Sociology Exam 3

closed system

is one in which there is very little opportunity to move from one class to another.

open system

is one with ample opportunities to move from one class to another.

Karl Marx and economic relations

believed that there were two main social classes in capitalist societies: Capitalists (or bourgeoisie), who owned the means of production Workers (or proletariat), who sold their labor for wages

Weberian Theory

He argued that class status was made of three components: Wealth (or privilege) Power Prestige ex: in a typical ranking, you might find physicians near the top and Janitors near the bottom.

Conflict Theory

Marx argued that economic relationships were quickly becoming the only social relationships that mattered. He believed that the classes would remain divided and social inequality would grow

What criteria does a social class system use to stratify its members?

Social Stratification

Social Inequality

the unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of society

Caste System

a form of social stratification in which status is determined by one's family history and background and cannot be changed

Socioeconomic Status and Life Chances

a measure of an individual's place within a social class system; often used interchangeably with "class"

status inconsistency

a situation in which an individual has differing levels of status in terms of the individual's wealth, power, prestige, or other elements of socioeconomic status

Social Class

a system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power, and prestige

Pierre Bourdieu

attempted to explain social reproduction, the tendency for social-class status to be passed down from one generation to the next

cultural capital

tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, etc... which helps us to gain advantages in society. This cultural capital either helps or hinders us as we become adults

Social Stratification

the division of society into groups arranged in a social heirarchy

Slavery

the most extreme form of social stratification, based on the legal ownership of people

apartheid

the system of segregation of racial and ethnic groups that was legal in South Africa between 1948 and 1991