Social Stratification

Question 1

Social class

Answer 1

Defined as a category of people who share a similar socioeconomic position in society

Question 2

Socioeconomic status (SES)

Answer 2

May depend on ascribed or achieved status

Question 3

Ascribed status

Answer 3

Derives from clearly identifiable characteristics, such as age, gender and skin color

Question 4

Achieved status

Answer 4

Acquired through direct, individual efforts

Question 5

3 major social classes

Answer 5

upper, middle, and lower

Question 6

Prestige

Answer 6

Refers to the amount of positive regard society has for a given person or idea

Question 7

Power

Answer 7

The ability to affect others’ behaviour through real or perceived rewards and punishments, and is based on the unequal distribution of valued resoures

Question 8

Marxist theory

Answer 8

Proposes that the have-nots, called the proletariat, could overthrow the haves, called the bourgeoisie, as well as the entire capitalist economy by developing class consciousness

Question 9

Class consciousness

Answer 9

Refers to the organization of the working class around shared goals and recognition of a need for collective political action

Question 10

What is one major barrier to class consciousness

Answer 10

False consciousness, a misperception of one’s actual position within society

Question 11

Anomie

Answer 11

A lack of social norms, or the breakdown of social bonds between an individual and society. Anomic conditions erode social solidarity by means of excessive individualism, social inequality, and isolation (strain theory)

Question 12

Strain theory

Answer 12

Focuses on how anomic conditions can lead to deviance

Question 13

Social Capital

Answer 13

Can be considered the investments people make in their society in return for economic or collective rewards; the greater the investment, the higher the level of social integration (peaceful movement into mainstream society) and inclusion

Question 14

What is one of the main forms of social capital

Answer 14

Social Networks

Question 15

What are two types of social inequality created by social networks

Answer 15

Situational (socioeconomic advantage) and positional (based on how connected one is within a network and one’s centrality within that network).

Question 16

Cultural capital

Answer 16

Refers to the benefits one receives from knowledge, abilities, and skills

Question 17

Strong ties

Answer 17

Refers to peer group and kinship contacts, which are quantitatively small but qualitatively powerful

Question 18

Weak ties

Answer 18

Refer to social connections that are personally superficial, but that are large in number and provide connections to a wide range of other individuals

Question 19

Intersectionality

Answer 19

Compounding of disadvantage seen in individuals who belong to more than one oppressed group

Question 20

Five ethnicities model

Answer 20

Used by the United States Census Bureau and the National Institutes of Health (NIH): white, black, Asian, Latino, and Native American

Question 21

Social mobility

Answer 21

Typically the result of an economic and occupational structure that allows one to acquire higher-level employment opportunities given proper credentials and experience requirements; can be upward or downward

Question 22

Meritocracy

Answer 22

Based on intellectual talent and achievement, and is a means for a person to advance up the social ladder

Question 23

Plutocracy

Answer 23

Rule by the upper classes

Question 24

Horizontal mobility

Answer 24

A change in occupation or lifestyle that remains within the same social class

Question 25

Poverty

Answer 25

Defined by low socioeconomic status and a lack of possessions or financial resources

Question 26

Social reproduction

Answer 26

refers to the passing on of social inequality, especially poverty, from one generation to the next

Question 27

Structural poverty

Answer 27

Theory as to the cause of poverty based on the concept of "holes" in the structure of society rather than due to the actions of the individual

Question 28

Absolute poverty

Answer 28

When people do not have enough resources to acquire basic life necessities, such as shelter, food, clothing, and water

Question 29

Relative poverty

Answer 29

When one is poor in comparison to a larger population

Question 30

How is the poverty line determined in the US?

Answer 30

Determined by the government's estimation of the minimum income requirements for families to acquire their minimum needs

Question 31

What is the main problem with how poverty line is determined in US?

Answer 31

It is not contextualized according to geographic location and thus does not take into account the cost of living in different communities

Question 32

Social exclusion

Answer 32

Can arise from this sense of powerlessness when poor individuals feel segregated and isolated from society

Question 33

Spatial inequality

Answer 33

A form of social stratification across territories and their populations, and can occur along residential, environmental, and global lines.

Question 34

Urban decay

Answer 34

A previously functional portion of a city detoriates and becomes decrepit over time

Question 35

Urban renewal

Answer 35

City land is reclaimed and renovated for public or private use

Question 36

Gentrification

Answer 36

Upper and middle-class populations begin to purchase and renovate neighbourhoods in deteriorated areas, displacing the low-SES population

Question 37

Environmental Injustice

Answer 37

Refers to an uneven distribution of environmental hazards in communities. Lower-income neighbourhoods may lack the social and political power to prevent the placement of environmental hazards in their neighbourhoods

Question 38

World System theory

Answer 38

Categorizes countries and emphasizes the inequalities of the division of labor at the global level

Question 39

Core nations

Answer 39

Focus on higher skills and higher paying productions, while exploiting peripheral nations for their lower-skilled productions

Question 40

Semi-peripheral nations

Answer 40

These nations work toward becoming core nations, while having many characteristics of peripheral nations

Question 41

Incidence

Answer 41

The number of new cases of a disease per population at risk in a given period of time: for example, new cases of lung cancer per 1000 at-risk people per year

Question 42

Prevalence

Answer 42

The number of cases of a disease per population in a given period of time: e.g. cases of lung cancer per 1000 people per year

Question 43

Morbidity

Answer 43

The burden or degree of illness associated with a given disease

Question 44

Mortality

Answer 44

Refers to deaths caused by a given disease

Question 45

Second sickness

Answer 45

Refers to an exacerbation of health outcomes caused by social injustice

Question 46

How do mortality and morbidity rates in males and females compare

Answer 46

Males tend to have worse mortality rates than females, but females tend to have higher morbidity rates. Results from both biological and sociological factors

Question 47

Medicare

Answer 47

Covers patients over the age of 65, those with end-stage renal disease, and those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Question 48

Medicaid

Answer 48

Covers patients who are in significant financial need