Sociology 101 Chapter 8 Terms

relative deprivation

a relative measure of poverty based on the standard of living in a particular society

status inconsistency

a situation oin which there are serious differences between the different elements of an individual's socioeconomic status

open system

a social system with ample opportunities to move from one class to another

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

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 resources such as wealth, property, power, and prestige

absolute deprivation

an objective measure of poverty, defined by the inability to meet minimal standards for food, shelter, clothing, or health care

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

class consciousness

awareness of one's own social status and that of others

structural mobility

changes in the social status of large numbers of people due to structural changes in society (great depression)

middle class

composed primarily of "white collar" workers wit ha broad range of incomes; they constitute about thirty percent of the us population

working class/ lower middle class

mostly "blue collar" or service industry workers who are less likely to have college degree, they constitute thirty percent of the us population

upper-middle class

mostly professionals and managers, who enjoy considerable financial stability; they constitute about fourteen percent of the us population

intergenerational mobility

movement between social classes that occurs from one gereation to the next

working poor

poorly educated workers who work full time but remain below the poverty line; they constitute about twenty percent of the us population

social stratification

the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy

residential segregation

the geographical separation of teh poor from the rest of the 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 over the course of an individual's lifetime

social mobility

the movement of individual or groups within the hierarchal system of social classes

horizontal social mobility

the occupational movement of individuals or groups within a social class

underclass

the poorest americans who are chronically unemployed and may depend on public or private assistance; they constitute about five percent of the population

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 (Max Weber)

apartheid

the system of segregation of racial and ethnic groups that was legal in South Africa between 1948 and 1991

cultural capital

the tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, and other cultural dispositions that help us gain advantages in society. (Pierre Bourdieu)

social reproduction

the tendecny of social classes to remain relativelyu stable as social calss status is passed down from one gerneration to the next (Pierre Bourdieu)

social inequality

the unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society

blue collar

a description characterizing workers who perform manual labor

caste system

a form of social stratification in which status is determined by one's family history and background and cannot be changed

upper class

a largely self sustaining group of the wealthiest people in a class system; in the us they constitute about one percent of the population and possess most of the wealth of the country

simplicity movement

a loosely knit movement that opposes consumerism and encourages people to work less, earn less, spend less, in accordance with nonmaterialistic values

socioeconomic status

a measure of an individual's place within a social class system, often used interchangeably with class

culture of poverty

entrenched attitudes than can develop among poor communities and lead the poor to accept their fate rather than attempt to improve their lot