Ch.7 Sociology Review

What is social class?

refers to a system of stratification based on access to resources such as wealth, property, power, and prestige. Sociologists often refer to the combination of these factors as one's socioeconomic status (or SES).

What is structural mobility?

refers to changes in the social status of large numbers of people due to institutional or organizational changes in society.

What is underclass?

very poorest of americans, earn less than 7500 per year and may have chronic difficulty getting enough money to support their basic needs.

The American Dream is the pursuit of material and personal success and the idea that anyone can achieve such success. How does widespread belief in the American Dream and individualism actually serve to reinforce socioeconomic barriers?

The ideology of the American Dream (that anyone can achieve material success if they work hard enough) has been criticized for several reasons. For example, it legitimizes stratification by reinforcing the idea that everyone has the same opportunity to get ahead and that success or failure depends on the person.

How does a conflict theorist like Karl Marx view stratification?

believed that there were two main social classes in capitalist societies: the capitalists (or bourgeoisie), who owned the means of production, and the workers (or proletariat), who sold their labor for wages. He believed that the classes would remain divided and social inequality would grow.

Which population groups are associated with higher rates of poverty?

Blacks, hispanics, elderly, disabled, those who are foreign born, as well as for women, children and single parent households. 48 million people in the United States are considered poor

What is a caste system?

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

What is upper class?

a largely self-sustaining group of the wealthiest people in a class system; they comprise about 1% of the U.S. population and possess most of the wealth of the country. they earn in excess 250,000 per year

What are structural functionalists?

argue that stratification systems help ensure that the best qualified individuals occupy the most valued and important positions. emphasizes social order and solidarity based on commonly shared values about what is good and worth while

Understand Pieere Bourdieus concept of cultural capital and social reproduction:

attempted to explain social reproduction, the tendency of social classes to remain relatively stable from one generation to the next. According to Bourdieu, this stability happens because each generation acquires what he called cultural capital, the tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, and other cultural dispositions that are required to become members of particular social classes.

What is upper middle class?

consists mostly of professionals and managers, about 14% of the population, earn 89,000-150,000 per year

What is working poor class?

consists of people who are poor and typically have lower levels of literacy than other classes; they comprise about twenty percent of the U.S. population. 20% of population, earn 15,000 to 22,000 per year.

What is middle class?

consists primarily of "white collar" workers with a broad range of incomes. 30% of population, earn 55,000- 88,000 per year

What are symbolic interactionists?

examine the way we use status differences to categorize ourselves and others. As Erving Goffman pointed out, our clothing, speech, gestures, possessions, friends, and activities provide information about our socioeconomic status.

What is working middle class?

is made up mainly of "blue-collar" or service industry workers, 30% of population, earn 23,000-54,000 per year

What is intragenerational mobility in the United States?

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

What is intergenerational mobility?

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

What is vertical social mobility?

is the movement between social classes, which is referred to as upward or downward mobility.

What is social mobility?

is the movement of individuals or groups within the hierarchal system of social classes. A closed system is one with very little opportunity to move from one class to another. An open system is one with ample opportunities to move from one class to another.

What is horizontal social mobility?

is the occupational movement of individuals or groups within a social class.

Implications of stratification in the criminal justice system:

people of lower SES are more likely to encounter the criminal justice system

What is the weberian theory?

property and wealth can be inherited or earned, power usually comes from occupying certain roles within organizations and prestige is based on a persons social identity and bestowed by others.

What is social stratification?

the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy. Social stratification is a characteristic of society (not individuals) and can persist over generations

What is slavery?

the most extreme system of social stratification and is based on the legal ownership of people

Culture of poverty:

theory holds that entrenched attitudes that can develop among poor communities lead the poor to accept their fate rather than attempt to improve their situation. One of the key criticisms of this theory is that it tends to blame the victims of poverty for their own misfortune while failing to take into account the structural factors that shape culture. Residential segregation, political disenfranchisement, and the use of law enforcement to control the homeless can make poverty invisible to many Americans.