Social Stratification Flashcards
What is social stratification?
- stratification means layers
– not only is it w/ respect to hierarchies but those hierarchies are created
What are 3 major forms of social stratification?
- class
- race
- gender
T or F, social stratification was originally referred to economic inequality
true
What is meant by equality?
– 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
What is the equality of outcome?
- this is more of equity
- everybody has what they need
- need shouldn’t be tied to market value
- should be an uncoupling
What is equality of condition?
– 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
What are the two stratification systems? and what are the differences between them?
- 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
What are the two stratification systems? and what are the differences between them?
- 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
Describe and define social class.
– 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
T or F, persistence of social class over generations is due to wealth and parents education
True
T or F, prestige aka fanciness varies from one society to the next
true
Describe and define privilege.
- when you have more than other people
- this entails everything
- doesn’t necessarily mean opulence
- having something other people don’t have
What are the 3 SES measures?
- money (separated into income and wealth) can fluctuate
- education (educational attainment) –> fluctuates less often
- occupation (occupational attainment) –> can fluctuate
Provide stats on Educational Attainment in the U.S.
- 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
What does income inequality look like in the U.S.?
- 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
- median income: $67,000
What does wealth inequality look like in the U.S.? and what is the difference between income and wealth?
– 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
What is the tax structure?
- gradation of tax burden
- - people who make a lot of money find ways to not pay taxes
What is the poverty tax?
- 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
Describe economic inequality in the U.S.
- social class ladder
- upper class –> centered around having a lot of wealth
- -> harder to access –> don’t know much about them
- upper class –> centered around having a lot of wealth
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
What is subjective identification?
– majority of people think they’re middle class
T or F, the social class ladder has good external validity because it helps predict things such as like expectancy
True
What are some stats about the poverty rate in the U.S.?
2020 census poverty rate is 11.4% @ U.S. census level
2021 poverty rate fluctuated from 9% to 14%
What are the two parts to poverty?
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
What are the two parts to deprivation?
– 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
