social inequality Flashcards
theological stage
people fetishize things and begin to believe in deities
metaphysical stage
similar to theological stage but a concrete or objective god becomes more abstract
positive stage
scientific thinking is preeminent
growth vs development
growth can occur without development but development cannot occur without growth
growth is quantitative
development is qualitative
class consciousness
an awareness of what is best for ones class. an owner class always has consciousness a worker has false consciousness
economic determinism
the idea that economy is the base for all other systems in a society
wealth
properties used to make money and properties that are respected by the rest of society
prestige
the degree of respect an individual and/or their socially valued possessions are viewed by the rest of society
power
the ability of individuals to achieve their goals despite the opposition of others(physical, political, economic)
dominant capitalist class
those who own or control large scale production
middle class
the middle of the road small business owners and workers
working class(proletariat)
people who lack resources or capabilities apart from their own labour power
social stratification
a description of society as though it is layered. individuals belong to a stratum based on class, education, or income for analysis
strata
units of analysis taken from stratum
quintile
a segment or stratum representing one of five different groups that the population is divided into each divided into 20% of the population
ideology
shapes arguments and ideas relating to social inequality
a set of beliefs about a society and the people within that society, usually form the basis for social theories
trickle down theory
essentially the idea that if the rich get richer everyone else will benefit
neoliberal ideology
dominant ideology that views the individual as an independent piece in the sociological scene
downplays social inequality and reflects a great deal of social mobility
counter ideology
a critique of a dominant ideology that challenges its applicability. the intent is to create a significant social change
ex. marxism
hegemony
prevalence of a dominant ideology and its use of non-coercive methods to maintain power
neo-colonialism
the rebranding of old colonial strategies through things like international trade and democracy education
minimum wage vs living wage
minimum wage is the least an individual can be payed by the hour these jobs are usually easy to replace with automation
living wage is usually above minimum wage and represents the bare minimum wage individuals can live on and is considered to low for the working poor
