Social and Political Stratification Flashcards
refers to the division of large social groups into smaller groups
based on categories determined by economics.
Social stratification
gives rise to inequality in society, as members are
distinguished by their membership in and relation to social groups and categories.
Social stratification
the common bases of social stratification
-wealth
-property
-access to material
-cultural goods
-access to political power.
Other identifiable bases of social
stratification
-race
-gender
-religion
This
refers to the process by which individuals are cut off from full involvement in the
wider circles of society
social exclusion
Systems of Stratification
Closed system
Open system
impose rigid boundaries between social groups and limit interactions among members who
belong to different social groups or occupy different levels in the social hierarchy.
Closed system and open system
is based
on achievement, allowing more flexibility in social roles, increased social mobility, and better interaction among
social groups and classes.
Open systems
impose rigid boundaries between social groups and limit interactions among members who
belong to different social groups or occupy different levels in the social hierarchy. This system is also resistant to
change, particularly in the social roles of its members.
Closed systems
promote belief in fate, destiny, and the will of a higher spiritual power rather
than the promotion of individual freedom.
Caste systems
A caste system, therefore, promotes ___________________
social inequality
are closed stratification systems because people are unable to change
their social standing.
Caste systems
In 1948, the __________________________ instituted apartheid, a system of racial segregation which lasted until 1994.
Under this system, the rights and activities of black South Africans were curtailed, and
the rule of white citizens was emphasized.
South African
government
is another system of stratification that is determined by personal
effort and merit. Social standing and advancement in this system is
determined by how well a person performs his or her social role.
Meritocracy
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
ON SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
-Functionalism,
-Conflict theory
-Symbolic interactionism.
The functionalist perspective examines how the different aspects of society contribute to ensuring
its stability and continued function.
FUNCTIONALISM
believe that each part or aspect of society
serves an important purpose. They also believe that social stratification is based on the intrinsic
value of social activities or roles.
Functionalists
proposed that a social role that has a greater functional purpose will
result in greater reward, and that stratification represents the inherently unequal value of different
types of work.
Davis-Moore hypothesis
Who introduced the Davis-Moore hypothesis
Kingsley Davis and
Wilbert Moore in 1945
is further defined by the fact that highly
demanding jobs that require more skills to perform can only be
performed by a few, select individuals, Thus, highly skilled and
greatly-rewarded workers, such as doctors and engineers, tend to be
few.
stratification (functionalism)
proposed an alternative perspective on the significance of
employment on social stratification. He criticized the Davis-Moore hypothesis and said
that it was unable to consider situations where individuals of little talent or skill are able
to access better opportunities or occupy higher positions in society, citing the example
of media personalities who attain great social status but do not possess traits that would
characterize them as productive citizens.
Melvin Tumin (1953)
sees social stratification as
being defined by the lack of opportunities for the less-privileged sectors of society.
Melvin Tumin
takes a critical view of social stratification and considers society as benefitting
only a small segment.
Conflict theory
believe that stratification perpetuates inequality, and
they draw many of their ideas from the works of Karl Marx.
Conflict theorists
believed that social
stratification is influenced by economic forces and that relationships in society are defined by
the factors of production.
Karl Marx
He considered society as being divided between two groups
Karl Marx
According to Karl Marx, society i divided into two:
bourgeoisie or the capitalists
proletariat
own the factors of production such as resources, land, and
businesses
bourgeoisie or the capitalists
are the workers that provide the manual labor needed to
produce goods
proletariat
The ________________ belongs to the upper classes of society and gained wealth
due to the profits from their businesses.
bourgeoisie
The _____________ belongs to the lower
classes, lacks power and influence, and experiences great hardships.
proletariat
Karl Marx
believed that the
inequality prevalent in societies causes workers to experience alienation, isolation, and great
misery due to their powerless status. The inequalities brought about by social stratification lead
to class conflict.
refrains from looking into the larger structural factors that define social
stratification and contribute to inequality and poverty. Instead, it examines stratification from a
micro-level perspective and attempts to explain how people’s social standing affects their
everyday interactions.
Symbolic interactionism
often leads people to
interact with others within their own social class - people who have the same background,
interests, and way of life. Social stratification, therefore, is a system that groups people together.
Social Stratification (for symbolic interactionism)
is the ability of individuals or groups to change their positions within a social
stratification system. It also refers to how individuals progress from a lower to a higher social
class, or even how individuals lose their status and occupy a much lower social position in
society.
SOCIAL MOBILITY
Two main types of social mobility
Upward mobility
Downward mobility
refers to an upward movement in
social class.
Upward mobility
Examples of upward mobility
people who have gained wealth and
individuals who rose to fame or power like politicians and celebrities.
refers to the lowering of an individual’s social class.
Downward mobility
When considering how people from different generations experience social mobility, the phenomenon can be classified as
intragenerational or
intergenerational mobility
refers to the changes in social standing
experienced by individuals belonging to different generations.
Intergenerational mobility
focuses on the experience of people who belong to the same
generation.
Intragenerational mobility
Societies are usually characterized by divisions.
SOCIAL INEQUALITY
__________________ reflect
an unequal distribution of status, wealth, and power within society and
result in individuals and groups occupying different positions of
influence and power.
Social divisions
may be expressed differently
from society to society but is often seen in distinctions in class,
gender, religion, ethnicity, and age.
SOCIAL INEQUALITY
are important concepts in understanding social
inequality.
Social class and stratification
are derived from the inequalities brought about by the
possession and control of resources, as well as access to opportunities for education
and employment.
Social classes
considered class as an essential characteristic based on
the economic structure of society.
Karl Marx
defined stratification
through the concept of status which he defined as the esteem or “ocial honor”
given
to certain individuals or groups.
Max Weber
suggested that class is
influenced by cultural factors such as lifestyle and
consumption patterns.
Warner, Meeker, and Eels
is usually composed of the rich, well-born, powerful, or a combination of
these.
upper class
refers to those employed in low-paying wage jobs with very little
economic security.
Lower class or working class
the most contested
of the three categories-refers a group of people who fall socioeconomically between the
lower and upper classes.
middle class
They are also sometimes called blue-collar workers.
Lower class
____________, ___________, and ____________ are also important factors that define social inequality
Income, affluence, and poverty
Poverty is defined according to three types
Absolute poverty
Relative poverty
Subjective poverty
refers to the lack of basic
resources like food, clean water, safe housing, and access to health care needed to
maintain a quality lifestyle.
Absolute poverty
applies to those who may be able to obtain basic necessities but are still
unable to maintain an average standard of living compared to the rest of society.
Relative poverty
The _______________ specifically defines absolute poverty as living
on less than $1.25 daily.
World Bank
is a type of poverty that is defined by how an individual evaluates his or
her actual income against his or her expectations and perceptions.
Subjective poverty
is another important aspect of social inequality. Gender
refers to the culturally imposed characteristics that define masculinity and
femininity.
Gender inequality
is different from sex, which refers to biological and
anatomical differences that distinguish males from females.
Gender
is an
unchanging aspect of a person’s identity while gender, being a social
construct, is a fluid concept that changes depending on the mores, norms,
and values espoused by a particular society.
Sex
is another important concept which refers to how a person identifies himself or herself as belonging to a particular gender.
Gender identity
is particularly important in determining the gender role of
individuals, which refers to specific tasks and behaviors expected of a person
by virtue of his or her sex.
Gender
refers to the socially sanctioned and systematic domination of
males over females, and this is expressed in various aspects of society. For
example, men are the traditionally recognized head of the family and when
couples are married, the woman usually takes on the family name of her
husband.
Patriarchy
________________ stress the notion that gender differences and the sexual division of labor contribute
to social stability and integration.
Functionalists
explain gender inequality in
terms of social and cultural attitudes. They believe that sexism and discrimination
can be countered by political, social, and economic reforms like giving equal
access to both men and women.
Liberal feminists
argue that
men are responsible for the exploitation of women through patriarchy. From this
perspective, nothing short of a “sexual revolution”
could transform society and end
gender inequality
Radical feminists
identifies factors such
as class and ethnicity, in addition to gender, as essential for understanding the
oppression experienced by non-white women.
Black feminism
is the feeling of affinity or loyalty towards a particular population, cultural
group, or territorial area.
Ethnicity
refers to a group of people who share a
common ancestry. It refers to physical or genetic differences among humankind that
distinguish one group of people from another such as skin and hair color, physique,
and facial features.
Race
is a scientifically and politicallv controversial term.
Scientific evidence suggests that there is no such thing as
“race” in the sense of a
species-type difference between people. T
Race
refers to a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices used to justify the superior
treatment of one racial or ethnic group and the inferior treatment of another racial or
ethnic group.
Racism
involves holding
“stereotypes”
or preconceived views that are often based on faulty generalizations about members
of a race or particular ethnic or other groups
Prejudice
_______________ and _____________ are psychological mechanisms
associated with prejudice and discrimination.
Displacement and scapegoating
also manifests as close-mindedness or an inflexible way of thinking regarding certain ideas and beliefs in
society
Prejudice
refers to actions or behavior of members of a dominant
social group that negatively impacts other members of society that do not belong to
the dominant group.
Discrimination,
Other groups that may be considered belonging to the minority include
-persons with disabilities (WDs)
-the elderly, certain religious groups
-communities living in isolated areas.
A prominent example of this fact is the armed conflict in
Mindanao where Muslim groups are fighting for their right to have more autonomy or
establish a ________________ or a ______________
Bangsamoro or a Moro state
Certain
religious groups have to deal with being subjected to stigma or isolation because
other members of society perceive their beliefs and behavior as
___________ and __________
“peculiar” or “dangerous.”
is not limited to fringe beliefs of so-called
sects.
Religious discrimination
refers to the unequal distribution of
wealth, power, and prestige on a global basis, highlighting patterns of social
inequality and resulting.
Global stratification
This theory believes that
poverty can be eliminated by overcoming or adjusting cultural values like negative
attitudes regarding work, limiting government intervention in economic affairs, and
encouraging high rates of savings and investment.
Market-oriented
theories such as modernization theory
The world-systems theory, meanwhile, focuses on the relationship
among the _______, __________, and ____________
countries in the global economy.
core
peripheral
semiperipheral
involves the categorization of large social groups based on their
control over basic resources. It therefore involves structural inequality associated
with membership in each of these social categories or groups.
Social stratification
where there is movement and interaction between the layers
Open Social Stratification System
where there is little change in social
position
Closed Social Stratification System
