Unit 4 Exam: Stratification Powerpoint notes & review questions

By 2014, female households accounted for 54% of the poor in the U.S. This alarming trend is referred to as: a. Discriminating Poverty b. Elementary Poverty c. Dramatic Poverty d. The Feminization of Poverty

d. The Feminization of Poverty

Class Warfare

- Occupy Wall Street---Political leaders began to speak of class conflict - Gulf between rich and everyone else in U.S. has grown over last 50 years---Rich just as likely as poor to say class conflict exists

Social Classes

Class standing heavily dependent on family and ascribed factors - Race, gender, ethnicity

Vertical Mobility

Movement from one position to another of a different rank

Horizontal Mobility

Movement within same range of prestige

Slavery is a thing of the past. a. True b. False

b. False

Davis and Moore - Functional Perspective : "Meritocracy"

(People have earned their positions) 1. some positions are more important than others 2. important positions must be filled by qualified people 3. qualified people have talents which must be translated into skills 4. for their sacrifice, society must offer them greater rewards 5. stratification is necessary for society to function properly 6. stratification is inevitable -it's universal 7. inequality should be left to evolve on it's own

Meritocracy Myth

- A belief that hard work leads to mobility..... - In our society, if you work hard, you might get lucky, but chances are, you will remain in the same social class as your parents unless some structural opportunity allows you to experience upward mobility.

Reasons for Income Inequality

- Deindustrialization - Technological advances - Political climate - Tax cuts - Fewer federal benefits - Incomes for executives and superstars in sports and entertainment have skyrocketed.

What are some consequences of inequality?

- Physical Health, Mental Health, and Nutrition - Housing - Education

What is the impact of gender in the United States involving social mobility?

- Women are more likely to leave labor force if job skills exceed offered jobs - Clerical occupations open to women offer modest salaries and little advancement - Women find it harder to secure financing for new business ventures - Women are unlikely to move into fathers' positions

Upper Class

1-2% of U.S. Great wealth, political power

What are the four types of Social Mobility?

1. Horizontal Mobility 2. Vertical Mobility 3. Intergenerational Mobility 4. Intragenerational Mobility

Middle Class

10-15% of U.S. Includes professionals

The median wealth of White non-hispanic households is _______ times that of a Hispanic households

18

Lower Class

20-25% of U.S. Lack wealth and income; politically weak

Lower-Middle Class

30-35% of U.S. Includes less affluent professionals

In the United States, the median tip 5% household wealth has more than ______ times the wealth of the median U.S. family.

90

Stratification

A system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy by status, power and wealth. - Based on Education, Occupation and Income

Closed Stratification System

Allows little or no possibility of moving up - Slavery and caste systems

Bourgeoisie

Capitalists - Own and control means of production and achieve wealth through capital

Intergenerational Mobility

Changes in children's position relative to their parents - Education plays a critical role but has diminished in past decades

Marx Theory of Stratification

Class is determined by person's relationship to means of production -- labor is sold and a reserve army keeps wages low

Absolute Poverty (In the United States)

Exists when people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life

Relative Poverty (In the United States)

Exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living.

Conspicuous Consumption

Expenditure on or consumption of luxuries on a lavish scale in an attempt to enhance one's prestige.

Castes

Hereditary ranks that are usually religiously dictated and that tend to be fixed and immobile - An ascribed status - Generally associated with Hinduism in India Varnas

Working Class

In U.S., 40-45% of population - People who hold regular manual or blue-collar jobs - Some may have income above those of the lower-middle class but identify with manual workers - Declining noticeably in size

Wealth

Inclusive term encompassing all a person's material assets. - Rising in the US and globally

African Americans have been ______ likely to see children attain good jobs and _____ likely to be supported by adult children.

Less, More

__________ is the most important index for stratification in the U.S

Occupation

The poverty line is based on what in the United States?

On what the federal government considers to be the minimum amount of money required for living at a subsistence level.

Open Stratification System

Position of each individual influenced by the person's achieved status.

Class

Possession of money or material possessions based upon ownership and control of resources [more social mobility in theory].... begins as an ascribed status but may have some degree of individual mobility via achievement

Conflict Perspective of Social Inequality In the United States

Powerful individuals and groups use ideology to maintain their favored positions in society at the expense of others

Weber Theory of Stratification

Prestige, and power dictate class standing

Occupy Wall Street in 2011 was the response to what?

Response to the income disparity in the United States. - Creates an "anxious class"

Conflict Perspective

Rewards are given to those in power or those who serve to keep the powerful as they are (wealth among the richest in the U.S. is inherited - "old" versus "new" money) - There is less consensus than we think - Tasks and rewards are seldom equal, just defined that way by the powerful - It prohibits society from working as well as it would with true meritocracy

Income

Salaries and wages, earned interest, stock dividends, and rental income.

Social Inequality

Situation in which members of society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power.

What are some systems of stratification that have existed?

Slavery, child labor, debt bondage, contract labor, domestic workers, etc.

Intragenerational Mobility

Social position changes within person's adult life

Sociological Perspectives on Social Stratification: Conflict Perspective

Social stratification facilitates exploitation Social inequality is excessive and growing Wealthy use dominant ideology to further their own interests

Sociological Perspectives on Social Stratification: Functionalist Perspective

Social stratification facilitates filling of social positions Social inequality is necessary to some extent Talents and skills of the wealthy create opportunities for others

Sociological Perspectives on Social Stratification: Interactionist Perspective

Social stratification influences people's lifestyles Social inequality influences intergroup relations Wealthy exhibit conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure

What is the sociological perspective on stratification?

Sociologists hotly debate stratification and social inequality, reaching varying conclusions - No theorist stressed significance of class for society more strongly than Karl Marx - Max Weber argued stratification has many dimensions

Functionalist Perspective of Social Inequality In the United States

Some degree of social inequality is necessary for the smooth functioning of society in order to fill the most important positions and thus is inevitable.

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective of Social Inequality In the United States

The beliefs and actions of people reflect their class location in society

Life Chances

The extent to which individuals have access to important resources, such as food, clothing, shelter, education, health care. - Impacted by stratification

Social Mobility

The movement of individuals or groups from one level of stratification to another.

In the United States, occupational mobility has been more common among males but the overall mobility class wise has decreased. True or False?

True

True or False Lobbyists, i.e. representatives of corporations, help write laws and regulations.

True

True or False? People who are wealthy and well educated and who have high-paying jobs are much more likely to be healthy than are poor people.

True People who are wealthy and well educated and who have high-paying jobs are much more likely to be healthy than are poor people. As people's economic status increases, so does their health status. The poor have shorter life expectancies and are at greater risk for chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, as well as infectious diseases such as tuberculosis

Rossides (1997)

Uses five class model to describe U.S. class systems

Proletariat

Workers - Work for wages, vulnerable to displacement by machines or cheap labor

Karl Marx argued that the social class system under capitalism consisted of _______ classes. a. 2 b. 3 c. 4 d. 5

a. 2 : Bourgeoise & Proletariat

Slavery still exists in the United States. a. True b. False

a. False

According to Karl Marx, social classes are defined by: a. relationship to the economic means of production. b. relative control over power, wealth, and prestige. c. gender. d. income.

a. Relationship to the economic means of productions

A condition in which members of a society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power is called a. Social Inequality b. Socialization c. Status d. Social Structure

a. Social Inequality

Compared with industrialized countries, the United States has the highest rate of childhood poverty a. True b. False

a. True

Some states have a higher minimum wage than the federal minimum wage. a. True b. False

a. True

The median household income of blacks today is still only 60% that of whites. a. True b. False

a. True

In the United States a family of four is considered to be "poor" if the household earns less than $40,000. a. True b. False

b. False

Individuals over the age 65 have the highest rate of poverty. a. True b. False

b. False

Employment that is poorly paid and from the worker's perspective, insecure and unprotected is called: a. White-Collar Work b. Precarious Work c. Pink-Collar Work d. Hard Work

b. Precarious Work

Which group has the most influence on government policy? a. The Middle Class b. The One Percent c. The Lower Class d. The Working Class

b. The One Percent

_____ is a system of social inequality in which people's status is permanently determined at birth based on their parents' ascribed characteristics. a. Class b. Slavery c. Caste d. Socialism

c. Caste Caste is a system of social stratification where people's status is permanently assigned at birth based on their parents' ascribed characteristics

Hereditary systems of rank that are relatively fixed, immobile, and generally religiously dictated a. Federalism b. Tenures c. Castes d. Slavery

c. Castes

An individual's salary and wages are referred to as: a. Finances b. Wealth c. Income d. Prosperity

c. Income

A structured ranking of groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in society. a. Hypergamy b. Status c. Stratification d. Social Mobility

c. Stratification

Who has the most influence on public policy decisions? a. The middle class b. The lower class c. The upper 1% d. The working class

c. The upper 1%

How do families primarily acquire and store wealth? a. By working hard b. By limiting family size c. Through home equality

c. Through Home Equality

Which of the following did Max Weber suggest were analytically distinct components of stratification? a. Class, caste, and age b. Class, prestige, and esteem c. Wealth, power, and prestige d. Conformity, deviance, and social control

c. Wealth, power, and prestige

About two-thirds of all adults living in poverty are: a. elderly. b. black. c. women. d. unemployed

c. Women About two-thirds of all adults living in poverty are women. In 2008, single-parent families headed by women had a 28.7-percent poverty rate as compared with a 13.8-percent rate for male-householder-with-no-wife-present families and a 5.5-perce

A system of enforced servitude in which people are legally owned by others. a. Caste System b. Feudalism c. Communism d. Slavery

d.

Those that are poor typically have fewer life chances, which means they also have fewer opportunities to obtain: a. money. b. medical care. c. property. d. all of the above.

d. All of the above - Those that are poor typically have fewer life chances, which means they also have fewer opportunities to obtain money, medical care and property.

A woman born into a homeless, single parent family, becomes wealthy as an adult. This scenario most closely represents which type of stratification system? a. Slavery b. Estate c. Caste d. Class

d. Class

Max Webber refereed to people's opportunities to provide themselves with material goods, positive living conditions, and favorable experiences as: a. Wealth b. Power c. Status d. Life Chances

d. Life Chances