Social Class Inequality

Question 1

Stratification

Answer 1

Categorisation of people into socioeconomic strata

Question 2

Social Class

Answer 2

Broad group in society having common economic, cultural or political status

Question 3

Objective social class

Answer 3

Individuals are placed into social class

Question 4

Subjective social class

Answer 4

How an individual sees themselves in social class

Question 5

Underclass

Answer 5

Lowest social stratum, consisting of poor and unemployed

Question 6

Great British Class survey

Answer 6

BBC teamed up with sociologists, surveyed over 160,000 people, came up with a new model for 7 groups

Question 7

Life chances

Answer 7

The opportunities each individual has to improve his or her quality of life

Question 8

Inequality

Answer 8

Inequality is looked at in terms of difference in income, opportunities etc

Question 9

Absolute poverty

Answer 9

When you can not afford food, clothes or shelter

Question 10

Relative poverty

Answer 10

Below an acceptable standard of living

Question 11

HBAI

Answer 11

Household Below Average Income

Question 12

Income

Answer 12

Income is a flow - money over a period of time

Question 13

Wealth

Answer 13

Wealth is a stock of someone’s entire money worth

Question 14

Social mobility

Answer 14

Ability to move up and down class system

Question 15

Intergenerational mobility

Answer 15

Changes in social status between different generations

Question 16

Intragenerational mobility

Answer 16

Changes in social mobility throughout a life course

Question 17

Meritocracy

Answer 17

Most skilled are rewarded the most

Question 18

Anti school subculture examples

Answer 18

Willis - the lads
Jackson - ladettes
Mac an Ghail - Macho Lads
Becker - middle class is an ideal pupil

Question 19

Youth subculture examples

Answer 19

Resistance: Hall & Jefferson, Frith
Exaggeration: Cohen, Clarke, Hebdige
Magical Solution: Brake

Question 20

Deviant subculture examples

Answer 20

Harding - casino capital
Merton - American Dream
Miller - focal concerns
Murray - New right

Question 21

Class Identity examples:

Answer 21

Upper Class: Scott - Old Boy Network
Middle Class: King & Raynor - Child Centerdness, Bourdieu - capitals, Goodwin - Yummie Mummies, Saunders - Conspicuous Consumption
Working Class: Willis - Lads, Mac an Ghail - Macho Lads
Underclass: Murray - Lazy, Jordan - feel shame

Question 22

Traditional Marxist Views

Answer 22

Marx - infrastructure, superstructure, means of production, alienation etc
Westergaard - polarisation
Scott - Social Closure

Question 23

Neo Marxist Views

Answer 23

Marx: Class fraction
Gramsci: Hegemony
Wright: Contradictory Class location (middle class exploit and are exploited)

Question 24

Marxist Feminists Views

Answer 24

Feeley: Family teaches patriarchy and passivity
Benston: Unpaid domestic labour, men have to provide for family
Ansley: ‘takers of shit’ men take frustrations home
Beechey: reserve army of labour (women are prepared to work for less and are only an option if no men available)

Question 25

Functionalist Views

Answer 25

Durkheim: Class stratification, value consensus, meritocracy
Parsons: without status, personal qualities, achievements, possessions, authority you are more likely to face inequality
Davis & Moore

Question 26

New Right Views

Answer 26

Saunders: inequality is justified to promote economic growth, competition, social mobility
Murray: Underclass (dependency culture)

Question 27

Weberian Views

Answer 27

Weber: Class/status/party, fragmentation
Zweig: Embourgeoisement (working/middle class merging)

Question 28

Postmodern Views:

Answer 28

Polhemus: globalisation
Pakulski & Waters: Class is dead, consumer choices, individualisation
Beck
Furlong & Cartmel