Chapter 8 Flashcards
(77 cards)
0
Q
Social stratification
A
Division of society into categories, ranks or classes
-can be divided according to ascribed or achieved status
1
Q
Types of stratification
A
Social stratification, social inequality
2
Q
Social inequality
A
Unequal sharing of scarce resources and social rewards
3
Q
Things to know about social inequality
A
- social inequality in a closed system
- movement between the strata is impossible
- social inequality in an open system
- movement between the strata is allowed
4
Q
Two types of stratification systems
A
- caste system
- class system
5
Q
Caste system
A
- resources and social rewards are distributed on the basis of ascribed statuses
- child’s caste is determined by the parents
- effort and talent may effect position in caste but not move you to a higher caste
- has norms for interaction among castes
- exogamy
- endogamy
- example: ancient India (each caste is divided into thousands of subcastes based on occupations)
- Brahmans
- Kshatriyas
- Vaisyas
- Sudras
- Harijans
- India today
6
Q
Exogamy
A
Marriage outside one’s caste (is forbidden)
7
Q
Endogamy
A
Marriage within one’s social category (is practiced)
8
Q
Brahmans
A
Priests and scholars
9
Q
Kshatriyas
A
Rulers, nobles and soldiers
10
Q
Vaisyas
A
Merchants, bankers and business people
11
Q
Sudras
A
Laborers and artisans
12
Q
Harijans
A
Group of outcasts considered unclean and given undesirable tasks
13
Q
India today
A
- adopted 1950
- movement among castes is legal
- government assistance is given to lower caste members
- Harijans not discriminated against
14
Q
Class system
A
- distribution of scarce resources and rewards is determined on the basis of achieved status
- Karl Marx
- max weber
15
Q
Karl Marx
A
- conflict theorists
- bourgeoisie
- proletariat
16
Q
Bourgeoisie
A
People that own the means of production
17
Q
Proletariat
A
People who sell their labor in exchange for wages
18
Q
Max weber
A
- class consists of three factors
- property
- prestige
- power
19
Q
Social class
A
Grouping of similar people with similar levels of wealth, power and prestige
- wealth - power - prestige
20
Q
Wealth
A
The assets (value of everything a person owns) and income (money earned)
21
Q
Things about wealth
A
- held by small majority in US
- distributed unequally: top 1% earned over 21% of the national income
22
Q
Power
A
Ability to control the behavior of others, with or without consent
23
Q
Things to know about power
A
-force, possession of a skill or knowledge, social status, personal characteristics or custom/tradition
24
Prestige
Respect, honor, recognition or courtesy an individual receives from others
25
Things about prestige
- occupation, education, family background, area of residence, etc.
- occupation most important in US
- socioeconomic status (SES)
26
Socioeconomic status (SES)
Calculated rating that combines social factors with income
27
Functionalist perspective
- stratification is necessary in the social structure
- certain roles need performed to maintain society
* higher rewards for these roles
* the more important the role and the more skill needed the higher the reward
- weaknesses of the theory
28
Weaknesses of functionalist theory
- fails to consider that not everyone has equal access to resources
- assumes that positions that offer higher rewards are more important
29
Conflict theory
- competition over scarce resources leads to inequality
- Marxist theorists
- American theorists
- weaknesses in theory
30
Marxist theorists
```
Social stratification is a result of class exploitation
-upper class exploits the lower class
```
31
American theorists
- mills, Horowitz and domhoff
- groups compete for scarce resources
- if a group gains power, it can shape public policy and opinion
32
Weaknesses in conflict theory
- fails to recognize that unequal rewards are based somewhat on talent, skill and desire
- "find the right person for the job"
33
Determining social class
- social advancement
| - most agreed upon systems
34
Social advancement
Moving up through the ranks of the class system
35
Most agreed upon classes
- upper
- upper middle
- lower middle
- working class
- working poor
- underclass
36
Technique 1
Reputational method
- individuals in a community are asked to rank other members of the community based on knowledge of them
- suitable only for small communities where everyone knows everybody else
- findings can't be used to make conclusions about other communities
37
Technique 2
Subjective method
- individuals are asked to determine their own social rank
- most people don't like to put themselves in upper or lower class
- if choices to pick from are expanded, it offers a better representation
38
Technique 3
Objective method
- define social class by income, occupation and education
- statistical basis makes it least biased
- problem: selection and measurement of social factors (what factors do you use?)
39
Social classes in the United States (percentages)
```
Upper class-1%
Upper middle-14%
Lower middle-30%
Working class-30%
Working poor-22%
Underclass-3%
```
40
Upper class
- old money
- new money
- typically comes with great power and influence
41
Old money
Families that have been wealthy across generations
- most of wealth was inherited
- accustomed to privileged life
42
New money
Acquired wealth through their own efforts rather than inheritance
- less prestigious
- looked down upon by old money
43
Upper middle class
- high-income business people and professionals
- have college education and most have an advanced degree
- membership based on income rather than assets
- career oriented
- politically and socially active
* limited to community level
44
Lower middle class
- hold white-collar jobs; don't involve manual labor
- requires less education than upper middle
- have a comfortable life but work hard to keep what they have achieved
45
Working class
- some jobs involve manual labor; blue-collar jobs
- jobs carry less prestige even though they make as much, if not more, than lower middle
- blue collar examples
- pink collar examples
- have few financial reserves
46
Blue collar examples
Factory, tradespeople, service workers
47
Pink collar examples
Clerical, lower-level sales
| *traditionally women hold these positions
48
Working poor
- lowest paying jobs
- often temporary and seasonal
* housecleaning, migrant farm work, day laboring
- rarely make a living wage
- many depends on government-support programs
- most are high school drop outs; lack education
- typically not involved politically
49
Underclass
- have experienced unemployment and poverty over several generations
- usually have undesirable, low-paying jobs
- income is usually public assistance
- only 50% of children make it to a higher class
50
Social mobility
Movement between or within social class
51
Things to know about social mobility
- horizontal mobility
- vertical mobility
* intragenerational mobility
* intergenerational mobility
- rarely move up more than one class
52
Horizontal mobility
Movement within a social class
53
Vertical mobility
Movement between social classes (can be upward or downward)
* intragenerational mobility
* intergenerational mobility
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Intragenerational mobility
Changes in social position during one's life
55
Intergenerational mobility
Status differences between generations in the same family
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Structural causes of upward mobility
- advances in technology
- merchandising patterns
- increase in level of education
57
Advances in technology
-jobs available change
58
Merchandising patterns
- large increase in credit industry
- greater emphasis on insurance
- increased real-estate transactions
- exponential growth in personal services
59
Increase in level of education
- smaller number with no high school diploma
| - larger number going to college
60
Structural causes of downward mobility
- personal factors
| - changes in economy
61
Personal factors
-illness, divorce and retirement
62
Changes in economy
- technology changes demand for labor; workers become unemployed
- economic recession
63
Defining poverty in U.S.
- 13% of the population lives below the poverty line (2010); 14.5% (2013)
- poverty
- poverty level
- modern definition of poverty
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Poverty
Standard of living that is below the minimum level considered adequate by society
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Poverty level
Minimum annual income needed for a family to survive
- based on cost of providing an adequate diet
- adjusted every year
- modified for number of people in the family: (2015)
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Poverty level 2015
- $11,770 for individuals
- $15,930 for a family of two
- $20,090 for a family of three
- $24,250 for a family of four
- $28,410 for a family of five
- $32,570 for a family of six
- $36,730 for a family of seven
- $40,890 for a family of eight
67
Modern definition of poverty
Based on providing the necessities of food, clothing, housing and "a little bit more"
68
Variations in American poverty
- children have largest percentage in poverty
* 33%
* level is twice as high for African American and Hispanic
- women-57% of poor are women
* head about 1/2 of all poor families
* african American and Hispanic are more likely than Caucasian
69
Life changes
- likelihood that individuals have of sharing opportunities and benefits of society
- includes health, length of life, housing and education
- vary by social class; effects poor most
70
Vary by social class; effects poor most
- higher health concerns for the poor (diabetes, heart disease, pneumonia, etc.)
- have shorter life expectancies (average number of years a person can expect to live)
* inadequate nutrition
* less access to medical care
* environment they work and live in
* educational opportunities limited
71
Patterns of behavior
- divorce rates are higher among low-income families
- more likely to be arrested, convicted and sent to prison
- more likely to commit crimes that police pursue aggressively
* violent crime and crimes against property
72
Government responses to poverty
- 37 million still live in poverty (2010); 46.5 million (2012)
- increased social security benefits and introduction of Medicare
* helped decrease number of elderly in poverty
73
Social welfare programs
- transfer payments
- government subsidies
- personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act (1996)
74
Transfer payments
Redistribute money within society by funneling a percentage of tax revenues to groups that need public assistance
-examples: SSI and TANF
75
Government subsidies
Transfer of goods and services
| -examples: food stamps, housing, school lunches and Medicaid
76
Personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act (1996)
- turned some welfare programs over to states
| - limited time they can receive payments
