Social and Economic Inequality

Question 1

what is social inequality long been a part of?

Answer 1

sociological tradition

Question 2

what is social inequality?

Answer 2

the long term existence of significant differences in the access to goods and services among social groups and the function of many factors, including ethnicity, “race”, gender, class and stratification

Question 3

what is the main term used to talk about social inequality

Answer 3

class

Question 4

who popularized the term class?

Answer 4

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1888

Question 5

what does class reflect?

Answer 5

the relationship of people to what Marx called the means of production

Question 6

what are the means of production

Answer 6

Capital
-the resources needed to produce goods

Question 7

what is capital

Answer 7

the funds and properties necessary for large-scale manufacturing and trading

Question 8

what are the 2 possible relationships to the means of production that Marx identified?

Answer 8

1. the owner (aristocrats)
2. the workers (peasants)

Question 9

bourgeoisie

Answer 9

collective of capitalists who own the means of production

Question 10

proletariat

Answer 10

are the class of workers who succeeded the peasants class of the pre-industrial era

Question 11

when was the height of Marx’s writing?

Answer 11

the industrial revolution

Question 12

what had a prevalence in market practices (during Marx’s time)?

Answer 12

laissez-faire (allowing people to do what they want)

Question 13

what were the struggles between capitalists and workers (during Marx’s time)?

Answer 13

capitalists interests and workers rights

Question 14

according to Marx, what does class have?

Answer 14

a corporate (or organic) identity as a real social group

Question 15

what is class consciousness

Answer 15

an awareness of what is in the best interests of one’s class

a shared sense of common purpose

Question 16

who always possesses class consciousness?

Answer 16

the owner

Question 17

what is false consciousness?

Answer 17

a belief that something is in one’s best interests when it is not

Question 18

who has false consiousness?

Answer 18

the workers

Question 19

what did Max Weber study

Answer 19

social inequality

Question 20

what 3 elements did Weber stress that contributed to social equity?

Answer 20

1. wealth
2. prestige
3. power

Question 21

what is wealth

Answer 21

includes factories, other property used to make money and properties that are highly respected by members of society

Ex. flashy cars, expressive houses, trophy wife

Question 22

what is prestige

Answer 22

the degree of respect for individuals, their socially valued possessions and their master statuses are view by majority of people in a society

Question 23

what is power

Answer 23

the ability of individuals or groups to achieve their goals despite the opposition of others

Question 24

who coined the term precariat

Answer 24

British economist Guy Standing

Question 25

precariat

Answer 25

combines the word precarious with Marx's term proletariat

Question 26

who amended Marx's class paradigm within the Canadian context?

Answer 26

Curtis, Grabb and Guppy in 1999

Question 27

what are the 3 class within the Canadian context?

Answer 27

1. dominant capitalist class 2. middle class 3. working class (proletariat)

Question 28

dominant capitalist class

Answer 28

composed of those who own or control large-scale production

Question 29

middle class

Answer 29

representing a mixed... middle category of small business people, educated professional-technical or administrative personnel, credentialed salaried employees and wage earners

Question 30

working class

Answer 30

people who lack resources or capacities apart from their own labor power

Question 31

how are class and sports connected? (with example)

Answer 31

at the professional and recreational levels Ex. golf and tennis is associated with the wealthy classes

Question 32

what are mobility sports?

Answer 32

sports that offer people from poorer socio-economic backgrounds opportunities to achieve financial rewards

Question 33

social stratification

Answer 33

describes society as though it is divided into a series of layers

Question 34

what is stratum

Answer 34

a group to which people belong on the basis of their income, education and assets for the purpose of statistical analysis

Question 35

strata

Answer 35

are used as units of analysis in stratifies sampling, a research method in which equal samples are drawn from each stratum of the population

Question 36

quintile

Answer 36

a segment, or stratum, representing each of five equal groups into which the population is divided

Question 37

what percent of the population does each quintile make up?

Answer 37

20%

Question 38

what are quintiles useful for

Answer 38

comparative purposes, both across time periods and across regions

Question 39

ideology

Answer 39

a set of beliefs about society and the people in it, usually forming the basis of a particular economic or political theory | shape arguments and ideas pertaining to social inequality

Question 40

what is dominant ideology

Answer 40

the set of beliefs put forward by, and generally supportive of, society's dominant culture and/or classes

Question 41

what does trickle-down economic theory state?

Answer 41

if the wealthy are given the freedom to generate more wealth, others in society will benefit

Question 42

neoliberal ideology/ neoliberalism

Answer 42

a dominant ideology that views the individual as a more or less independent player on the sociological scene

Question 43

what does neoliberal ideology reflect

Answer 43

a belief in a great deal of social mobility

Question 44

social mobility

Answer 44

the ability of individuals to move (generally upward) from one class, or stratum, to another

Question 45

what does neoliberal ideology downplay

Answer 45

concerns over social inequality

Question 46

blaming the victim

Answer 46

assigning responsibility for events to the individual rather than broader social causes that are beyond the individuals control

Question 47

what may neoliberal ideology result in, in the case of failure

Answer 47

blaming the victim

Question 48

what does success or failure to fulfill the American dream rest solely in?

Answer 48

the individuals motivation and hard work

Question 49

counter ideology

Answer 49

offers a critique of a dominant ideology, challenges it justice and its universal applicability to society

Question 50

what do counter ideologies seek to create

Answer 50

significant social change

Question 51

what are examples of counter ideologies

Answer 51

-classical Marxism -the Occupy movement -Idle No More

Question 52

who is Antonio Gramsci

Answer 52

a critic of the dominant ideology in society

Question 53

what term did Antonio Gramsci use to explain the prevalence of the dominant ideology

Answer 53

hegemony

Question 54

hegemony

Answer 54

a set of non-coercive methods of maintaining power used by the dominate class

Question 55

what are examples of places hegemony can be used?

Answer 55

-through the media -education system

Question 56

what is an example of hegemony

Answer 56

the federal government placing blame for the indigenous housing crisis onto First Nations communities

Question 57

what is one indicator of inequality in Canada

Answer 57

the existence and use of food banks

Question 58

food bank

Answer 58

non-profit organizations that collect, store and distribute food for free

Question 59

food insecurity

Answer 59

a relatively new sociological term, referring to the inadequate or unreliable access to food in terms of amount, variety, quality and general desirability

Question 60

what stands out as a major stressor for seeking assistance from food banks?

Answer 60

housing costs

Question 61

what can food insecurity negatively impact

Answer 61

both physical and mental health

Question 62

minimum wage

Answer 62

lowest hourly rate a person can be paid for their work

Question 63

living wage

Answer 63

generally represents a target above the existing minimum wage

Question 64

what jobs are often the easiest ones to replace with automation?

Answer 64

minimum wage jobs

Question 65

what is minimum wage considered

Answer 65

too low for the "working poor" to live on

Question 66

what do people paid minimum wage often have to use?

Answer 66

food banks

Question 67

what did the 2011 Occupy movement raise awareness to?

Answer 67

the fact that 1% of the worlds population controlled 99% of the worlds wealth

Question 68

how does Canada's top 100 CEOs wage compare to the average Canadian

Answer 68

in 3 days the CEOs make as much as the average Canadian in a year

Question 69

is inequality in Canada increasing or decreasing?

Answer 69

increasing