The American Class Systems

The United States has an open class system based on social mobility that includes

all of the above

Advances in technology can cause workers with outdated skills to experience _____.

Downward social mobility

A groundskeeper who moves from a school to a church and remains a groundskeeper is experiencing _____.

Horizontal mobility

Identify and describe the three types of social mobility.

Horizontal mobility: movement within a social class or stratum. Vertical mobility: movement between social classes or strata. Intergenerational mobility: status differences between generations in the same family.

A doctor whose father works as a janitor would be an example of _____.

Intergenerational mobility

Name the three basic techniques used to rank individuals according to social class and describe each briefly.

Reputational method: individuals in the community are asked to rank other community members based on what they know of their character and lifestyle. Subjective method: individuals are asked to determine their own social rank. Objective method: social class is defined by income, occupation, and education.

The method of ranking social status that asks people to rank themselves is called the _____.

Subjective method

Techniques used to rank individuals according to social class are

all of the above

Differences between social classes in the United States are based on

income, lifestyles, and beliefs.

Those who hold jobs that require manual labor are in the

working class.