Social Inequality and Stratification

Question 1

Stratification

Answer 1

social tiers and levels

Question 2

Standard of Living

Answer 2

access to wealth comes with education, health care, etc

Question 3

Life Chances

Answer 3

comprise individual’s ability to procure goods, and have a career

Question 4

Caste Systems

Answer 4

assigned at birth, caste layer ahs its own set of occupations and life chances

Question 5

Endogamous Marriage

Answer 5

marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group

Question 6

Class Systems

Answer 6

set of people who share similar social position in terms of education, occupation, and income

Question 7

Closed Systems

Answer 7

people in each level stay in the level for the rest of their lives regardless of their wealth or education

Question 8

Open Systems

Answer 8

people are able to move across level – ideally – usually people still stay in their level

Question 9

Exogamous Marriage

Answer 9

marriage outside of social group is permitted and often a way to “climb-up” the level

Question 10

Middle Class

Answer 10

there is a decline in middle class in the U.S. due to the standard of living and life chances decreasing

Question 11

Income

Answer 11

cash coming in during a given time period

Question 12

Wealth

Answer 12

valuable possessions that may make you more money or wealth

Question 13

Inherited Social Standing

Answer 13

your initial class standing comes from your family and tend to retain class markers even when we move up the wealth ladder

Question 14

Wealth Inequality

Answer 14

as country gets richer, only the already richer people get wealthier, poorest people lost wealth in U.S. since 2001

Question 15

Home Ownership

Answer 15

most wealth in America comes from owning homes, value of owning home has sky-rocketed

Question 16

Racial Wealth Gap

Answer 16

structural factors – racial discrimination, social networks; cultural: personal responsibility, myth of American dream

Question 17

Wealth Distribution

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Davis Moore Thesis

Answer 18

asserts that social stratification is a functional necessity, ensuring the allocation of individuals into social positions according to their abilities and qualifications

Question 19

Social Status and Symbol

Answer 19

symbolic interactionist – the symbol of wealth and relations with status

Question 20

American Dream

Answer 20

myth that everyone can move up the ladder if one works hard enough

Question 21

Federal Poverty Line

Answer 21

7.25 min wage – old poverty line compared to today’s ranges of expenses

Question 22

Childcare Cost

Answer 22

lower wages on average of women and motherhood – increase poverty rates for women, especially, single mothers