Sociology Test 3

Caste system

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

Prejudice

A negative attitude based on faulty generalizations about members of specific racial, ethnic, or other groups

Peripheral nations

According to world systems theory, nations that are dependent on core nations of capital, have little or no industrialization (other than what may be brought in by core nations), and have uneven patterns of urbanization

Problems with old terms

After the Cold war, the second world no longer existed -Third world is too economically diverse

Absolute deprivation

An objective measure of poverty that is defined by the inability to meet minimal standards for food, shelter, clothing, or health care

Slavery

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

Vertical Social Mobility

The movement between social classes and is often called, depending on the direction, either upward mobility or downward mobility

Intergenerational Mobility

The movement between social classes that occurs from one generation to the next

Intragenerational mobility

The movement between social classes that occurs over the course of an individual's lifetime

Social mobility

The movement of individuals or groups within the hierarchal system of social classes

Human Trafficking

The movement of men, women, and children from one place to another -For the purpose of performing forced labor

Horizontal social mobility

The occupational movement of individuals or groups within a social class

Authoritarian personality

Characterized by excessive conformity, submissiveness to authority, intolerance, insecurity, a high level of superstition, and rigid, stereotypic thinking

Frustration-aggression hypothesis

(Theory of prejudice) states that people who are frustrated in their efforts to achieve a highly desired goal will respond with a pattern of aggression toward other -Symbolic interactionists see prejudice as resulting from social learning

Absolute poverty

- A life-threatening lack of resources -One-third or more of people in low income countries live in absolute poverty

Feagin's four major types of discrimination

- Isolate discrimination - Small-group discrimination - Direct institutionalized discrimination - Indirect institutionalizes discrimination

The U.N. found that

- Norway had the highest "quality of life" rating, followed by Australia and Canada - The U.S. ranked 6th - Niger had the lowest

Conflict perspectives

- The caste perspective - Class perspectives

The worker (lower-middle) class

-"Blue-collar" or service industry workers -Less likely to have college degrees -Make up about 30% of the U.S. population

Middle-Income Countries

-About 55% of the population lives in or near urban areas and have industrial jobs -About 45% live in rural areas and engage in agricultural activities general lack of schools, hospitals, etc

Measuring Global Wealth and Poverty

-Absolute poverty -Relative -Subjective

Old Terms

-First World -Second World -Third World

High-Income Countries

-First to develop during industrial rev. two centuries ago -Enjoy 80% of the world income -More income means control of world's financial markets -Control of financial markets means control of other countries

New Terms

-High Income: nations with the highest standard of living -Middle Income -Low income: the extent of global inequality is much greater than

The lower class

-Many poor people, who typically have lower levels of literacy than other classes -Make up about 20% of the U.S. population

Low-Income Countries

-Mostly poor, rural economies -Agarian with some industry -Life expectancy is short Hunger, disease and unsafe housing

Relative poverty

-People lack resources that others take for granted

Consequences of Inequality

-Physical health, mental health, and nutrition -Housing -Education

The upper class

-Wealthiest people in a class system - Make up about 1% of the U.S. population - Possess most of the wealth of the country

The upper-middle class

-professionals and managers -Make up about 14% of the U.S population

World systems theory

A perspective that examines the role capitalism, and particularly the transnational division of labor, in a truly global system held together by economic ties

Modernization theory

A perspective that links global inequality to different levels of economic development and suggests that low-income economies can move to middle and high-income economies by achieving self-sustained economic growth

Assimilation

A process by which members of subordinate racial and ethnic groups become absorbed into the dominant culture

Dominant group

A racial or ethnic group that has the greatest power and resources in a society

Relative deprivation

A relative measure of poverty based on the standards of living

Racism`

A set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices that is used to justify the superior treatment of one racial or ethnic group and the inferior treatment of another racial or ethnic group

Social class

A system of stratification based on access to resources such as wealth, property, power, and prestige. Sociologists of ten refer to it as socioeconomic status (or SES)

Postmodern Theory (cont'd)

According to Bourdieu, this happens because each generation acquires cultural capital (tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, etc.), which helps us to gain advantages in society.

Official poverty line

Based on what the federal government considers to be the minimum amount of money required for living at a subsistence level

Socioeconomic status and life changes

Belonging to a certain social class has profound consequences for individuals in all areas of life, including education, employment, and medical care

The middle class

Consists primarily of: -"White-collar" workers -Have a broad range of incomes -Make up about 30% of the U.S populations

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

Contact hypothesis: contact between people from divergent groups should lead to favorable attitudes and behavior when certain factors are present

Split labor market

Refers to the division of the economy into two areas of employment, a primary sector and a secondary sector

Functionalist Perspectives

Davis Moore thesis: inequality is not only inevitable but also necessary for the smooth functioning of society.

Core nations

Dominant capitalist centers characterized by high levels of industrialization and urbanization

Absolute poverty

Exists when people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life

Relative Poverty

Exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living

Karl Max (cont'd)

He believed that the classes would remain divided and social inequality would grow

Marxian Model

Identifies ownership of the means of production as the distinguishing feature of social class: -The Capitalist Class -The Managerial Class -The Small-Business Class -The Working Class

Life Chance

Refers to the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care -Max Weber

Social class: Conflict theory

Karl Max 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

Max weber argued that class status was made of three components: Wealth (or privilege), Power, Prestige

Social class: Postmodern Theory

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

Ethnic pluralism

The coexistence of a variety of distinct racial and ethnic groups within one society

Internal colonialism

Occurs when members of a racial or ethnic group are conquered or colonized and forcibly placed under the economic and political control of the dominant group

Subordinate group

One whose members, because of physical or cultural characteristics, are disadvantaged and subjected to unequal treatment and discrimination by the dominant group

Open system

One with ample opportunities to move from one class to another

Closed system

One with very little opportunity to move from one class to another

Stereotypes

Overgeneralizations about the appearance, behavior, or other characteristics of members of particular categories

Culture of poverty

Refers to learned attitudes that can develop among poor communities and lead the poor to accept their fate rather than attempt to improve their situation

Human Trafficking (cont'd)

People lured to a new country and promise of a job, then forced to become prostitutes

Conflict Perspectives

People with economic and political power are able to shape and distribute the rewards, resources, privileges, and opportunities in society for their own benefit.

Erving Goffman

Pointed out, our clothing, speech, gestures, possessions, friends, and activities provide information about our socioeconomic status

The Severity of Poverty

Poverty in poor countries is more severe than it is in rich countries

Critical Race Theory

Racism is ingrained in society and affects everyone's daily lives

Structural Mobility

Refers to changes in the social status of large numbers of people due to structural changes in society

Global Stratification

Refers to the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and prestige on a global basis, resulting in people having vastly different lifestyles and life chances both within and among the nations of the world

Systems of stratification

Slavery, caste system, apartheid, social class

Theory of racial formation

States that actions of the government substantially define racial and ethnic relations in the United States

The Gini Coefficient

The degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country

Structural-Functional Theory

Suggests that the system of stratification that has emerged is functional to society in many way: -Certain roles are more important for the functioning of society, and these roles may be more difficult to fill, so more incentive is needed. -Greater rewards are necessary for work that requires more training or skill.

Symbolic Interaction Theory

Symbolic interactionists examine the way we use status differences to categorize ourselves and others.

Problems in Studying Global Inequality

The "three worlds" approach -First World -Second World -Third World -The levels of Development Approach

Dependency theory

The belief that global poverty can at least partially be attributed to the fact that the low-income countries have been exploited by the high-income countries

Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives

The beliefs and actions of people reflect their class location in society.

Income

The economic gain derived from wages, salaries, income transfers (governmental aid), and ownership of property

Defining poverty

The federal poverty line (an absolute measure of annual income) is frequently used to determine who should be categorized as poor; In 2009 about 47.8 million people (15.7% of the pop) in the U.S. were considered poor

The American Dream

The ideology, that anyone can achieve material success if he or she works hard enough, explains and justifies our social system but it has been criticized for legitimacy stratification by implying that everyone has the same opportunity to get ahead

New international division of labor theory

The perspective that views commodity production was being split into fragments that can be assigned to whatever part of the world can provide the most profitable combination of capital and labor

Segregation

The spatial and social separation of categories of people by race, ethnicity, class, gender, and/or religion.

Apartheid

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

Social classes in the united states

The upper class, upper-middle class, middle class, worker (lower-middle) class, lower class

Wealth

The value of all of a person's or family's economic assets including income, personal property, and income - producing property

Classification of Economies by Income

World Bank Classifications: -Low-income economies (GNI = less than $1,045) -Lower-middle-income economies (GNI= $1,046 - $4,125) -Upper-middle-income economies (GNI =$4,126 - $12,745) -High-income economies (GNI = $12,746 or more)

Race

a category of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior, often on the basis of real or alleged physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, eye shape, or other subjectively selected attributes

Semi peripheral nations

are more developed than peripheral nations but less developed than core nations

Individual discrimination

consists of one-on-one acts by members of the dominant group that harm members of the subordinate group or their property

Institutional discrimination

consists of the day-to-day practices of organizations and institutions that have a harmful effect on members of subordinate groups

Every society

has some form of stratification, but societies stratify people on different criteria (like race, class, gender, etc.)

Discrimination

involves actions or practices of dominant-group members (or their representatives) that have a harmful effect on members of a subordinate group

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

refers to a combined measure that attempts to classify individuals, families, or households in terms of factors such as income, occupation, and education to determine class location

Social stratification

the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy

Social inequality

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