Social Stratification

Question 1

What is social stratification?

Answer 1

• stratification means layers

– not only is it w/ respect to hierarchies but those hierarchies are created

Question 2

What are 3 major forms of social stratification?

Answer 2

• • class
• • race
• • gender

Question 3

T or F, social stratification was originally referred to economic inequality

Answer 3

true

Question 4

What is meant by equality?

Answer 4

– having people have the same playing field and same access to resources –> equality of opportunity

– treating everyone the same despite the clear differences that exist between all of them

– also equal life chances

Question 5

What is the equality of outcome?

Answer 5

• • this is more of equity
• • everybody has what they need
• • need shouldn’t be tied to market value
• • should be an uncoupling

Question 6

What is equality of condition?

Answer 6

– think of Marx

– to each according to their ability from each according to their need

– as long as you do what you’re able to you should be able to get what you need

Question 7

What are the two stratification systems? and what are the differences between them?

Answer 7

• • Closed Stratification System: unequal layers are fixed and people’s places within them are fixed
• -> possibility of mobility is non existent
• -> even if you eradicate this legally it doesn’t change immediately

– Open Stratification System: mobility is apart of design

Question 7

What are the two stratification systems? and what are the differences between them?

Answer 7

• • Closed Stratification System: unequal layers are fixed and people’s places within them are fixed
• -> possibility of mobility is non existent
• -> even if you eradicate this legally it doesn’t change immediately
• • Open Stratification System: mobility is apart of design
• -> mobility culturally accepted and expected - your goal should be to move up, to aim higher
• -> moving up or down the ladder - in thinking about social class

Question 8

Describe and define social class.

Answer 8

– aka SES
– more than just money
– 3 main def. components
–> economic resources
wealth
–> prestige –> how people view things or the type fo vibe associated with it
–> privilege –> have more than other people, doesn’t meant that you’re rich

• • total net worth is your wealth
• • wealth can be directly passed down and continue to uphold that structure
• • income can’t be transferred as easily

Question 9

T or F, persistence of social class over generations is due to wealth and parents education

Answer 9

True

Question 10

T or F, prestige aka fanciness varies from one society to the next

Answer 10

true

Question 11

Describe and define privilege.

Answer 11

• • when you have more than other people
• • this entails everything
• • doesn’t necessarily mean opulence
• • having something other people don’t have

Question 12

What are the 3 SES measures?

Answer 12

• • money (separated into income and wealth) can fluctuate
• • education (educational attainment) –> fluctuates less often
• • occupation (occupational attainment) –> can fluctuate

Question 13

Provide stats on Educational Attainment in the U.S.

Answer 13

• • for people 24 and older, 1/3 in U.S. have a college degree
• • vast majority of people in U.S. don’t have college education
• • baby boomers less likely to have college education

Question 14

What does income inequality look like in the U.S.?

Answer 14

• • quite pronounced and increasing
• • top 20% has more than half of income
• • bottom has around 5% or 3%
• • median income: $67,000
    - -> this is household income
    - -> this fell from last year

Question 15

What does wealth inequality look like in the U.S.? and what is the difference between income and wealth?

Answer 15

– wealth is net worth value whereas income is how much you earn

• • 35% is held by top 1%
• • 63% of wealth is heald by top 5%
• • 85% of population holds 11% of wealth

Question 16

What is the tax structure?

Answer 16

• • gradation of tax burden

- - people who make a lot of money find ways to not pay taxes

Question 17

What is the poverty tax?

Answer 17

• • poor people end up paying more money for things
• • paying taxes on something can cause a bigger hit on their money
• • poor people end up having to pay higher interest rates
• • price tags are actually higher for poor people

Question 18

Describe economic inequality in the U.S.

Answer 18

• • social class ladder
• • upper class –> centered around having a lot of wealth
    
    • -> harder to access –> don’t know much about them

middle class

• ->college degree
• -> have a good income
• -> upper middle class –> with prestigious jobs
• -> typically associated w/ college education
• -> income higher than working class
• -> sometimes working class can make higher income – associated w/ less education

working class 
--> also associated w/ prestige (ex: plumber)
--> sometimes working class can make higher income --> associated w/ less education
--> disadvantaged class
     intermittent employment

Question 19

What is subjective identification?

Answer 19

– majority of people think they’re middle class

Question 20

T or F, the social class ladder has good external validity because it helps predict things such as like expectancy

Answer 20

True

Question 21

What are some stats about the poverty rate in the U.S.?

Answer 21

2020 census poverty rate is 11.4% @ U.S. census level

2021 poverty rate fluctuated from 9% to 14%

Question 22

What are the two parts to poverty?

Answer 22

Absolute poverty: where you don’t have the basic needs to live; not as objective as it sounds, shifts over time

Relative poverty: how poor you are relative to average income; when you have half or below median income you are considered poor

Question 23

What are the two parts to deprivation?

Answer 23

– absolute deprivation: same as abs. poverty

– relative deprivation: you can have so much stuff and you can feel deprived; reference group can contribute to this

Question 24

What is social class persistence?

Answer 24

• • intergenerational transmission of class
• • upwards social mobility
• • intra family dynamic
• • parents education level has an effect on the upwards social mobility

– transmission occurs though the transfer of capital

• • parents SES affects children’s SES
    
    • -> parents’ social class affects socioeconomic attainment of children

Question 25

What are the three ways that social class gets transmitted into generations?

Answer 25

• • financial capital
• • social capital
• • cultural capital

Question 26

Describe financial capital.

Answer 26

– wealth

Question 27

Describe social capital.

Answer 27

– resources one can access by virtue of how they know

– certain relationships that allow us access to their goodies

ex: what school they choose their kids will go to. what school activities their kids will be involved in

– parents can also shape the marriage pool which can also have effect on SES

Question 28

Describe cultural capital.

Answer 28

• • skills, styles and habits
• -> how we communicate
• -> knowing how to do it right

– Imposter syndrome comes from our cultural capital being different from dom. cultural capital

• • some of the things we think are common sense are actually not
• -> they are taught to us

– these three forms of capital (financial, social, cultural) as well as what your parents’ social class preaches all comes together to affect the type of job you get and the money you make

Question 29

Describe educational attainment.

Answer 29

• • not all higher education is accessible

- - also diff. subjectively and objectively

Question 30

T or F one of the key features of economic inequality is actually wealth inequality.

Answer 30

True, wealth is easily transferrable

• -> wealthy people don’t need to go to college
• -> pathway of ways in which wealthy people take will help w/ establishing merit
  
  • • also a sure path with a sure end result
  • • for people that don’t come from wealthy families this isn’t the case