Real World Chapter 7: Systems of Stratification

socioeconomic status (SES)

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

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

social class

a system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power, and prestige

upper class

a term for the economic elite

working poor

people who work but whose earnings are not enough to lift them above the poverty line

middle class

social class composed primarily of white collar workers with a broad range of education and incomes

lower middle class (working class)

social class consisting of mostly blue collar or service industry, less likely to have a college education

upper middle class

social class consisting of mostly highly educated professionals and managers who have considerable financial stability

social stratification

the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy

Slavery

the most extreme form of social stratification and is based on the ownership of people

social mobility

the movement between different positions within a system of social stratification in any given society

underclass/poor

the poorest social class, comprising the homeless and chronically unemployed and may depend on social services

Disenfranchisement

the removal of the rights of citizenship through economic, political, or legal means

Apartheid

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

social inequality

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

Intersectionality

a concept that identifies how different categories of inequality (race, class, gender, etc.) intersect to shape the lives of individuals and groups

Caste System

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