Social Stratification Flashcards
ascribed status
involuntary
based on what we look like, how we are described, what we surround ourselves with
ex: race, ethnicity, gender, social class
achieved status
voluntary
based on what we do/achieve; reflects our efforts and work
ex: doctor, ex-con, park ranger
master status
the status that dominates above other perceptions; often shapes a person’s whole life
can be ascribed or achieved
ex: occupation, wealth, marital status, religion, parenthood
stratification
dividing groups or people into different layers of society
often includes separation of social classes
Meritocracy
success and status are based on an individuals talents, abilities, and effort
people advance based on their merits
Intergenerational mobility
changing of social status between generations
Intragenerational mobility
changing of a family’s social status within the same generation
Social reproduction
passing down of social inequalities; process that ensures propitiation of a social structure over time
ex: poor family won’t have enough money to send child to school, therefore the child won’t be able to get a good job so they remain poor
relative poverty
when the household makes 50% less than what the average median income
absolute poverty
a condition characterized 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.
socioeconomic status
social standing of a group or individual
combined total measure of person’s income, education, and occupation
generational status
refers to the status of individuals based on where they were born and reside
anomie
lacking social norms
lack of social and ethical standards
lack of rules, structure, and organization
cultural assimilation
- when a minority group gives up their own norms and beliefs to better fit into a new society
- comes to resemble a dominant group or assume the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group
ethnocentricism
judging another culture based on preconceived notions; often thinking your culture is the best
ex: telling a person of color to “go back to where they came from”
traditional authority
the queen of england
- seen as having power because of the legitimate power as queen
charismatic authority
Mr. Rogers had power because he was so kind to others
rational-legal authority
having power because of your extensive knowledge/training
ex: doctors
medicalization
the process of seeing human behavior and characteristics as medical conditions
Functionalism
proposed by Emily Durkheim
everyone in society must work together to maintain societal balance (homeostasis)
believes that society is an organism
large societies stay together because of interdependence
small societies stay together due to similarities
Manifest functions
intended, obvious purposes of social structure
ex: social media being used keep in touch with people
latent function
unintended purposes of social structure
ex: social media being used by the police to find someone
social constructionism
bringing together multiple ideas from different perspectives to create reality
people actively shape reality through social interactions
results in agreed-on, shared meanings
social construct
something that everyone in society agrees upon
ex: money, gender, behaviors
symbolic interactionism
small-scale view
small interactions between individuals based on shared symbols
see society as a buildup of everyday typical interactions
allow people to act based on ascribed meanings
Elaboration likelihood model of persuasion
there are two paths of persuasion - central and peripheral
central: think, analyze, draw conclusions (works when you know the topic)
peripheral: superficial details about how likable the speaker is, catchphrases, slogans (works for people who don’t understand the topic)
dramaturgical perspective
individuals behave as actors to fit into societal norms
intersectionality
we are a mixture of sex/gender, race, social class, and age
racialization
one group decides what defines another group
usually based on discrimination
cultural transmission
passing of culture down between generations
Conflict Theory
Karl Marx
those with power want to stay in power; that is how social order is maintained
everyone competes for limited resources; work to maximize benefits for themselves
Rational Choice Theory
want to maximize benefits and minimize loss
Exchange Theory
rational choice extended to groups interactions
carry out actions to avoid punishment from the group or to get reward from the group
- act normal to fit in with society to avoid ridicule
internal locus of control
we are in charge of our own actions; if something turns out well it is because we earned it/worked for it
external locus of control
we are not responsible for our own actions; when we fail an exam it is because of external factors affecting us
discrimination
acting unjust towards someone based prejudicial attitudes
based on actual actions
individual discrimination
one person discriminating against one person or a group
institutional discrimination
an institution discriminating against a certain person/group of people
cultural relativism
accepting another culture as it is without comparison to your own
confirmation bias
using new information as confirmation to what you already have
false consciousness
misperception of one’s actual position in society
ex: makes it seem like health is only your issue when getting doctor’s appointments is subject to social class
class consciousness
when you understand how class plays into your position in society ex: how class plays into health equity
activity approach to aging
remaining physically and socially active improves quality of life for older adults
continuity approach to aging
keeping habits and behaviors from their youth
disengagement approach to aging
withdraw from social relationships before society withdraws from you
life course approach to aging
aging viewed holistically
aging individuals influence and are influenced by broader contexts in which they live
dependency ratio
(# child dependents) + (# retired dependents)/(# people in workforce) x 100
proportion of unproductive to productive members in a society
front-stage self
behavior in social settings when others are around
impression management: shaping how others perceive you
focus on appearance
back-stage self
behavior in private
behavior is spontaneous and free from evaluation or judgment by others
reconstructive bias
memories of the past are not reliable especially during high stress situations
social desirability
people respond to surveys in a way that will make them look better than they are
representative heuristics
tendency to make decisions based on standard representations of those events
jumping to conclusions about someone/something based on pre-existing stereotypes
ex: someone with a flashy car and who is competitive and muscular
representative heuristics would have people believing he is an athlete while in reality it is more likely he is a lawyer because there are less professional athletes.
available heuristics
tendency to make decisions based on the availability of similar memories
belief bias/belief perseverance
judging things based on your beliefs instead of sound logic
ex: during election ignoring facts about someone you like
fundamental attribution bias
when one attributes other people’s behaviors on internal factors instead of external/situational factors
actor-observer bias
focus on our failures being external but other peoples are internal
ex: I failed the test because I couldn’t sleep last night and am tired. Sarah failed the test because she is stupid
self-serving bias
credit success to self (internal) and failures to others (external)
ex: I did well on the exam because I am smart. I didn’t get the internship because the panel was stupid
attribution error
when people drop out of the experiment or study
demography
measures statistical parameters
includes: race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, class, and socioeconomic status
absolute mobility
living standards increases in absolute terms: you are better off than your parents, your kids will be better off than you
gentrification
high-income residents moving into low-income urban areas, resulting in renovation and increased property values that displace the lower-income residents
spatial inequality
unequal distribution of wealth and resources across a geographical area
lower SES residential areas have more environmental toxins, higher crime rates, and low green spaces
residential segregation
physical separation of groups by social characteristics such as race/ethnicity and SES
environmental injustice
segregated neighborhoods get decreased environmental benefits and increased environmental burdens
just-world phenomenon
occurs when one believes that the world is fair and good things happen to those that work hard and are good while bad things happen to people who are bad and lazy
attribution biases
cognitive biases that occur when individuals attempt to understand their own behavior or the behavior of others
self-fulfilling prophecy
when a belief about oneself causes behavior that makes the belief come true
ex: I think that I am bad at physics, therefore I don’t do well on the physics portions because I freak out about not being good
culture
behaviors, beliefs, and general way of life as a particular society at a particular time
acculturation
adapting to culture of a new country
cultural lag
social problems created by a time delay between rapid changes in material culture and slower changes in nonmaterial culture
ex: in the 1800s, children began getting summers off to help with farming (fast material culture) and this is still in place today (slower nonmaterial culture)
only affects societies, not individuals
culture shock
unpleasant emotions associated with a new culture
experience disorientation, anxiety, and fear because of language barriers, unfamiliar symbols, different norms/values, and difficulty interpreting behaviors
framing effects
how you present information affects the decision
ex: 100% chance that 200 people are saved vs 100% chance 400 people die are the same thing when have 600 people
cultural capital
nonfinancial and nonsocial network assets that confer advantange in society
includes education, hard work, attractiveness, etc that will give you a boost in society or have beneficial aspects
social capital
includes an individual’s social network
the investments that people make in their society in return for economic or collective rewards
who an individual knows can help them advance in society
ex: knowing a friend who works at NASA can get you a job in NASA
economic capital
describes an individual’s tangible financial assets
ex: property, money/income, assets
human capital
the collective skill and experience possessed by the individuals in an organization
all of the additional things people bring to the table in an organization that will help that organization thrive
includes knowledge or skill set
social stratification
hierarchical organization of individuals in society based on social class, social status, and power
social class
largely determined by economic resources
wealthy people on top of pyramid working class makes up the base of the pyramid
social status
refers to one’s prestige (reputation)
certain careers, personal characteristics, and achievements confer status that is not necessarily tied to wealth
Power
ability to control or affect others’ behavior
based on unequal distribution of valued resources
certain careers and accomplishments increase one’s power
Socioeconomic gradient in health
positive correlation between socioeconomic status and health outcomes
individuals with lower SES tend to have worse health outcomes than those with higher SES
prestige
the amount of positive regard society has for a given person or idea
physicians often are highly viewed and respected
two types of social network
situational (socioeconomic advantage) and positional (based on how connected one is within a network and ones centrality within that network)
privilege
inequalities in networks create priviledge or inequality in opportunity
