Unit test 1 - Social Inequality Flashcards
Social Stratification
-Society’s hierarchical ranking of people into social classes
Social Class
-Based on both birth and achievements
Social Status
Position within the class structure
Principles of Social Stratification
- Meritocracy
- Relatively stable (some social mobility)
- varies in how it presents itself (income vs. prestige)
- Fair and just
Social Inequality
- Inequality exists when certain attributes affect a person’s access to socially valued resources
- Supported by dominant ideology rather than individual capability
Classism
Worth is determined by social and economic status
Blaming the victim
Working harder will alleviate poverty
Blaming the system
Systemic discrimination
Social systems rank people in two ways
Closed systems & open systems
Closed system - based on ascribed status
- Very little room for social mobility
- Caste systems determine what people can wear, what jobs they can perform and who they can marry
- Membership hereditary
Open System - based on achieved status
- Result of one’s own merit within the class structure
- Income, occupational prestige and education
Components of inequality; Property
Important indicator of where one fits into class structure
- Income is defined as the money one receives annually
- Wealth is defined as one’s net accumulated assets
Components of Inequality; Occupational Prestige
The social value of an occupation
Functionalism; Davis-Moore thesis (1945)
- Social inequality serves important social function: instills desire to fill certain social positions, and instills the desire to complete duties and obligations
- Rewards must be high to attract most capable and skilled
Criticisms of functionalism
- Social status is often hereditary
- Substantial discrimination
- market forces
- extreme
