Sociology Exam 2 Flashcards
Social Stratification *
the existence of structured inequalities between groups in society in terms of their access to material or symbolic rewards.
Intersectionality *
A sociological perspective that holds that our multiple group memberships affect our lives in ways that are distinct from single group memberships.
structured inequalities
social inequalities that result from patterns in the social structure
slavery
a form of social stratification in which some people are owned by others as their property
caste
a social system in which one’s social status is held for life
class system
a system of social hierarchy that allows individuals to move among classes
class
socioeconomic variations among groups of individuals that create variations in their material prosperity and power
income *
money received from paid wages and salaries or earned from investments
wealth *
refers to all assets individuals own
means of production
the productions of material goods is carried on in a society, including not just technology but also the social relations between producers
bourgeoise *
people who own companies, land, or stocks and use these to generate economic returns
proletariat *
people who sell their labor for wages, according to Marx
surplus value
In Marxist theory, the value of a worker’s labor power left over when an employer has repaid the cost of hiring the worker
communism *
a social system based on everyone owning the means of production and sharing in the wealth it produces
status
the social honor or prestige a particular group is accorded by other members of a society
pariah groups
Groups who suffer from negative status discrimination- they are looked down on by most other members of society
contradictory class locations
positions in the class structure, particularly routine white-collar and lower managerial jobs, that share characteristics with the class positions both above and below them
upper class
a social class broadly composed of the more affluent members of society, especially those who have inherited wealth, own businesses, or hold large numbers of stocks (shares)
middle class
a social class composed broadly of those working in white-collar and lower managerial occupations
working class
a social class broadly composed of people working in blue-collar, or manual, occupations
lower class
A social class comprised of those who work part-time or not at all and whose household income is typically lower than $20,000 a year
underclass
a class of individuals situated at the bottom of the class system, normally composed of people from ethnic minority backgrounds
social mobility*
movement of individuals or groups between different social positions
intergenerational mobility
movement up or down a social stratification hierarchy from one generation to another
intragenerational mobility
movement up or down a social stratification hierarchy within the course of a personal career
structural mobility
mobility resulting from changes in the number and kinds of jobs available in a society
exchange mobility
the exchange of positions on the socioeconomic scale such that talented people move up the economic hierarchy while the less talented move down
absolute poverty *
not meeting the minimal requirements necessary to sustain a healthy existence
relative poverty *
poverty defined according to the living standards of the majority in any given society
poverty line
an official government measure to define those living in poverty in the united states
working poor
people who work but whose earnings are not enough to lift them above the poverty line
feminization poverty
an increase in the proportion of the poor who are female
homeless
people who have no place to sleep and either stay in free shelters or sleep in public places not meant for habitation
Kuznetsk curve
a formula showing that inequality increases during the early stages of capitalist development, then declines, and eventually stabilizes at a relatively low level; advanced by the economist Simon Kuznets
culture of poverty
the thesis, popularized by Oscar Lewis, the poverty is not a result of individual inadequacies but is instead the outcome of a larger social and cultural atmosphere into which successive generations of children are socialized
dependency culture
A term popularized by Charles Murray to describe individuals who rely on state welfare provision rather than entering the labor market.
Socioeconomic status
an individual’s position in a stratified social order.
Income
money received by a person for work, from transfers (gifts, inheritances, or government assistance), or from returns on investments.
Wealth
a family’s or individual’s net worth (that is, total assets minus total debts).
upper class
a term for the economic elite.
middle class
a term commonly used to describe those individuals with nonmanual jobs that pay significantly more than the poverty line— though this is a highly debated and expansive category, particularly in the United States, where broad swathes of the population consider themselves middle class.
race*
a group of people who share a set of characteristics— typically, but not always, physical ones— and are said to share a common bloodline.
racism
the belief that members of separate races possess different and unequal traits.
scientific racism
nineteenth- century theories of race that characterize a period of feverish investigation into the origins, explanations, and classifications of race.
ethnocentrism
the belief that one’s own culture or group is superior to others and the tendency to view all other cultures from the perspective of one’s own.
Ontological equality
the philosophical and religious notion that all people are created equal.
social darwinism
the application of Darwinian ideas to society—namely, the evolutionary “survival of the fittest.”
