Sociology Final

social inequality

occurs when resources in a given society are distributed unevenly, typically through norms of allocation, that engender specific patterns along lines of socially defined categories of persons

social class

a group of people with similar levels of wealth, influence, and status

melting pot

a place where different peoples, styles, theories, etc., are mixed together

class systems

a system in which social status is largely determined by the family into which a person is born

upper class

Comprising only 1 to 3 percent of the United States population, the upper class holds more than 25 percent of the nation's wealth. This class divides into two groups: lower‐upper and upper‐upper. The lower‐upper class includes those with "new money," or money made from investments, business ventures, and so forth. The upper‐upper class includes those aristocratic and "high‐society" families with "old money" who have been rich for generations. These extremely wealthy people live off the income from their inherited riches. The upper‐upper class is more prestigious than the lower‐upper class.

middle class

The middle class are the "sandwich" class. These white collar workers have more money than those below them on the "social ladder," but less than those above them. They divide into two levels according to wealth, education, and prestige. The lower middle class is often made up of less educated people with lower incomes, such as managers, small business owners, teachers, and secretaries. The upper middle class is often made up of highly educated business and professional people with high incomes, such as doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, and CEOs.

assimilation

The process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group: "Waves of immigrants have been assimilated into the American culture."

working class

The working class are those minimally educated people who engage in "manual labor" with little or no prestige. Unskilled workers in the class—dishwashers, cashiers, maids, and waitresses—usually are underpaid and have no opportunity for career advancement. They are often called the working poor. Skilled workers in this class—carpenters, plumbers, and electricians—are often called blue collar workers. They may make more money than workers in the middle class—secretaries, teachers, and computer technicians; however, their jobs are usually more physically taxing, and in some cases quite dangerous.

Discrimination

behavior that prevents members of a group from having opportunities that are open to others

Prejudice

holding preconceived views about an individual or group

Race

physical characteristics, such as skin color, that are treated by members of a community or society as signaling distinct cultural characteristics

Racism

prejudice based on socially significant physical distinctions. A racist is a person who believes that some individuals are superior, or inferior, to others as a result of racial differences.

Racialization

processes of ascribing ethnic or racial identities to a relationship, social practice, or group that did not identify itself as such

ethnocentrism

the belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture. a tendency to view alien groups or cultures from the perspective of one's own

Ethnicity

the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition

colonization

the system or policy by which a nation maintains or advocates such control or influence

Stereotyping

thinking in terms of inflexible categories

lower class

typified by poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. People of this class, few of whom have finished high school, suffer from lack of medical care, adequate housing and food, decent clothing, safety, and vocational training. The media often stigmatize the lower class as "the underclass," inaccurately characterizing poor people as welfare mothers who abuse the system by having more and more babies, welfare fathers who are able to work but do not, drug abusers, criminals, and societal "trash."

multiculturism

view that cultural differences should be respected or even encouraged. Sociologists use the concept of multiculturalism to describe one way of approaching cultural diversity within a society

pluralism

when smaller groups within a larger society maintain their unique cultural identities, and their values and practices are accepted by the wider culture provided they are consistent with the laws and values of the wider society