Social Inequality and Stratification Flashcards
Stratification
social tiers and levels
Standard of Living
access to wealth comes with education, health care, etc
Life Chances
comprise individual’s ability to procure goods, and have a career
Caste Systems
assigned at birth, caste layer ahs its own set of occupations and life chances
Endogamous Marriage
marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group
Class Systems
set of people who share similar social position in terms of education, occupation, and income
Closed Systems
people in each level stay in the level for the rest of their lives regardless of their wealth or education
Open Systems
people are able to move across level – ideally – usually people still stay in their level
Exogamous Marriage
marriage outside of social group is permitted and often a way to “climb-up” the level
Middle Class
there is a decline in middle class in the U.S. due to the standard of living and life chances decreasing
Income
cash coming in during a given time period
Wealth
valuable possessions that may make you more money or wealth
Inherited Social Standing
your initial class standing comes from your family and tend to retain class markers even when we move up the wealth ladder
Wealth Inequality
as country gets richer, only the already richer people get wealthier, poorest people lost wealth in U.S. since 2001
Home Ownership
most wealth in America comes from owning homes, value of owning home has sky-rocketed
Racial Wealth Gap
structural factors – racial discrimination, social networks; cultural: personal responsibility, myth of American dream
Wealth Distribution
people in America may think the wealth distribution is not equal but more spread out but in reality, the top 10% may be having 80% of the wealth in America
Davis Moore Thesis
asserts that social stratification is a functional necessity, ensuring the allocation of individuals into social positions according to their abilities and qualifications
Social Status and Symbol
symbolic interactionist – the symbol of wealth and relations with status
American Dream
myth that everyone can move up the ladder if one works hard enough
Federal Poverty Line
7.25 min wage – old poverty line compared to today’s ranges of expenses
Childcare Cost
lower wages on average of women and motherhood – increase poverty rates for women, especially, single mothers
