Final Flashcards
(134 cards)
What is meant by social stratification being universal but variable?
Variable means how equal or unequal a society is depending on what society
Whats the difference between open and closed systems
closed systems = caste systems (allow little change in social position
open systems = class systems (allow much more social mobility)
Who is Talcott Parsons?
he observed that gender helps integrate society (in it’s traditional form)
What type of society is caste systems common in?
traditional/agrarian societies
What type os society is class systems common in?
modern industrial and post modern industrial societies
What is status consistency?
the degree of uniformity in a persons social standing across various dimensions of social inequality
(a caste system has little social mobility, therefore high status consistency)
What is status consistency?
the degree of uniformity in a persons social standing across various dimensions of social inequality
(a caste system has little social mobility, therefore high status consistency)
Which group claimed to be classless? (even though they def weren’t)
The former soviet union
What is STRUCTURAL social mobility?
a shift in the social position of large #’s of people due to changes in society itself rather than individual changes (such as the economy)
China experienced structural upward mobility as the economy expanded
Whats the davis-moore thesis?
argues that social stratification has beneficial consequences for the operations of society
It also suggests that the reason for stratification: that positions in a society that are considered crucial must offer incentives to draw talented people away from less important work.
Whats the “class conflict” Karl Marx talks about?
He claimed that capitalism places economic production under ownership of capitalists (owners) who exploit proletarians (workers).
^^ he claimed that because of this conflict the working majority would overthrow the capitalists eventually
why was there no maxist revolution?
- fragmentation of the capitalist class
- higher standard of living
- more worker organizations
- greater legal protection
What 3 dimensions of social stratification did Weber identify?
- economic class
- social status/prestige
- power
What is soci-economic status?
a ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality (family income, parents’ education level, etc).
Who is in control of horicultural/pastoral/agarian socities?
a small elite control these societies (the masses place these people in an elite and godlike position)
Does industrialization push inequality upward or downward?
DOWNWARD
meritocracy is introduced in industrial societies, weakening the power of the elite.
What is the Kuznets curve?
a graph that demonstrates how greater technological sophistication is generally accompanied by greater social stratification.
aka. more tech = more inequality/heirarchies
Whats a criticism of the Kunets curve?
developed by comparing different societies that were at different levels of economic development
(uses cross sectional data!!)
What types of political values are most likely to be held by someone with low social standing?
More likely to have CONSERVATIVE views
this is because they likely grew up with less supervision/discipline and less education
What are some common trends with social mobility in Canada?
- earnings have stalled for many workers
- more jobs offer little income
- young people are remaining at home way longer
What percentage of people in Canada is poor?
between 8.8% - 13%
(exact percentage depends on what is being measured)
Explain neoliberalism
it is a political idea basically proposing to change the governments control/regulation into the hands of private groups
*the purpose of this is to force people to be self-supporting and move away from government dependency
What is Oscar Lewis’s view of poverty?
he created the “culture of poverty thesis” that states how poverty is caused by shortcomings in the poor themselves (marxist)
aka. he thought that LIVING IN POVERTY CREATES ITS OWN CULTURE
What is William Julius Johnson’s view on poverty?
he believed that poverty is caused by society’s unequal distribution of wealth and lack of good jobs