
riot
- social justice
- power for ordinary people
social patterns favoured by a large number of people
fashion
- stay around long than fads (reflect individuality and sexual attractiveness)
unconventional social pattern, people embrace briefly, enthusiastically
fad/craze
- common in high income countries (more income to spend)
What is a social movemnet classified by
who is changed
how much is changed
alterative social movement
limited change, little population
redemptive social movement
radical change
little population
reformative social movement
limited change
big population
revolutionary social movement
radical change
big population
claims making
trying to convince public of the importance of a social issue
Explaining social movements: deprivation theory
group feels deprived of something
Explaining social movements: mass society theory
social movements attract isolated people
Explaining social movements: culture theory
mobilization needs a shared understanding of symbols and injustice
Explaining social movements: resource mobilisation theory
social movements need resources
Explaining social movements: political economy theory (marx)
opposition to capitalism
- success based on unifying of dissenting groups (not resources)
Explaining social movements: new social movements theory
non unified, leaderless, raise awareness on large social issues
4 stages in social movements
Emergence (idea)
Coalesce (how to get attention)
Bureaucracy (resources and members)
Decline
Erikson on social damage
its more serious when the event involves toxic substance and are caused by actions of people
- feeling poisoned by something you feel you don’t have control over - bikini island bomb)
Who believes in “others will do us no harm” as a social life foundation
Erikson
- harm causes survivors to lose trust in others
Functionalist theory of modernity (tonnies, durkheim, weber)
- modernity defined by the mass scale of life now (isolation, moral uncertainty)
- growth of bureaucracy (weber) - expanding state - todays leaders having more power than old monarchs
Conflict theory of modernity
- modernity as a class society (capitalism pronoucning social stratification)
- capitalists hold all power (control economy) - capitalism as solution to everything
- naked self interest loosens social ties (marx)
people suffer from alienattion and powerlessness, not ________ like ________ thought
anomie, Durkheim
most canadians want an egalitarian society
no
- prefer a system that reflects personal differences in talent and effort
Douglas Coupland
option paralysis
- giving up making a choice
David Riesman on modernization
it changes social character
- “other directed” (seeking approval, imitation of others, openness to trends)
- identity marked by superficiality & inconsistency
- normalization of shiftiness in personality to fit in anywhere (shady in traditional societies)
Mass society says people suffer from too much _______
freedom
Marcuse on science and technology
science and technology causes worlds problems (esp being in the hands of select few)
he condemned modern society as irrational.
Whos definition of power is “ability to achieve desired ends despite resistance from others”
Weber
What does weber say about the longetivity of a brute force government
not likely to keep power for long (there isn’t enough police)
Modern authority
Rational legal authority
bureaucratic (laws)
- tied to offices/governments (PM)
pre-industrial authority (traditional)
power legitimized by respect for long standing tradition
- viewing rulers as godlike
- monarchs passing power to heirs
Charismatic authority
power legitimised by extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion and obedience (not ancestry)
- want to radically change society (Jesus, Hitler, Gandhi)
- controversial
- doesn’t last
Monarchy found in ________
agrarianism/societies yet to industrialize
absolute monarch
power based on divine right (Saudi Arabia)
- has absolute power
Constitutional monarchy
Monarchs a symbol (reign), officials (voted in) rule
- european societies
Industrialization 🤝democracy
they both require a literate population
reasons we don’t rlly have democracy
- extenstive bureaucracy (not all have to answer to the people)
- Money talks
- political leaders are rich and are privileged in education (law)
- wealth elite dominate political life
Can economic equality and political liberty go together?
idk
Soft authoritarianism
limited political freedom but secure and prosperous
- singapore
most intensely controlled society rule by _______ government
totalitarian (fascist germany and communisim)
How is canada a totalitarian democracy
defending of market values b/c we need them to meet our needs, preventing opposition to capitalism itself
How did information revolution change nation politics
moved them onto world stage (with media)
Canada is a welfare state
jaz
- providing benefits to population
not as big as scandinavian queens
________ most likely to vote liberally
immigrants, visible minorities, muslims, catholics, athiests and women
_______ most likely to vote conservative
jews and protestants
Party identification is strong in Canada
false
- quite weak
Why do special interest groups flourish in Canada
low political party loyalty
more employment of lobbyists
Canadians are voting now more than ever
false
- less likely to vote compared to a century ago
Who’s least likely to vote
women, visible minorities, esp indigenous peoples
Unemployed
non homeowners
younger people
Reasons for not voting
disability
religious beliefs
forgot
illness
illiteracy
how do conservatives explain voter abstention
people are content with how things are
- indifferent to politics
how do liberals explain voter abstention
reflects alienation
reflects doubt that elections will make a difference
- powerless and disadvataged least liekly to viote
Prisoners can’t vote in Canada
false
they can
Prisoners can’t vote in Canada
false
they can
Black people make up large proprtion of incarcerated in canada
true
the politcal motivation of preventing prisoners from voting
criminals are often from lower classes that support left-leaning parties
Pluralist model of democracy
functionalist
power is spread (all have some voice)
Canada a democracy because of this
power-elite model of democracy (CW mills)
a few rule and can’t be challenged
concentration of power (economy, government, military)
Canada isn’t a democracy b/c power is concentrated and mutes average voices
Marxist model of democracy
power is directed by the operation of the capitalist economy
Canada not a democracy b/c capitalism favours the few
aim of political revolution is to turn system into a completely new one
true
- but historically never a specific one
4 charactertics of revolutions
rising expectations
unresponsive government (won’t reform itself)
radical leadership by intellectuals
estbalishing new legitmacy
revolutions happens when peoples lives are getting worse
false
- when they are improving
Hobbes says ______ are the centre of reovlution
universiteis
Terrosism is strong against a weak enemy
false
- weak against strong enemy
- political strategy
4 characteristics of terrorism
painting violence as a legitmate political tactic
used by governments on own people
Democractic societies are most vulnerable (less police networks)
Terrorism is a matter of definition
slippery slope of taking action against terrorists
- groups often don’t have connection to a state (may risk confrontation with another government)
- not responding encourages other groups
Governments usually have to force people to go to war
true
5 factors that promote war (Quincy Wright)
perceived threats
social problems (scapegoating of frusteration externally)
Political objectives (increase global standing, end foreign domination)
Moral objectives (frame enemy as evil tyrant)
Absence of alternatives
How is terrorism a new kind of war
in war parties are known to each, objectives are clear
- not with terrorism
- small number of attackers
Military industrial complex
close association of federal government with defence industries
framing of news according to politics
Critical of war - reported slow pace of conflict to increase pressure to end war
Supportive of war - report rapid pace of war, downplay harm to civilians
4 ways of pursuing peace
deterrence (arms race)
High tech defense (installations to destroy missiles)
disarmement (reducing weapons)
Resolving underlying conlifct (poverty and hunger)
Countries with welfare capitalism
sweden and denmark
countries with state capitalism
japan and south korea
Americans are becoming less patriarchal
false
- more and more
Canadians are more liekly to boast about _______ and Americans ________
experiences
Things
Power elite are solitary rulers
false
- below them are politicians of middle levels of power (congress) and celebrities
CW mills says that no one is inherently celebrated or powerful in their personality
true
Three types of societies when it comes to views on cross-gender behaviour
approving
disapproving (often of males)
Neither outlawed or encouraged
- more on the end of discourage
Life-fate of modern individual depends _______ upon corporation they spend most alert hours of best years
CW mills
increasingly
How does CW mills say rich families are closely connected
legally and magerially
Who thinks that if voting made any difference it would be illegal
Daniel Berrigan (modern MLKJ)
The purpose of modern music according to theodore adorno
provide relief and distraction from grind of everyday life
- don’t think (like classical music), just enjoy
the commodification of music (Adorno)
mid 20th century
became a consumer product (about the profit)
- emergance of rrecord comparnies
Quotation listening (adorno)
Ear candy music
- repeating over and over
How are songs symbols
the meaning and “good” or “bad” we attach to it is based on our experiences (not about the song’s merit)
- limits our capacity to critically engage in what we’re listening to
Power must be seen as ______
legitimate
- power is therefore a social relationship
How does weber say power is legitmized in a society
through rules (rational legal authority)
Category of homosexuals appeared
about a century ago
According to the Davis and Moore thesis, more highly rewarded jobs tend to be those that ______
demand scarce talents and also extensive and expensive training
According to Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore, some form of social stratification has been found in every known society.
true
According to Weber, the most important dimension of difference between people in industrial societies is:
class or economic inequality
Which factors did Karl Marx believe should form the basis of the rewards given to people in a society?
need and social class
Which theory might say that minorities are often blamed for the troubles of others because they are “safe targets”?
scape goat theory
The theory that powerful people use prejudice to justify their oppression of minorities is called ____________ theory.
conflict
Which concept refers to society placing men and women at different social levels?
gender stratification
Men are _______ times more likely than women to be victims of homicide.
3
Biological codes that guide physical development are called __________________.
chromosomes
Which characteristic do middle- and low-income countries have in common?
Both kinds of countries have considerable social inequality, with a few rich
but many poor
Political conservatives claim that society _________.
Can never completely limit people from realizing their dreams
A clinical sociologist would most likely work to improve clients’ lives by focusing on ________.
difficulties in social relationships
As human beings, our nature is to nurture
true
Looking at consumption patterns alone may not give enough info to gain
a full picture of socioeconomic status or class
true
- porter
society constructs race as real, different, and unequal in ways that matter to economic, political, and social life is known as ….
racialization
- whiteness seen as normative
lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group.
anomie
- durkheim
The beliefs held by members of the Catholic faith, the philosophy of Confucianism, and the requirements for graduation from college are all examples of __________.
non material culture
Technology is defined as __________.
knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings
Verstehen
interpretive sociology
Which sociologist highlighted the power of technology to shape society?
Gerhard Lenski
At what point did a dramatic increase in inequality occur?
discovery of agriculture
The fact that travellers throughout the world now find similar patterns of dress, familiar corporate advertising, and the same popular music in cities as far apart as Seoul, Cairo, London, Madras, New York City, and Mexico City indicates the emergence of a(n) __________.
global culture
What kind of sociological approach is this statement
In a capitalist society, people learn to define personal happiness in terms of material possessions.
social conflict
Competitive achievement promotes excellence, but it causes __________.
isolation from others
The readings in this chapter suggest that one fairly accurate way to estimate the number of cultures in Canada is to ___________.
count the number of languages spoken in Canada
Collective consicnece (norms and values) person
Durkheim
