Terms Flashcards
social stratification
definition: ranking of people or groups according to their unequal access to scarce resources.
ex: An example of social stratification could be your economic status/class (high, middle, or low class).
Power
the ability to control the
behavior of others, even
against their will
Relative Poverty
Definition: a measure of poverty based on the economic disparity between those at the bottom of a society and the rest of the society.
Implication: relative poverty is the condition in which people lack the minimum amount of income needed in order to maintain the average standard of living compare to others in the society in which they live.
Proletariat
A Proletariat is the class that labors without owning the means of production. The people in the proletariat are angry because as they fight for food, the wealthier classes are throwing away produce and meats.
Feminization of poverty:
Definition: trend in US society which woman and children are a large portion of the poor.
Application: As the data shows that 60% of the low wage workers in America are woman is a clear example of feminization of poverty.
Income
The amount of money received within a given time period by an individual or group.
Sentence- Even on two incomes, the family is having trouble keeping up with bills.
Social class
Each of the layers in a stratification system is a social class; it’s a segment of a population whose members hold similar amounts of scarce resources and share values, norms,
and an identifiable lifestyle. America has different social classes, including the lower, middle, and upper class.
Absolute Poverty
The absence of enough money to secure life’s necessities.
People living in absolute poverty cannot afford to buy food a lot of the time.
Working Poor
Definition: People employed in low-skill jobs with the lowest pay who don’t earn enough to overcome poverty. Application: The Working Poor may need assistance paying for weekly groceries.
bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie are the capitalist class who own most of society’s wealth and means of production.
The bourgeoisie normally owns a lot of materialistic things.
Class consciousness
Definition: A sense of identification with the goals and interests of the members in a specific social class. Sentence: Roger shows class consciousness with the middle class as he wants to provide for his family.
Prestige
Recognization, respect, and admiration attached to social position. Trump is prestige because he is President and well liked.
Wealth
refers to all the economic resources possessed by an individual or group.
The wealth of a person or family is a large deciding factor in social class
“You Are What You Wear”
- clothing (in medieval Europe) served as a kind of a uniform, designating status
- social rank in Europe in the Middle Ages was reflected as it is today in clothing and accessories
- clothing was/is a way to show wealth and power in society
Underclass
Definition: The underclass is made up of people typically unemployed who came from families that have been poor for generations Application: As a person born into the underclass, he had a lack of education and skills, leaving him unemployed and on public assistance.
