Social Inequality Flashcards
the uneven distribution of resources such as money and power or of opportunities and outcomes related to, for example, education and health
social inequality
the way different groups in society are placed at different levels. a hierarchy of layers that are unequally ranked one above the other
social stratification
a form of stratification in which a section of the society has no rights. individuals in this section of society are items of property which can be bought and said
slavery
a stratification system in some parts of India, linked to Hinduism. An ascribed status - an individual cannot move from the stratum into which they were born. their social status is ascribed at birth
caste
a position or social standing given to an individual on the basis of inherited characteristics. they are social positions fixed at birth and are unchanging over time i.e. Princess or Lord
ascribed status
in South Africa (1948-94), a government policy of racial segregation known as this was used as the basis for stratification
apartheid
a social position which individuals are able to gain through, for example, hard work and education qualifications
achieved status
movement of individuals up or down a social scale
social mobility
the chances that sections of society have of achieving positive or negative outcomes (eg relating to health, education, housing) as they progress through life. they are statistical averages
life chances
the way in which members of a group use their resources. it reflects the attitudes and priorities of the group
lifestyle
the class into which an individual places him or herself
subjective class
the section of society composed of people engaged in manual work
working class
the section of society composed of people engaged in non-manual and professional work
middle class
an organisation established by employees to protect their economic interests
trade union
an identifiable section of society with a distinct culture which constitutes a relatively small proportion of the population
ethnic minority
being prejudiced against people because of their gender
sexism
being prejudiced against people because of their race
racism
being prejudiced against people because of their age
ageism
the informal barrier that makes it difficult for women to achieve high-level positions at work
glass ceiling
treating people unfairly because of their gender
gender discrimination
treating people unfairly because of their ethnicity
racial discrimination
occurs when the everyday practices and procedures of an organisation, eg police, lead to discrimination against ethnic groups either intentionally or unintentionally
institutional racism
the assets owned by an individual eg house, savings, a business
wealth
the money received by an individual in a period of time eg wages, interest on savings
income
the proposition that members of the working class develop middle-class attitudes and patterns of behaviour as they become more affluent, creating a manual middle class
embourgeoisement
the proposition that many non-manual jobs in a modern economy put their workers in situations very similar to that of the manual factory worker
proletarianisation
the group of people at the very bottom of the social structure who, either by their economic situation or culture, are cut off from the rest of society
underclass
a situation in which someone lacks the money to pay for the food, clothing and housing necessary to maintain a healthy way of life
absolute poverty
a situation in which someone cannot afford to possess the kind of things and participate in the kind of activities considered by members of their society to be a normal part of life. It recognises the deprivation and suffering associated with social exclusion
relative poverty
when people are unable, or feel unable, to play a full part in society. this may be owing to lack of material resources, discrimination by others and/or a sense that the rest of society neither wants nor respects them
social exclusion
deprivation experienced in neighbourhoods that are ugly, dirty, unsafe and which lack adequate services and amenities
environmental poverty
felt when people compare their own situation to that of others whom they believe to be unfairly better off. subjective poverty
relative deprivation
the particular difficulties the poor may experience in, for example, finding a job that pays more than is received from benefits; saving money by buying in bulk or by buying hq goods; avoiding borrowing which adds interest payments to their spending
the poverty trap
an individual who makes no contribution to society and exploits the benefits system, claiming as much as it is possible to get away with
welfare scrounger
the difference between men’s and women’s hourly earnings
gender pay gap
movement in and out of poverty at different stages during a person’s life
life cycle of poverty
the idea that some groups remain in poverty because the welfare state encourages them to depend on overly generous state provision
welfare dependency
movement up or down between the social layers as measured between the generations of a family
inter-generational social mobility
movement of an individual over the course of their life up or down from one occupational classification to another
intra-generational social mobility
within the same occupation, women and men tend to be found in jobs at different levels
vertical segregation
a social process which may lead the children of poor parents to suffer poverty when adults. the factors identified as driving the process will depend on the perspective of the sociologist outlining the cycle
cycle of deprivation
