Social Class In US

Question 1

Which of following factors affect social class standing in US?

Answer 1

Being born into certain family, race and gender

Question 2

Following analysis of Karl Marx, which class forms core of industrial proletariat ?

Answer 2

Working-class

Question 3

Men and women of low social positions tend to…

Answer 3

Engage in different activities

Question 4

While being in upper upper-class is usually result of ______, being in lower upper-class is more matter of ______.

Answer 4

High-income; amount of education you have

Question 5

In general, people of lower class postion…

Answer 5

Live in less safe and more stressful environments, are less likely to describe own health as “excellent” and live fewer year’s overall

Question 6

Income

Answer 6

earnings for work or investments

Question 7

Wealth

Answer 7

Total value of $ and other assets, minus outstanding debts

Question 8

Upper-upper class

Answer 8

“Blue-bloods or simply “society” that includes less than 1% of population; membership is almost always result of birth, as suggested by joke that easiest way to become upper-upper is to be born one

Question 9

Lower-upper class

Answer 9

3 or 4% of US population-generally live in large homes in expensive neighborhoods, own vacation homes near water or in the mountains, and send children to private schools and good colleges

Question 10

Upper-middle class

Answer 10

Live in comfortable homes in fairly expensive areas, own several automobiles and build investments

Question 11

Average-middle class

Answer 11

Typically work less prestigious white-collar jobs as bank branch managers, high school teachers and government office workers or in highly skilled blue-collar jobs such as electrical work and carpentry.

Question 12

Objective approach

Answer 12

Involves using measurable criteria. This measurable criteria includes amount of income, amount of education, occupational prestige residential location, house type and source of income associated with individual. Number is then assigned to each criterion. Total number of points obtained by adding all six criteria will determine assignment in social class hierarchy

Question 13

Subjective approach

Answer 13

Involves asking individuals to determine own ranking in social class hierarchy

Question 14

Reputational approach

Answer 14

Relies on info from other members of community.

Question 15

Intragenerational social mobility

Answer 15

Change in social position occurring during person’s lifetime

Question 16

Intergenerational social mobility

Answer 16

Upward or downward social mobility of children in relation to their parents; important because usually reveals long-term changes in society, such as industrialization, that affect everyone

Question 17

Upward social mobility

Answer 17

Earning college degree, landing higher paying job, or marrying someone who earns good income

Question 18

Downward social mobility

Answer 18

Dropping out of school, losing job or becoming divorced

Question 19

Horizontal social mobility

Answer 19

Changing jobs at same class level and more common than other social mobility

Question 20

5 general conclusions about social mobility in US

Answer 20

1. Social mobility has been fairly high
2. Within single generation, social mobility is usually small
3. Long-term trend in social mobility has been upward
4. Since 1970s, social mobility has been uneven
5. Short-term trend in social mobility has been downward

Question 21

Disturbing trends

Answer 21

1. For many workers, earnings have stalled.
2. More jobs offer little income
3. Recent recession brought economic deadline
4. Young people are remaining at home

Question 22

Relative poverty

Answer 22

Lack of resources of some people in relation to those who have more

Question 23

Absolute poverty

Answer 23

Lack of resources that is life-threatening

Question 24

Feminization of poverty

Answer 24

Trend of women making up increasing proportion of the poor

Question 25

Views of poverty

Answer 25

• poor are mostly responsible for their own property

- society is mostly responsible for poverty

Question 26

Culture of poverty

Answer 26

Lower-class subculture that can control people’s ambition to improve lives

Question 27

Social stratification’ said different dimensions

Answer 27

• income: earnings from work and investments are unequal, with richest 20% of families
• wealth: total value of all assets minus debts, wealth is distributed more unequally than income, with richest 20% of families holding 89% of all wealth
• power: income and wealth are important sources of power
• occupational prestige: work generates not only income but also prestige. White-collar jobs generally offer more income and prestige jobs are performed by women and people of color
• schooling: affects both occupation and income. Some categories of people have greater opportunity for schooling than others

Question 28

Caste elements in US

Answer 28

• Ancestry: being born into particular family affects persons opportunities for schooling, occupation and income
• race and ethnicity: non-Hispanic white families enjoy high social standing based on income and wealth. By contrast, African American and Hispanic families remain disadvantaged
• gender: on average, women have less income, wealth and occupational prestige than men

Question 29

Social classes

Answer 29

Upper, middle, working and lower

Question 30

Upper class

Answer 30

5% of population. Most members of upper-upper class, or “old rich”, inherited their wealth; members of lower-upper class, or “new rich,” work at high-paying jobs

Question 31

Middle class

Answer 31

40 to 45% of population. People in upper-middle class have significant wealth; average-middles have less prestige, do white-collar work and most attend college

Question 32

Working class

Answer 32

30 to 35% of population. People in lower-middle class do blue-collar work; only about one-third of children attend college

Question 33

Lower class

Answer 33

20% of population. Most people in lower class lack financial security due to low income; many live below poverty line; just 70% of children complete high school

Question 34

Health

Answer 34

Rich people, with greater education and financial security, display greater tolerance than working-class people

Question 35

Politics

Answer 35

• Affluent people tend to be more conservative on economic issues and more liberal on social issues than poor people
• affluent people, who are better served by political system, are more likely to vote than poor people

Question 36

Family and gender

Answer 36

• Affluent families pass on advantages in form of “cultural capital” to their children
• class also shapes division of family responsibilities, with lower-class people maintaining more traditional gender roles

Question 37

Social mobility

Answer 37

• common in US, as it is in other high-income counties, but typically only small changes occur from one generation to next
• between 1980 and 2013, richest 20% of US families enjoyed 56% jump in annual income experiences 7% decrease
• historically, African Americans, Hispanic Americans and women have had less opportunity for upward mobility in US society than white men
• American Dream- expectation of upward social mobility-is deeply rooted in our culture, although high income families are earning more and more, many average families are earning more and more, many average families are struggling to hold on to what they have.
• marriage encourages upward social mobility. Divorce lowers social standing
• global reorganization of work has created upward social mobility for educated people in US but has hurt average workers, whose factory jobs have moved overseas and who are forced to take low-wage service work

Question 38

Blame individuals

Answer 38

Culture of poverty thesis states that poverty is caused by shortcomings in poor themselves

Question 39

Blame society

Answer 39

Poverty is caused by society’s unequal distribution of wealth and lack of good jobs