Social Class & Mobility (Exam #2)
What are the characteristics of the "underclass"?
. rely wholly on benefits or make money under the table. live in ghettos mostly black
What were two major reasons workers left the farms and went to work in factories during the industrial revolution?
1. Automation-- drove many farmworkers from the land, where their labor was no longer needed. 2. Better-paying jobs in factories in the urban areas
In what two ways do members of the lower middle class and members of the working class continue to be significantly different from one another?
1. amount of job security 2. working conditions
What are the two major elements at play in the economic restructuring of the US economy over the past two decades?
1. emergence of new technologies 2. development of a global economy.
What three things are considered to be paramount among both professionals and mangers in the upper-middle class?
1. formal education (for themselves and their children) 2. establishment of a stable career 3. comfortable retirement.
George F. Will (lamenting U.S. federal aid to Katrina victims):
1. graduate from high school 2. wait for marriage to have baby 3. don't marry during teenage years
What are 2 synonyms for upper-middle class?
1. new class 2. professional middle class
What are the the two major subgroups of the upper-middle class, according to Ehrenreich?
1. professionals 2. managers
In 1973, only ______ percent of factory workers had some college training. By 2000, that figure had a) risen OR b) dropped to ______ percent
12 percent; a) risen; 36 percent
When did the US government first begin to keep official records of poverty?
1965
About what percentage of the labor force holds a bad job, that is, a job with low pay, no health insurance, and no pension?
Around 15%
What events beginning in the year 1973 caused the beginning of the end for the middle class boom seen during the post WW2 era?
BEGINNING OF US INVOLVEMENT W/ ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION: OPEC (GAS PRICES); embargo on oil and petrol products demonstrated that the US economy was indeed reliant on outside sources to survive--this event is sometimes considered to be the reacquaintance of the US with the global economy.
What are two things that contributed to the "proletarianization of the white collar worker?" What types of jobs did these things affect? How did these things contribute to the "proletarianization of the white collar worker?"
BLUE COLLAR WORK DRIFTED INTO SERVICE SECTOR. 1. technologies such as adding machines and ATMs (affected cashiers/bank tellers) *deskilled certain occupations held by white collar workers & blurred lines between occupational categories of white collar workers (lower-middle class) and blue collar workers (working-class) 2. rise of a category of technicians *LOOKED LIKE white collar workers (wore suits, crisp uniforms, dresses, had to bathe, etc) but CARRIED OUT tasks previously performed by blue collar workers (design and testing of computer systems, repair of copy machines, operating hospital equipment, etc.)
What is the difference between "deliberate" and "incidental" socialization?
Teach ideas of capitalism & political democracy.—Deliberate Socialization Indirect socialization emphasizes the import of individual effort, competition, rewards, everyone is equal. Hidden curriculum consistent with capitalism.
What is the approximate income level the government now uses to determine if a family of four (two adults and two children) is living in poverty?
$23,492 (living in Houston) it actually costs about $63, 600 to support 2 adults+2kids.
What are the family characteristics of people living in poverty?
% ----- married couples: 5.4 female headed: 30.6 male headed:14.9 absolute #s ----- married couples: .38 female headed: .51 male headed:.11
What are some leisure activities enjoyed by members of the a) upper/lower-middle classes? b)members of the working class?
a) ski/golf b) bowl/ hunt
What are some common vacations enjoyed by members of the a) upper/lower-middle classes? b)members of the working class?
a) travel abroad b) road trips which may or may not be in an R.V.
Has the nature of the relationship between life expectancy and living in more economically depressed counties changed over the last 20 years? If so, what is the nature of the change?
as the median county household income increases, life expectancy increases relationship between income and life expectancy is stronger for men than it is for women. The relationship between income and life expectancy has strengthened, generally, over the course of the past 20 years.
what is the "shrinking middle?"
beginning in the mid-1970s, middle classes were pushed up into the professional and managerial category, or they were being pulled down into the ranks of low-level service workers, many of whom were now part of the working poor.
what is the other word for the phenomena of the"middle class squeeze," and what does it describe?
bifurcation; can be seen in the development of a two-tiered wage structure and in family income: Low-skilled jobs in the service sector requiring little education or training and paying low wages continue to grow, ------------------------------- REASONS: 1. income and wages (wage bifurcation)-- people in lower classes not able to rely on wages, and lack assets of those of higher classes to fall back on (investment capital, etc.) 2.occupational bifucation--available jobs tend to be at top level (high wages) OR low paying jobs for unskilled workers.
What is implied by the phrase "proletarianization of the white collar worker?"
blurred lines between occupational categories there is no longer a significant difference between many blue- and white-collar jobs; white-collar jobs at the lower status levels have been deskilled (reduced to repetitive, routine tasks that involve little brainpower).
What are the characteristics of the "working" poor?
can't find jobs find jobs that don't pay well shitty jobs not eligible for benefits may only be temporarily poor invisible (no specific policies to help)
What sort of jobs are typical of those described as "operatives" among the lowest sector of the working class? What is the skill level required for these jobs? What sort of characteristics apply, generally, to these jobs?
factory/shop workers; few/no skills; perform of routine, perfunctory roles
what are some examples of jobs held by low level service workers?
fast-food workers, kitchen workers, hospital workers such as orderlies and nurse's aides, nursing-home workers, maids, and child-care workers.
Working class politics: liberal on __________________ issues. conservative on __________________ issues.
fiscal/economic; social
From where to members of the lower middle class derive their income?
from jobs; they do not have any assets except their homes and money earned from working
What is one reason identified by Marger for the absence of a major socialist or labor party in the United States catering primarily to working-class interests, as there is in most western European societies, as well as Canada and Japan?
idea of individual achievement; Workers have hopes of owning their own business/ becoming their own boss.
Has the government definition of poverty changed over time?
nope
What term refers to workers among the lowest sector of the working class? How large is this sector, as compared to the two other sectors of the working class?
operatives; largest sector of working class
What are "flak-generating" organizations?
organizations funded by corporations to use publicity campaigns and lawsuits if they dislike the presentation of the news.
Bill O'reily (sic), condemning welfare and democratic party ideals:
there's a sucker born every minute. The bible says the poor will always have to be with us, but it doesn't have to be that way in US due to govt. aid available. liberals are poverty pimps that abhor personal responsibility. Work hard. Get an educations. Opportunity is everywhere! hahahaha! I'm a weird rapist.
Are American working-class people are more or less politically active than their counterparts in the majority of contemporary industrial societies
they are LESS politically active.
According to Marger, what characteristics best define the three segments of the US middle class?
they are set apart from the underclass and the power elites they make up, collectively, the bulk of the population most social mobility occurs between the three segments of the middle class.
what are some of the occupations held by the most highly skilled members of the working class?
tradespeople/craft workers (i.e. carpenters, electricians, & plumbers)
what are some of the occupations typical among members of the lower-middle class?
small business owners/white-collar workers, including: middle-level managers in the business world paraprofessionals (e.g., nurses and legal workers) middle-level government bureaucrats non-retail sales workers secretaries/clerks medical technicians.
What resulted from the emergence of the white collar service sector and growth of larger corporations in the 1920s?
smaller firms, with fewer resources, were unable to compete against large corporate enterprises bureaucracies with large #'s of specialized workers led by a managerial elite.
upper-middle class politics: liberal on __________________ issues. conservative on __________________ issues.
social; fiscal/economic
What sort of educational background is common among those who, despite traditionally having been blue collar workers, began drifting towards service sector jobs in the mid-1970s?
some college experience
What are two "forces" that have emerged and posed existential threats to factory workers among the working class? What decade saw the emergence of these "forces"?
technological/economic; 1960s
Where is occupational bifurcation most evident? What are the characteristics of these jobs?
service sector jobs (over 2/3 of pop): Service occupations are extremely varied: bottom: unskilled workers middle: clerical workers and salespersons highly top: trained professionals (doctors/lawyers/etc)
what characterized the working class more than anything else?
the nature of its occupational role (blue collar work)
What is the example given by Marger that demonstrates how the social life of upper-middle-class families is an outgrowth of their occupational lives, and the two are commonly combined?
"The country club or the dinner party often becomes a setting in which clients are entertained or colleagues are consulted."
What are sort of attributes tend to be consistent among members of the UPPER and LOWER middle classes?
***OCCUPATION/INCOME/EDUCATION*** result in... 1.. distinct lifestyles 2. corresponding consumer preferences
To what do historians attribute the time of great US economic prosperity during the 20 years directly following the end of WW2?
**US EMERGED FROM WAR AS ONLY INDUSTRIALIZED NATION WITH ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE INTACT (WAR WAS NOT FOUGHT ON US SOIL) ------------------------------------- -demand for consumer goods that had been denied people during the depression and the war stimulated the economy and led to a tremendous industrial expansion. -baby boom---families grew, moved to suburbs, necessitated home construction + infrastructure (highways, etc), which created construction jobs -perceived threat due to cold war era created continued maintenance of strong military (more jobs, manufacturing, etc.)---making weaponry=national economic stimulus
How is US involvement in WW2 help end the economic crisis of the Great Depression? What year marks the entry of US into WW2 and the beginning of corollary economic restructuring that took place during this era?
*1941* men going to war created labor shortage at home factories that had previously been shut down were put to use again in order to make tanks and other stuff to fight in the war with women joined to workforce p eople left rural country areas to work in factories in more urban areas
In what way did the shift from manufacturing to service economy affect consumer spending habits and the demands of the labor market?
,Americans spend more on services, including health care, education, and food service, than on manufactured goods, such as housing, appliances, and automobiles. Increased demand for personal services resulted in greater need for service rather than production workers
Work and leisure are often combined for members of the upper-middle class. In what ways are the working class different in regards to managing their occupational roles alongside other roles they may have outside of work?
-Work is separated from other spheres of life. -Working class people "leave the job at work."
What are some of the noted characteristics of WORKING CLASS sub-culture?
-marry younger -education is usually curtailed earlier than among the upper- or lower-middle classes -families are strongly patriarchal
Describe the common lifestyle maintained/consumer behavior among members of the upper-middle class.
-own spacious suburban homes -drive upscale cars -trendy consumer behavior
Besides the general socioeconomic implications derived from a person's ascribed social class, what are more specific lifestyle aspects directly affected by a person's social class position?
-social life -cultural style -residential patterns -consumer preferences **main cue that others use to view and make judgments about individuals.
According to lecture, what are the major findings regarding the length of time individuals remain in poverty?
23 % of the pop. experienced at least one spell of poverty lasting 2 or more months in 2009 7 % of the pop were in poverty the whole year during 2009 **25 % of US pop endures poverty for at least one year over any 10 year period. between 43-60% of the poor never escape poverty. often, they are able to rise above poverty line briefly before falling back below again. people aren't damned to be in poverty for all time.
TRUE FALSE: people in the working class who have jobs doing routine tasks and unskilled labor are often required to carry out tasks that are challenging and life affirming and, as a result, often mix work and play.
8======D ----------- FALSE
Describe the ways that income varies among the WORKING CLASS.
@ the top: -skilled tradespeople -may own their own businesses -may exhibit some of the characteristics of the lower-middle class. @ the bottom: -unskilled -may be one short step from the poverty class -may drift in and out of the working-poor category
In what ways are working and lower-middle-class people no longer as easy to tell from one another as they once were?
ASPECTS OF... SOCIAL LIFE/CULTURAL STYLE/RESIDENTIAL PATTERNS/CONSUMER PREFERENCES do not live in separate neighborhoods do not speak and dress differently. relatively equal amounts of education similar ways of raising children similar ways of furnishing dwellings similar ways of spending leisure time
How have cash transfer policies affected poverty rates in the US?
Activities within the underground economy are ordinarily "off the books"—that is, exchanges are made only in cash with no record of transfer of money. Hence, earnings are not reported to the government, and no taxes are paid on them.
What is the trend among those with incomes less than one half of the US poverty level?
Deep poverty; 6.1 % of Americians/19.4 million people 45 % of people in poverty are considered to be in "deep poverty"
What are the major characteristics of Reich's major categories? What problems do these segments face?
Each has been affected differently by the emergence of an internationalized labor market. symbolic analysts- professional and man- agerial workers, who make up much of the upper-middle class. routine production workers- in competition with similar workers worldwide and are therefore apt to be most negatively affected by the vagaries of the global economy. routine personal service workers- The major difference between them and routine production workers is that they are not in compe- tition with similar workers in other countries. Their jobs involve personal services, which cannot be supplied from abroad. COMPETE AGAINST MACHINES
TRUE/FALSE: you totally must have a college degree to find jobs typical among members of the LOWER-MIDDLE class.
FALSE
What has been the history of the American middle class?
Global Middle Class History (abbreviated) ------------------------------------------------ agricultural economy gave way to industrial economy. landowners no longer most rich and powerful wealth and power distributed among "merchant class" (aka bourgeoisie) US Middle Class History (abbreviated) ----------------------------------------------- U.S. different from Europe due to less prevalent aristocratic/peasant classes--instead, there were mostly land owners/laborers from the onset industrial revolution replaced farmers/laborers with new class structure (means of production and laborers)
What are the major characteristics of lower-middle class lifestyles, in terms of income?
In terms of income, those in the lower-middle class span a broad range, according to specific occupation, but what is common to all is their relative lack of significant wealth. dependent primarily on their jobs for income and ordinarily do not own substantial assets aside from their homes
What is the "official" definition of poverty in U.S.?
In the US poverty is officially defined as three times the cost of a nutritionally adequate diet.
Is the relationship between life expectancy and poverty (throughout U.S counties) the same for men and women? If not, how do they differ?
Its worse for men than women women lose 3.3 years. Men lose 4.6 years.
The following describes the level of political engagement among members of what class: "Participation in the political arena, though strong and common, does not usually extend much beyond voting...."
LOWER MIDDLE CLASS
Junior college or vocational training may therefore be the more common form of post-secondary schooling in this class.
LOWER-MIDDLE CLASS
As opposed to members of the ___________________-_MIDDLE CLASS, members of the ___________________-MIDDLE CLASS tend to be political participants at a higher level and who are more directly engaged in the political process.
LOWER; UPPER
Describe the level of education most commonly obtained among members of the LOWER-MIDDLE class.
Most within the lower-middle class have more than a high school education, but a college degree is not necessary to meet the qualifications of most of their occupations.
Why is it common for work and play to intermingle in the lives of professionals and managers of the upper-middle class?
Much personal fulfillment is derived by people from these occupational roles.
What factors explain why the American middle class grew so rapidly after World War II?
Rising productivity in the 1950s led to rising wages and higher family incomes.
What has been the overall effect of welfare programs on reducing poverty in the United States?
The most beneficial, in descending order are: Soc Sec Tax Refunds Food stamps Supp. Sec. Income Housing Subs Unemployment TANF (don't do shit) WIC (don't do shit)
According to Marger, in what way beyond political activism are members of the upper middle class civically engaged?
They are more active in voluntary associations
Why do workers not refuse the capitalist system in favor of a system more sympathetic to the plight of the working class?
They do not see capitalists as the opposition. Instead, they see themselves as future capitalists.
About what percentage of the US population is classified as being in poverty?
Total #: 43, 123 Total %: 13.5 %
What are the three segments of the American middle class?
Upper Middle Class; Lower Middle Class; Working Class
What group among the middle class is the least educated?
WORKING CLASS
What is the major characteristic of the post-industrial society that emerged in the 1960s?
characterized by the production mainly of services and information rather than finished goods. AKA "service economy"--decline of manufacturing jobs, replaced by workers who provided goods/services
What do white collar workers among the upper middle class have that those among the lower middle class are less likely to possess, and what advantage does this afford them?
college degree -------------------- advantages: -social prestige -more $$$
What were the reasons that gave rise to the white collar service sector of the 1920s?
concentration of the means of production into fewer large corporate enterprises. decline of small, family-owned- and-operated firms Production and distribution became more complex and national in scope.
What aspects of social class are affected by occupation?
economic factors/prestige/power
How do the various segments of the US middle class differ?
economics, power, and prestige; social life, cultural style, residential patterns, and consumer preferences. the major distinguishing feature separating them is their different place in the occupational structure.
What are some of the symptoms and reasons for the wage gap suffered by people of lower classes?
education level: occupations that pay the most require higher (college/graduate level & beyond) education. lower paying jobs go to people with no degrees.
What are characteristics of jobs held by members of the upper-middle class? what are some examples of these types of jobs?
key decision-making positions in various institutions: doctors lawyers engineers technicians scientists university professors media editors and producers corporate executives financial managers high-ranking government bureaucrats **(at the lower end) schoolteachers
What, according to Ehrenreich, do professionals and managers of the upper middle class have in common in terms of their social and occupational lives?
largely interchangeable skills/often move back and forth from one category to the other. share social landscape living in the same neighborhoods functioning in the same social circles intermarrying.
What are the major characteristics of occupational power for members of the lower middle class ?
little power (unless they own their own businesses, as is the case for small business owners); are generally subordinate to professionals among upper-middle class
How was the post-industrialization of the 1960s different from the industrial economy that proceeded it?
majority of workers are white-collar rather than blue-collar post-industrial society is driven by theoretical or abstract knowledge, whereas industrial society was driven by practical knowledge
what are some of the reasons for the recent economic hardships faced by blue collar workers in the middle class?
many jobs lost as a result of downsizing, mechanization, or globalization workers now work at jobs that pay a fraction of what they were previously earning. Many, of course, having lost their jobs, find themselves chronically under- or unemployed. This has been especially evident among older workers who cannot easily retrain or are simply passed over for younger workers entering the labor force who are prepared to work for a sharply lower wage.
What are some of the characteristics of "middle skilled" sector of the working class? What sort of the jobs do they do? What are some defining qualities of these jobs?
mechanically-oriented jobs with hourly wages; Tool-and-die makers, machinists, repair persons
Describe typical economic assets held by members of the working class.
members of the working class possess little in the way of productive property (ordinarily owning only their homes and cars).
What percentage of the poor live in suburban and rural areas?
metro areas: 13% inside cities:16.8; suburbs: 10.8 rural 16.7 %
Many of the traditional blue-collar jobs done in the past by workers with ______________ education now require _______________ and other skills that call for at least some training beyond ______________ _________________.
minimal; computer; high school
Who are "contingent" workers? What percentage of Americans make up "contingent" workers?
part-timers, temporaries, or subcontractors (do not have steady, reliable jobs) 30 percent
What is "partyism"?
political label that serves as prerequisite for membership to a particular political group; political discrimination
What are some of the ways that white collar workers among the upper-middle class are distinct from white collar workers among the lower-middle class?
power & authority at work-- (meaning they make independent decisions rather than respond routinely to the commands of others)
except among _________________ __________________, people in the working class tend to be less active in politics than members of intermediate classes.
union members
In what ways, according to Marger, are the upper middle class more politically engaged than those of the lower middle/working classes?
vote more consistently contribute $ to political campaigns
how are white collar workers among the upper middle class the same as white collar workers among the lower middle class?
white collar workers from either class do mental work (they do not perform manual labor).
What jobs emerged in the 1920s constituted the class of laborers unforeseen by Marx?
white-collar jobs e in the service sector; new middle class; salaried white-collar workers working not for themselves but for employers, often as part of large, bureaucratic organizations
What are the absolute numbers of people in poverty by racial/ethnic classification?
white: .42 black: .24 hisp: .29 asian: .05
What percentages of the major ethnic/racial groups live in poverty?
white: .9.1 black: .24.1 hisp: .21.4 asian: .10.5
Define the term "blue collar work"
work that involves manual or physical labor
What is one significant way that WORKING CLASS households are similar to UPPER MIDDLE CLASS and LOWER MIDDLE class households?
working-class families, like those of the intermediate middle class, consist of TWO WAGE EARNERS. (double income households)
What does a working class neighborhood look like?
working-class neighborhoods are clearly recognizable, made up of modest single-family dwellings or perhaps mobile homes.
In what way are WORKING CLASS wives contributing to the breakdown of the traditional family structure associated with WORKING CLASS families?
working-class wives are now commonly part of the labor force, contributing their wages to family income (and thus changing the traditionally patriarchal structure of the WORKING-CLASS home-the get to assert more family power because they contribute financially as wage earners). woo!