Social Class Stratification Flashcards
What is social stratification?
Def: The ranking of people into a hierarchy. (Inequality) Based upon social class
Ex: wealth: rich, middle class, poor
Micro-level factors: human
Def: Skills, training and formula education. The more you have, the higher you are in the hierarchy
Ex: College, fixing abilities…
Micro-level factors: social
Def: Who you know. The social connections that you have that allow you to have specialized experiences.
Ex: After working at the zoo, I have social connections that allow me to visit the behind the scenes of the dolphins and ambassadors.
Micro-level factors: cultural capital
Def: Your knowledge of social norms, specifically of high class norms.
Ex: Having niche knowledge that allows you to succeed in a business setting.
Meso-level factors
Def: Norms, roles, rules, belonging, shared understandings
Ex: The things are believed and followed across society.
Macro-level factors
Def: How international economic systems shape individuals’ resources and opportunities.
Ex: poverty, race, family structure
Symbolic interactionism and class
Def: How people interact everyday and how the social world is viewed.
Ex: Housing, clothing, transportation
Conspicuous consumption
Def: Buying and or using products to make statements about social standing.
Ex: Sports cars, new phones, mansions
Rational choice theory and class
Def: People make choices that will most benefit their social status.
Ex: Buy things they don’t need to seem a higher class.
Davis-Moore Thesis and Critique
Def: There are really important jobs that are hard require many sacrifices and therefore require high pay to attract the best workers. The critique is that there are jobs that are extremely important but are low paying.
Ex: Surgeons; sanitation workers
Conflict theory and class
Def: Have and have-nots, ideologies that aren’t true
Ex: Anyone can be successful with hard work.
Ideology
Def: System of ideas
Ex: Poor people are poor because they are lazy.
Class consciousness
Def: Knowing where we sit in the social class and how it effects our life chances.
Ex: A small bill might mean $20 to one and $5 to another.
Education
Def: The level of schooling achieved
Ex: high school or college
Health, social conditions, and life expectancy
Def: Things that effect social standing that are changeable but very difficult to change.
Ex: Chronic illness can make it hard to hold down a steady job and bring in a high income.
Attitudes towards achievement
Def: Major achievements have a large social connection and therefore have a positive attitude association.
Ex: Graduating college = success, dedication, future (positive)
Religious Membership
Def: Religion tends to be strongest among the middle class. Denomination is linked to class while religion is linked to education level.
Ex: Church, sect, cult
Political behavior
Def: Based in economic self interest. (Going to support who will best benefit themself)
Ex: Voting for a presidential candidate who plans to reduce your taxes.
Intergenerational mobility
Def: A difference between the social classes of different generations of a family
Ex: Parents being lower class but children being middle class.
Intragenerational mobility
Def: Difference in the social class of the same generation
Ex: My sister is lower class but I am middle class.
How much mobility is there?
Def: There is very little mobility to move up in social class. Essentially the death of the American dream.
Ex: Bachelors degree becomes minimum and if you can’t afford it then you cannot move up in social class.
Factors affecting an individual’s mobility
Def: The factors that limit one’s ability to move between social classes
Ex: Education, gender, culture, race, occupation
Caste
Def: The social standing in which people are born into, does not change.
Ex: There is a caste system in Somali.
Class
Def: Common social status that is determined by the factors of wealth, income, education and occupation.
Ex: Health care professionals share a common class.
Meritocracy
Def: The ideal system. Personal effort determines social standing.
Ex: Volunteering puts you in a higher social standing.
Wealth
Def: What you have accumulated
Ex: Money and material objects
Income
Def: What you bring in
Ex: A paycheck
Occupational prestige
Def: How prestigious your job is compared to a list of jobs.
Ex: Surgeon is considered more prestigious than doctor
Education
Def: How much schooling you have obtained.
Ex: Elementary, middle, high, college, doctorate
Status consistency
Def: Ranking very similarly in all categories of social class
Ex: College degree, nice home, and healthcare job is all considered middle class.
Inconsistency
Def: Having different rankings in each social class
Ex: High class job, nice home, no college degree
We’re all middle class?
Def: Only about 40% are middle class, based upon desirability and exposure. Only seeing what is around yourself.
Ex: Around you is a family with a one bedroom and one with a mansion. You have 5 rooms. You are in the middle.
Absolute Poverty
Def: Cannot meet basic needs.
Ex: Struggling to obtain food, shelter, education
Relative Poverty
Def: Can meet basic needs but cannot afford more lavish things; below national poverty line
Ex: Name brand items, vacations, summer activities.
Feminization of poverty
Def: The majority of those facing poverty are women due to single parenthood and the wage gap
Ex: A woman gets paid 15% less than her male counterpoint and he can afford to feed his 3 kids and she cant feed herself.
National and global digital-divide
Def: There is unequal access to internet and technology across the world. This limits access to information
Ex: Somali has a very small access percent compared to the united states.
