MCAT Sociology 12- Social Stratification

Anomie

A concept first brought into wide usage in sociology by Durkheim, referring to a situation in which social norms lose their hold over individual behavior. The breakdown of social bonds between an individual and society.

Meritocracy

A form of social stratification in which all positions are awarded on the basis of merit.

Socioeconomic Status

A person's position in society as determined by income, wealth, occupation, education, place of residence, and other factors. May depend on ascribed or achieved status.

Power

Ability to affect others' behavior through real or perceived rewards and punishments, and is based on the unequal distribution of valued resources

Achieved status

Acquired via direct, individual efforts, obtained through hard work or merit

Second Sickness

An exacerbation of health outcomes caused by social injustice.

Affordable Care Act

An expansion of medicaid, most of employers must provide health insurance, have insurance or face surtax, prevents rejection based on pre-existing condition. Also referred to as "Obamacare", signed into law in 2010.

Morbidity

Burden or degree of illness associated with a given disease

Social Class

Category of people who share a similar socioeconomic position in society.

Ascribed Status

Clearly identifiable characteristics, such as age, gender, and skin color. Involuntary

Absolute Poverty

Condition in which people do not have enough money or resources to maintain a quality of living that includes basic life necessities such as shelter, food, clothing, and water.

Social Capital

Considered the investments people make in their society in return for economic or collective rewards; the greater the investment, the higher the level of social integration and inclusion. Any relationship between people that can facilitate the actions of others

Mortalitiy

Deaths caused by a given disease

Poverty line

Derived from the government's calculation of the minimum income requirement for families to acquire the minimum necessities of life. Issues with this is it is not contextualized according to geographic location and as a result, does not take into account the cost of living in different communities.

Strain theory

Focuses on how Anomic conditions can lead to deviance. Merton's theory that deviance occurs when a society does not give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals.

Global Inequalities

Global inequality in wealth has drastically increased recently, partly due to globalization and also due to a recent spike in population, placing strain on the world's resources.

Medicaid

Insurance for those in financial need.

Medicare

Insureance for patients over the age of 65

Poverty

Low socioeconomic status and a lack of possessions or financial resources.

Health Disparities

Low-income groups are significantly worse off than the middle or upper class when it comes to health, meaning they tend to be sicker than others.

Prevalance

Measure of the number of cases of an illness overall, whether new or chronic per population at a given time

Reasoning for lower life expectancy of men

Men are considered to be bigger risk-takers, and therefore more likely to expose themselves to accidents. Men are also employed in more dangerous jobs. Men have a higher rate of alcohol use and participation in violent sports. Men have a higher risk of heart attack biologically.

Social Mobility

Movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society's stratification system to another.

Relative Poverty

One is poor in comparison to the larger population in which they live. If your known community consists of billionaires a millionaire could be considered relatively poor.

Strong Ties

Peer group and kinship contacts, which are quantitatively small, but qualitatively powerful

Reasons Low-income groups have higher mortality rates

Poor access to quality medical care, poor nutrition, feeling less control in life circumstances, increased stress, more likely to smoke, take drugs, and be overweight or obese, less likely to engage in physical activity.

Weak Ties

Social connections that are personally superficial, such as associates, but that are large in number and provide connections to a wide range of other individuals

Intergenerational Changes

Social mobility that occur from parents to their children.

Intragenerational Changes

Social mobility that occurs within a person's lifetime

Spatial inequality

Social stratification across territories and their populations. The unequal distribution of wealth or resources in a geograhic area, so that some places are richer than others

Plutocracy

Some fear that America' meritocracy is quickly becoming a plutocracy, or a rule by the upper classes.

Social Reproduction

The idea that Social inequality, especially poverty, is reproduced and passed down from one generation to the next. The poor stay poor and the rich stay rich.

Incidence

The number of new cases of an illness per population at risk in a given amount of time.

Social Exclusion

The outcome of multiple deprivations that prevent individuals or groups from participating fully in the economic, social, and political life of the society in which they live. A sense of powerlessness when the POOR feel ALIENATED FROM SOCIETY

Environmental Justice

The unequal distribution of dangerous environmental conditions imparted on lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, likely due to richer neighborhoods being able to resist it being put in their area.

Residential Segregation

Where one resides, an urban, suburban, or rural environment, and which neighborhood in that environment has a substantial effect on how people interact, cooperate, and advance. Ex- more opportunity for people in urban for social mobility than rural.

Five Ethnicities Model

White, Black, Asian, Latino, Native American