Chapter 7
upper class (1%)
1% US population $250,000 + per year an elite and largely self-sustaining group who possess most of the country's wealth (ex: investors, heirs, executives, media/sports personalities)
upper-middle class (14%)
14 % US population $89,000 - $150,000 per year mostly highly-educated professionals and managers who have considerable financial stability
working poor
20% US population $10,500 - $22,000 educated manual and service workers who may work full-time
lower-middle class (30%) aka working class
30% US population $23,000 - $54,000 mostly "blue collar" or service industry workers who are less likely to have a college degree
middle class (30%)
30% US population $55,000 - $88,000 composed primarily of "white collar" workers with a broad range of education and incomes
underclass
5% US population $7,500 - the poorest group includes the homeless and chronically unemployed who may depend on public or private assistance
simplicity movement
a loosely knit movement that opposes consumerism and encourages people to work less, earn less, and spend less, in accordance with nonmaterialistic values
closed system
a social system with very little opportunity to move from one class to another
meritocracy
a system in which rewards are distributed based on merit
absolute deprivation
an objective measure of poverty, defined by the inability to meet minimal standards of food, shelter, clothing, or healthcare
just-world hypothesis
argues that people have a deep need to see the world as orderly, predictable, and fair, which creates a tendency to view victims of social injustice as deserving of their fates
structural mobility
changes in the social status of large numbers of people as a result of structural changes in society
culture of poverty
entrenched attitudes that can develop among poor communities and lead the poor to accept their fate rather than attempt to improve their lot
hypogamy
marrying "down" in the social class hierarchy
hypergamy
marrying "up" in the social class hierarchy
intergenerational mobility
movement between social classes that occurs from one generation to the next
digital divide
the unequal access to computer and internet technology both globally and within the US
Weberian (approach to social inequality)
wealth, power, and prestige are interrelated, but one can also be converted into another
feudal system
a system of social stratification based on a hereditary nobility who were responsible for and served by a lower stratum of forced laborers called serfs
social class
a system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power, and prestige
social inequality
the unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society
socioeconomic status (SES)
a measure of an individual's place within a social class system; often used interchangeably with "class"
everyday consciousness
awareness of one's own social status and that of others
intersectionality
a concept that identifies how different categories of inequality (ex: race, class, gender) intersect to shape the lives of individuals and groups
white collar
a description characterizing lower-level professional and management workers and some highly skilled laborers in technical jobs
blue collar
a description characterizing skilled and semi-skilled workers who perform manual labor or work in service or clerical jobs
caste system
a form of social stratification in which status is determined by one's family history and background and cannot be changed
wealth
a measure of net worth that includes income, property, and other assets
relative deprivation
a relative measure of poverty based on the standard of living in a particular society
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
open system
a social system with ample opportunities to move from one class to another
heterogamy
chasing romantic partners who are dissimilar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion, and other social group membership
homogamy
choosing romantic partners who are similar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion, and other social group membership
"Socioeconomic Status and Mate Selection"
class groups interact with one another; social relations are based on propinquity (proximity); "cinderella stories" are very rare, and more often involve women marrying up
Postmodernism (approach to inequality)
social class is passed down from one generation to the next through cultural capital
Conflict Theory (approach to social inequality)
social inequality creates intergroup conflict - poor and rich groups have different interests and my find themselves at odds as they attempt to secure and protect these interests
Structural Functionalism (approach to social inequality)
social inequality is a necessary part of society; different reward structures are necessary as an incentive for the best qualified people to occupy the most important positions; even poverty has functions that help maintain social order
Symbolic Interactionism (approach to social inequality)
social inequality is part of our presentation of self; we develop everyday class consciousness as a way to distinguish the status of others
social stratification
the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy
residential segregation
the geographical separation of the poor from the rest of an area's population
slavery
the most extreme form of social stratification, based on the legal ownership of people
vertical social mobility
the movement between different class statuses, often called either upward mobility or downward mobility
intragenerational mobility
the movement between social classes that occurs during the course of an individual's lifetime
horizontal social mobility
the movement of individuals or groups within a particular social class, most often as a result of changing occupations
social mobility
the movement of individuals or groups within the hierarchical systems of social classes
disenfranchisement
the removal of the rights of citizenship through economic, political, or legal means
prestige
the social honor people are given because of their membership in well-regarded social groups
apartheid
the system of segregation of radical and ethnic groups that was legal in South Africa between 1949 and 1991
cultural capital
the tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, and other cultural assets that help us gain advantages in society
social reproduction
the tendency of social classes to remain relatively stable as class status is passed down from one generation to the next