Social Inequality Flashcards
What different forms of stratification are there?
Different forms of stratification have existed between societies over time. They include caste, Apartheid and class.
How have sociologists explained social class?
Marx identified two main classes. Class membership was determined by economic factors. Weber saw class, status and power as important in determining life chances.
How does the functionalist approach view stratification?
Functionalist approach argues that some positions are vital to society but not everyone has the talent to fill these posts. To attract the best qualified people, top positions must provide access to desirable rewards such as high pay and status. Stratification is functional for society because it ensures that the most important jobs are filled by the most talented and qualified people.
How is class measured?
Occupation is often used to measure social class because it is related to factors such as status and life chances. The NS-SEC is seen as overcoming many of the problems with the Registrar General’s scales.
What is gender?
The term gender describes the different social practices and ideas that are associated with masculinity and femininity. Sociologists argue that gender is based on social rather than biological differences. The socialisation process for example is gendered.
What inequalities are based on gender?
Despite legislation, women still experience inequality in employment.
What is ethnicity?
One view that changes in attitudes and practices (such as the recognition that institutional racism must be addressed) have taken place to address inequalities based on ethnicity. As a result, ethnicity has become a less significant social division than in the past.
What inequalities are based on ethnicity?
There is evidence to suggest that, despite discrimination based on ethnicity persists, for example in the labour market.
How do sociologists approach the study of age?
We can look at age as a biological and social category. Sociologist explore the ways in which expectations surrounding age vary cross-culturally and historically.
How do sociologists view youth?
In some cultures, the transition fro childhood to adulthood is clearly marked by initiation ceremonies. In others, the transition is more extended.
How are wealth and income distributed in Britain?
Life chances are influenced by wealth and income. There are huge inequalities in the distribution of wealth and income in Britain which appear to be growing.
What is social mobility?
Social mobility refers to people’s movement up or down between society’s’ strata. High rates of social mobility can be seen as evidence of a meritocratic society in which status is achieved and opportunities are offered to all.
How much social mobility is there in Britain?
Although long-range mobility has occurred, children from working-class background have less chance of moving into professional occupations than children who are from professional backgrounds. Mobility chances may still depend on class background rather than on educational achievement.
What is poverty?
Poverty has been defined in absolute and relative terms. It has also been defined in terms of exclusion from everyday activities and customs. The definition adopted is important because it influences the extent to which poverty is said to exist, the numbers counted as in poverty and the Government policies adopted to address it.
How do we measure poverty?
There are several ways of measuring poverty. The official UK government measure is incomes below 60% of the median income of the population. Other measures include lack of items seen as necessities and subjective measures. Research suggests that poverty and inequality have increased.
Who is likely to experience poverty?
The chances of experiencing poverty are not distributed equally. Women and people from some minority ethnic groups are more likely to experience poverty than some other groups.
Which other groups are likely to experience poverty?
The chances of experiencing poverty are linked to age - children and pensioners are more at risk of poverty than other age groups. This is expressed in the idea of his life cycle of poverty. People with disabilities are also more at risk.
How do we explain poverty?
The culture of poverty shows that the way people adopt to poverty (particularly in their sub cultural values) can keep them in poverty. The cycle of deprivation shows how poverty is passed between the generations of a family.
What other explanations of poverty are there?
New right approaches argue that welfare state provision is too generous and makes the problem of poverty worse by creating ‘welfare dependency’ and the development of an underclass. Social exclusion refers to being shut out or excluded from participation in society’s social exclusion, political and cultural life.
What do structural explanations of poverty involve?
Marxist approaches see poverty as an outcome of class-based divisions in capitalist society. Other structured approaches explain poverty in terms of unemployment or inadequacies of the welfare state.
What other views are there on the changing significance of social class?
One version of ‘decline of class’ views argues that social inequalities linked to gender, ethnicity and age are now more significant sources of social divisions than class. However, it may be useful to see class, gender, ethnicity and age as interrelated aspects of inequality rather than as separate aspects. Many sociologists accept that class has changed but reject the ideas that it has declined.
Absolute poverty
A condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services
Achieved status
A social position that a person can acquire on the basis of merit; it is a position that is earned or chosen. It is the opposite of ascribed status. It reflects personal skills, abilities, and efforts.
Ageism
Stereotyping and discriminating against individuals or groups on the basis of their age. This may be casual or systematic. It can impact on someone’s confidence, job prospects, financial situation and quality of life. It can also include the way that older people are represented in the media, which can have a wider impact on the public’s attitudes.
Ascribed status
The social status a person is assigned at birth or assumed involuntarily later in life. It is a position that is neither earned nor chosen but assigned.
Asylum seeker
Someone who has left their home country due to war or for political reasons and are seeking shelter in another country.
Culture of poverty
It is based on the concept that the poor have a unique value system and the poor remain in poverty because of their adaptations to the burdens of poverty.
Cycle of deprivation
A social process which may lead the children of poor parents to suffer poverty when adults.
Dependency culture
Some people who rely on state benefits are seen as developing a way of life in which they become so dependent on benefits that they lose the motivation to work
Environmental poverty
Deprivation experienced in neighbourhoods that are ugly, unsafe and which lack adequate services and amenities.
Ethnic diversity
Various different ethnic groups within a society.
Ethnic group
A social group whose members share an identity based on their cultural traditions or cultural characteristics such as religion or language
Ethnic minority
An identifiable section of society with a distinct culture which constitutes a relatively small proportion of the population
Glass Ceiling
The informal barrier that makes it difficult for women to achieve high-level positions at work.
Income
The money received by an individual in a period of time, for example, wages, interest on savings
Institutional racism
Occurs when the everyday practices and procedures of an organisation, for example, the police, lead to discrimination against ethnic groups either intentionally or unintentionally.
Life chances
The chances that sections of society have of achieving the ‘things’ which are valued by their society.
Means testing
Income and savings assessed to find out if the total is less than a level set by the government
Middle class
The section of society composed of people engaged in non-manual and professional work
Patriarchy
The idea that men dominate society and its institutions
Poverty trap
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 high quality goods; avoiding borrowing which adds interest payments to their spending
Racial discrimination
Treating people unfairly because of their ethnicity
Racial equality
Everyone regardless of their ethnicity and race are treated equally and get the same opportunities.
Racial prejudice
When an individual is judged beforehand simply because of their race
Racism
attitudes to and beliefs about race which usually involve negative stereotypes of another race and lead to discrimination against people of that race
Relative poverty
This is where an individual is not deprived of the necessities needed in order to survive but cannot afford the things which people in their society can afford and have. For example, a person would be living in relative poverty if they can’t afford a car and buy branded clothes unlike the people living within their society.
Scapegoat
An individual or group that is blamed for something that is not their fault
Selective benefits
Selective benefits are provided on the basis of a claimant’s income and circumstance. An example of a selective benefit is the Child Tax Credit.
Sex discrimination
Discrimination in employment and opportunity against a person (typically a woman) on grounds of sex.
Sexism
Being prejudiced against people because of their gender
Social exclusion
When people are 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 mobility
Movement of individuals up or down the social ladder
Social security
Monetary assistance from the state for people with an inadequate or no income.
Socio-economic class
It is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation.
Social stratification
The way different groups in society are placed at different levels
Stereotype
A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
Subjective poverty
Subjective poverty is seeing oneself as poor or very poor.
Underclass
The lowest social stratum in a country or community, consisting of the poor and unemployed.
Unemployment
The state of being unemployed (jobless)
Universal benefits
Access to the National Health Service in Britain is an example of a universal benefit, as all Britons have the right to use it on an ongoing basis for regular healthcare.
Voluntary sector
The part of the economy that consists of non-profit-making organizations, as opposed to the public and private sectors
Wealth
Property in the form of assets which can be sold and turned into cash for the benefit of the owner
Welfare reform
A movement to change the federal government’s social welfare policy which shifted responsibility to the states and cut benefits
Welfare state
A welfare state is a social system in which the government assumes responsibility for the well-being of citizens by making sure that people have access to basic resources such as housing, health care, education, and employment.
Welfare to work
Opportunities to work
Working class
The working class (also labouring class, proletariat, or laboring class) is the class of people employed for wages, especially in manual or industrial work. Working-class jobs include blue-collar jobs, but also include large amounts of white-collar and service work.
