Stratification Flashcards
In a meritocracy, we would expect that which of the following would have little or no effect on how far students will go and how well students will perform in school?
their social class background and other ascribed characteristics
The traditional Indian caste system, the feudal social system of medieval Europe, and the Jim Crow era segregation in the US South are all examples of a(n) ____ stratification system.
closed
A ____ is a system in which a person’s social mobility is based on personal merit and individual talents.
meritocracy
The ability, or inability, to change one’s place within the social classes in a society is called ____.
social mobility
A social class system is one in which ____
ascribed status and personal achievement combine in a way that allows for some social mobility
In many rust belt cities in the Midwest, as factories closed down in the 1980s, many people saw declines in their standard of living and had to look for jobs in other industries, often with lower pay and benefits. This is an example of ____.
structural social mobility
Which of the following is NOT one of the four basic principles of stratification?
stratification systems are based on the objective merit of individuals
Social stratification is ____.
the system by which society categorizes people, and ranks them in a hierarchy
Germain has a master’s degree in economics and comes from an upper-middle class family but has instead joined a farmers market coop. He doesn’t earn much money, but is otherwise happy. This is an example of what sociologists would call ____.
status inconsistency
Ideology both helps us understand why inequality never goes away AND it can also help us understand why societies are unequal in the first place. (T/F)
false
German sociologist Ralf Dahrendorf argued that by the late twentieth century, class conflict had changed in important ways that Marx had not anticipated. Which of the following is NOT one of the ways in which class has conflict changed since Marx’s time?
U.S. economic success is an example of capitalist ideas
A system in which everyone has an equal chance of succeeding economically based on their hard work and skills is called a ____.
meritocracy
Sociologists define “ideology” as ____.
a set of cultural beliefs and values that justify a particular way of organizing a society
In a meritocracy, we would expect that which of the following would have little effect on how far students will go and how well students will perform in school?
their social background and ascribed characteristics
Marking our place (or our desired place) in the social hierarchy by our choices in the music we listen to, the type of clothing we wear, or other lifestyle choices is called ____
conspicuous consumption
A structural-functional perspective on stratification, the Davis-Moore thesis argues that ____.
society assigns greater economic and social rewards to jobs that are most important in society
While all three paradigms recognize and study social inequality, ____ emphasizes the consequences of inequality.
social conflict theory
While all three paradigms recognize and study social inequality, ____ looks closely at how the way an individual speaks, dresses, and interacts with people in their day-to-day lives reflects an individual’s social position.
symbolic interactionism
Although income and occupational prestige are distinct (one measures economic wealth, the other social status), the two tend to overlap. (T/F)
true
American political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page studied the relationship between the political views of those in different incomes. They found that ____.
political views that passed reflected rich Americans while middle income people’s political views did not reflect those
Which of the following best describes the relationship between income and wealth inequality?
Across US households, wealth inequality is much HIGHER than income inequality.
Which of the following statements about income and wealth inequality is NOT true?
single people have more wealth than married people
As of last year, the median household income in the US was about ____.
$56k
When economists split the population into quintiles, they divide up the population into five equal groups of 20% of the population. The richest 20% of households in the US earn more than ____.
$117k
The practice of “redlining” was a common way to make it difficult for African-American families to buy homes in “white” neighborhoods. Although redlining was made illegal in 1968, how does this help explain the wealth gap between African-Americans and white households today?
home is a great wealth asset and AA homes are not worth as much b/c they were forced to buy homes in bad areas
What is the difference between “income” and “wealth”?
Income is money earned from work or investments; wealth is the total value of money plus other assets, like real estate, stocks, and bonds.
When economists split the population into quintiles, they divide up the population into five equal groups of 20% of the population. The poorest 20% of households in the US earn less than ____.
$22.8k
A characteristic of “periphery” countries in Immauel Wallerstein’s “capitalist world economy” model is that ____.
they provide labor and raw materials exploited by more industrialized (“core”) countries
Modernization theory argues that poor countries are poor because ____.
those societies cling to traditional culture instead of embracing technological and cultural change
A “dependency theory” argument that explains why Mississippi and Alabama are among the poorest in the US would look like this:
Mississippi and Alabama focused on commodity exports (like cotton) in the 1800s. Exporting cotton and importing finished manufactured textiles produced a trade deficit that, over time, left those states poorer.
In Walter Rostow’s “four-stages of development” model, the “take-off” stage is when ____.
people begin to use individual talents to produce things beyond necessities, creating markets for trade; at the same time, the culture become more individualistic and status is increasingly tied to wealth
How does the Columbian Exchange help explain why many countries in Latin America are poor?
In the Columbian Exchange, European countries gained access to agricultural goods and raw materials that jump-started their economic growth, allowing them to industrialize much earlier
According to Immanuel Wallerstein’s “capitalist world economy” model, countries like Japan, the US, and Germany are part of the ____.
core
For most of human history ____
poverty was the norm for everyone; there was little difference between countries
Sam has decided to stay home and care for the children while Barbara works for a local cleaning service. Barbara earns a little less than $24,000 a year cleaning offices. Based on this information, what can we say about Sam and Barbara’s family?
Barbara and Sam probably fall below the poverty line and qualify for public assistance
In the US, the upper class (about 1-2% of the population) includes “new money” entrepreneurs and others who acquired their wealth through hard work, but also “old money” people who simply inherited their wealth. (T/F)
true
Omar graduates from college and starts a job as an accountant. The starting salary is $53,000 per year. Based on this, Omar would be a considered a member of what social class in the US?
average middle class
The US sets a “poverty level” that determines eligibility for assistance programs. Currently a family of four would have to earn less than ____ to qualify as below the poverty line.
about $25k
Bobby graduates from college and starts a job as an elementary school teacher. The starting salary is $35,000 per year. Based on this, Bobby would be a considered a member of what social class in the US?
lower middle class
How much annual income do you have to earn to qualify as among the richest 1-2% of the US population?
250k
The term “relative poverty” is used to describe ____.
lack of resources compared to others who have more (in that society)
Max Weber defined a social class as ____.
a group that’s fairly similar in terms of income, education, power, and prestige in society
Which of the following best describes how the symbolic interactionist paradigm views sexuality?
Sexuality is primarily socially constructed based on “sexual scripts” people perform.
Which of the following best describes how the conflict theory paradigm views sexuality?
The regulation of sexuality creates and/or reinforces sexual inequalities in society.
The term “sex” refers to ____.
a biological category that distinguishes between male and female
People identified as “intersex” are ____.
born with sex characteristics (genitalia) that don’t fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies
The term “heteronormativity” describes ___.
there’s only two genders and sex can only go on between the opposites
A person can be described as “cisgendered” if ____.
their biological sex characteristics match their gender identity
A person’s “gender expression” refers to ____.
the way a person “performs” their gender in social interactions
A person’s “gender identity” refers to ____.
a person’s internal, deeply held sense of their own gender
Which of the following best describes how the structural-functionalism paradigm views sexuality?
Sex is important for social reproduction, so it’s organized by society to meet those functions.
The term “gender” refers to ____.
a set of social and psychological characteristics that a society considers proper for its males and females
A person’s sexual orientation refers to ____.
a relatively enduring physical or romantic attraction to another person, of your own or the other sex, or both
Which of the following plays little or no role in determining our sexual preferences and behaviors?
The kind of diet we eat or level of exercise
The so-called “Kinsey scale” of sexuality measures ____.
a person’s sexual orientation, ranging from “exclusively homosexual” to “exclusively heterosexual”
Having had a sexual encounter with someone of the same sex automatically means you are “gay” or homosexual. (T/F)
false
Sex can serve a social function of helping build intimacy within a relationship. (T/F)
true
Alfred Kinsey’s studies of human sexuality in the 1940s discovered that ____.
people’s range of sexual experiences was much more varied than most people believed
Sex is necessary for social reproduction. (T/F)
true
How did Alfred Kinsey study human sexuality?
He used surveys and other empirical methods to study the subject scientifically.
Which of the following is a reason many working women find themselves working a “second shift,” according to Arlie Hochschild?
Husbands are more likely to spend time after work relaxing, leaving their wives responsible for housekeeping and childrearing duties.
The term “gender stratification” refers to ___.
the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege across genders
The term “pink collar” jobs refers to ____.
jobs with higher concentration of women, such as nursing, teaching, and housekeeping
The term “patriarchal dividends” refers to ___.
the social benefits that men accumulate simply because they are men
The gender wage gap is a myth; today men and women tend to earn the same pay for equal work. (T/F)
false
During the 1950s, women were expected to stay at home and take care of their husbands’ and children’s needs. These socially constructed ideas are referred to as ____.
emphasized femininity
Jobs with higher concentration of women tend to have lower prestige and lower pay. (T/F)
true
