SOCI FINAL
Culture of Poverty
"Blame the Victim" - there is NO culture of poverty
Reducing the racial wealth gap-->
"baby bonds" - Darrick Hamilton & William Darity ----> - An account would be established by the federal government for each child at birth, with the amount of money tied to the parents' wealth - Middle-class kid would get $20,000 (upper class would get less and poorer children would get more) - When they turn 18→ funds for college, business venture, or home buying --> This could help alleviate the racial wealth gap and improve social mobility
The Myth of the Culture Of Poverty - Paul Gorski
"culture of poverty" myth→ - The idea that poor people share more or less monolithic and predictable beliefs, values, and behaviors
The official poverty threshold in 2019 was:
$25,926 for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids.
2018- median household income US:
$61,937
Think of gender as something we DO
(not what we ARE)***
Gendered expectations
(stereotypes/beliefs about how men & women SHOULD act) they influence: 1) Our own behavior 2) How others evaluate and interact with us
6 social classes: (3 categories)
*1) Privileged Class* - capitalist class - upper-middle class *2) Majority Class* - middle class - working class *3) Lower Class* - working poor - underclass
Martha Burt--> 3 factors that create the risk of homelessness
*1) Structural Factors* - Employment, criminal justice system, housing market *2) Individual Characteristics* - Disabilities, mental illness, addiction, felony record *3) Public Policy* - Effective policies could prevent homelessness & reduce impact of structural & personal factors that place people in homelessness
CEO compensation has increased by:
*1,000%* But compensation of average worker has barely increased at all (literally nothing)
Privileged Class
*Capitalist Class (the 1%)* - make money from the things they OWN: businesses, real estate, stocks, etc - their wealth DOES NOT come from their salary **They are part of the super-rich BECAUSE of the things they own (their wealth) bring them a continuous stream of lucrative profits (not their income)** *Upper-middle class* - 14% of pop - well-educated, rely on high incomes to be in this category - EX: business managers, doctors, lawyers, etc --> SUB CATEGORY (TOP of upper-middle class--> *working rich*) ---annual incomes well into 6 figures= diff from capitalists cause they rely on SALARIES to maintain class position
Wealth inequalities are the most significant factor in the:
*REPRODUCTION of inequality
Lower Class (1/4 of pop)
*Working Poor* (15% of pop) - some education (nothing more than HS) - insecure & low-wage jobs--> janitors, fast food, landscaping - no benefits & instability *Underclass* (10% of pop) - part time workers, unemployed, inconsistent - rely on public assistance - receive LESS govt benefits than other groups even tho they need it the most
Widely held belief in the US-->
*rags to riches* - Told that "anything is possible" with hard work --> Even moving from poverty to a privileged class *Believe ur ascribed status CANT hold you back --> thats so WRONG**
Social stratification IS _____
*socially constructive* (changing over time)***
Wealth Inequality
- Closely associated with income inequality - The privileged classes are accumulating MOST of the wealth while the majority and lower classes are modest at best
MYTHS-->
- Land of opportunity - "All men are created equal" with the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" - "American Dream" so life should be richer & fuller for everyone despite class or race or gender... NOT TRUE***
Augustin Rodriguez
- Smithfield Foods meatpacking - Offered a $500 bonus to workers who didn't miss a shift in April (during the COVID-19 pandemic) → he contracted COVID & died just to earn more money
color preference
- you LEARN color preferences - Early 1900s pink was actually boys and girls was blue - 1940s- switched
Formal vs Informal privileges for same-sex couples-->
----
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome cystic fibrosis cleft palate w/o cleft lip down syndrome
0.2-1.5 infants for every 1,000 births 3,500 1,574 700
Intersex
1 in 1500 to 1 in 2000 births (not explicitly one gender or other) - Genitals are only ONE way to determine sex differences
CDC-->
1 in 5 women experience rape 40% before 18 28% between 11 & 17 12.5% sexual coercion 27.3% unwanted sexual contact 32.1% unwanted sexual experiences- harassment
HUMANS-
1 species 1 RACE ***Any differences we see today (health, cognitive ability) are BECAUSE of socialization, culture, and a lack of opportunity***
More likely to be poor when: (8)
1) *household type* (single mother) 2) *education* (no HS diploma) 3) *paid work* (no income) 4) *disability status* (18-64 w/ disability) 5) *race* (2X black, spanish, & native american) 6) *region* (SOUTH) 7) *concentrated neighborhood poverty* (40% + in poverty) 8) *child poverty*
Johann Blumenback made 5 categories: (each race had a color)
1) American- white 2) Caucasoid- yellow 3) Malay- red 4) Mongoloid- brown 5) Ethiopian- black (changed to Negroid)
Components of Sexuality-
1) Attraction 2) Behavior 3) Identity these 3 overlap & represent the variation within sexuality
possible solutions-->
1) Baby bonds 2) universal basic income 3) reduced or forgiving student debt 4) federal job guarantee
why do women live longer when they have more depression & anxiety?
1) Sex-based biological reasons (higher estrogen protects cholesterol) 2) More "health-aware"- more in tune with physical & mental symptoms
He argues that interaction & exposure can be beneficial BUT only under specific conditions:
1) The interaction has to occur in a collaborative, voluntary, and non-competitive space 2) Must interact multiple times (not just once) 3) Interaction must be personal, informal, & one-to-one 4) Interaction should be legal & setting allows participants to interact as EQUALS
Racial wealth gap
1) historical legacy 2) public policy 3) institutional discrimination
Dennis Gilbert's model of class structure-->
1) income 2) occupation 3) education
Social Movement Outcomes→ (2)
1) the effect of the movement on INDIVIDUALS that participated 2) what factors contributed to the movements success (or failure)
federal disability payments
13 million working age adults receive federal disability payments
2016 CENSUS:
18% of US- hispanic or latino (1st question- ethnicity) So 83% is NOT latino 61%= White 12%= Black 5%= Asian 1%= American Indian/NA/pacific islander 2%- 2+ racial groups (mix) ethnicity + race--> 12% identifies as Hispanic (ethnicity) & WHITE (race) Vs 5% identify as Hispanic (ethnicity) & "some other race"
Sexuality surveys-->
1977 13%- "born" gay 56%- "upbringing & environment" 2018 50%- born that way 30%- still said upbringing 10%- both mix of bio & environment
Jay MacLeod (study)
2 groups of teenagers who lived in housing projects: - The Brothers→ black peer group - The Hallway Hangers→ white social class had impact on their life but they never discussed it (generic "middle class")
Demographics of Fortune 500
37 women CEOs (7.4%) - 51% of pop 5 African American CEOs (1%) 13% of pop Do women and african americans just work less hard than white men... NO they are discriminated against based on their ASCRIBED STATUS (gender & race)
Culture of Classism
A collection of behaviors, thoughts, attitudes, practices, and policies that work together to create and maintain a system of inequality that benefits those in a higher class while negatively impacting those in a lower class
Social Construct→
A concept that humans invented and gave meaning to in order to understand or justify some dimension of the social world RACE = social construct
Social Class→
A group of individuals who share a similar economic position based on income, wealth, education, and occupation.
Glass Ceiling→
A metaphor to describe barriers that women face in the workplace that prevent them from reaching higher positions Katherine lawernece- "sky isn't the limit cause theres a glass ceiling"
medicalized→ Leonore Tiefer
A process in which society understands or defines a problem in medical terms
Cognitive Dissonance
A psychological state in which our preexisting ideas do not match what we see with our own eyes - Our natural tendency is to avoid this mental conflict & find a way to explain the anomaly - So we see someone as an EXCEPTION (like a black person excelling) ---> So their existence doesn't undermine our prejudices about their group
undeserving poor
A segment of our society that simply does not deserve a fair shake
Racism→
A set of beliefs, ideologies, or institutional practices that are based on the idea that one racial group is biologically or culturally inferior to another group
Life Expectancy→
A statistical measure of how long people can expect to live, on average - Gap between races has been shrinking, but there are still huge differences --> 2015- white woman 2+ yrs than black woman --> White men 4+ yrs than black men
Race
A system that humans created to classify and stratify groups of people based mostly on skin tone - Creates, maintains, and enhances group distinctions and disparities
*Stratification*
A system that put categories of people into a hierarchy - Leads to unequal access to resources, political rights, and other benefits
Meritocracy→
A system where personal responsibility and individual effort are the sole determinants of of success
Bias→
A tendency to view things in a particular way, regardless of the details of the specific situation
phallocentrism→
A worldview that centers the phallus→ - The symbolic ideal of the penis
Model Minority (asians) → used as a wedge in arguments
AGAINST affirmative actions*** - you are IGNORING structural factors that oppress some groups OVER others (like asian vs black) found that a lot of the successful "asians" came from wealthy backgrounds in CHINA (+educated) they are also not "outdoing" whites... they just live in cities that pay more (NYC & LA)
racial identity & self-awareness develop as early as
AGE 3 segregation damaged blacks kids self-esteem & self-concept *2005- kiri davis: replicated a doll study and got the SAME results that many years later
Henry Louis Gates Jr
ANCESTRY was half from Africa & half from Europe - just as much white as black but some reason they only see BLACK (hate crimed)
Kenneth & Mamie Clark (dolls)
BOTH white & black children favor the "white" doll - Black kids that chose the white doll were in highly-segregated schools in DC (they wanted to be like the white girls)
say they should be "color blind" with NO advantages to any one group-->
BUT these overlook the discrimination these minorities have ALREADY FACED (ignoring it is not fair or productive)
Fatherhood Bonus→
Benefit in wages & perceived competency - Not a single state where mothers make as much as fathers ***Fathers paychecks INCREASED for being a dad while woman's DECREASED
Explicit Bias→
Bias that we are openly and consciously aware of
Nature→
Biological influences
*Cumulative Advantages→*
Built up benefits and resources that allow people to increase their wealth *white people can pass much more money down to children because they aren't attacked by discrimination (like the black community)
The Origin of Species-
Charles Darwin (evolution)
Just-World Fallacy
Cognitive bias that the world is fair, people get what they deserve, or actions being fitting consequences ----* But the world is NOT fair... (thats why its a fallacy) EX: "What goes around comes around" - no... it WONT cause the world is not fair
Feminism→
Collection of movements that advocate for equality for all sexes & genders ------------------------ Stereotypical idea of they are angry women (rather than activists) Fundamental things: - Equal PAY - Reproductive FREEDOM - Reduced female harassment / violence
Ideology→
Collection of normative beliefs and values that form a system of ideas and ideals ***Justify particular social arrangements, including patterns of inequality - They justify the status quo --> *Makes us ignore these issues
Ethnicity
Common culture, religion, history, or ancestry shared by a group of people ex: Hispanic Americans (mexican, cuban, etc), Irish Americans, Jewish Americans can FADE as you assimilate to larger culture (discrimination)
Aldon Morris
Communities have "indigenous" resources that can be brought to the cause of social change --> Bring communities together (democratic spirit that pushes protest)***
Barack Obama-->
Conservatives said he brought TOO MUCH ATTENTION to race (tea party) - But also criticized by liberals for not doing enough BLM emerged
Ethnocultural→
Cultural influences of the ethnic groups to which we belong
PROBLEM is that most interracial interaction ...
DOES NOT take place under these conditions* - too much inequality for these convos to be equal
African Americans have a DIME for every white
DOLLAR
Modern states-->
Democratic elections & extensive social programs - Only have existed a few hundred years No more totalitarian regimes or huge imperialists
There is NO SUCH THING as a culture of poverty-->
Differences in values & behaviors between poor people are just as great as those between the poor and the rich
Downward mobility→
Dropping into a lower social class - laid off, divorce, etc
Cultural Matching
Employers seek candidates who are culturally similar to themselves - eliminates diversity - attitude over aptitude (looking for more rich & privileged people)
Census
Enumeration of the population every 10 years - Required by Article 1, Section 2 of US Constitution - First one: 1790
Poverty Threshold→
Establishes the minimum income level that the federal government says is required to buy the basic necessities of life - Aka poverty line - recorded by US Census - 2018: 38.1 million people in poverty (2018)--> 12% of the pop
Majority Class (60% of pop)
Even split (30-30) between middle & working *Middle class* - high school diploma & some college - EX: teachers, nurses, plumbers *Working class* - completed HS or trade school - EX: secretaries, retail sales workers, factory workers -------------------------- distinction between working & middle can be FUZZY - someone with only a HS diploma could be making middle class money & vise versa
Stupid people think it's the "american dream" -->
Even those who have SOLELY benefited financially from their relatives (ascribed social position) remain CONVINCED that they achieved their social status - literally IGNORES generations of structural inequality
Gordon Allport- Contact Theory→
Explains how interaction with members of other groups affects prejudices
Hypersexuality→
Extreme in sexual appearance or desire Whites known for hypersexualizing africans - black female sexuality
Flint Michigan vs Bloomfield Hills Michigan
Flint- median income $27,717 & unemployment 2x national average (40% in poverty) VS Bloomfield Hills- median income $186,563 ($1 mill homes) & one of richest in America (country clubs, etc)
Androcentric→
Focus mainly on the experiences of men
WEEK 11
GENDER & SEXUALITY
Gap ______ each year
GROWS (globally too)
Judith butler-->
Gender is PRODUCED - If u stray too far outside you can be insulted: wimp, dork, pu**y, a**hole, prick, sl*t, wh*re GENDER IS A SPECTRUM
Wealth Begets Wealth->
Government ensures that people who have wealth can keep it and for people that dont have wealth... it is almost impossible to climb out of those circumstances poverty & wealth--> generational
1800s--> whos white?
Greeks, irish, italians, poles, jews→ seen as DIFFERENT races INFERIOR to Americans (English) BUT- they assimilated & now seen as white (Moved into less segregated areas & spoke English- these boundaries blurred)
Social Movements→
Groups that want fundamental change Ex: Black Lives Matter
Contentious Politics→
Groups that work outside of the system and challenge the very legitimacy of some government policy or social behavior - Groups are in TENSION with mainstream (aka brainwashed) society They want FUNDAMENTAL change
James G Kiernan
He saw heteros as perverted because they were having sex other than to get pregnant - Also believed "homosexuals" were deviant - diverged gender norms
BUT... INFORMAL PRIVILEGES data-->
Heterosexual men LESS COMFORTABLE with informal privileges (only gay men they were fine with lesbians of course) ***Hetero men are LESS approving of INFORMAL PRIVILEGES for both types of same-sex couples compared to hetero couples* AND men are significantly LESS approving of informal privileges for GAY MEN than LESBIANS Hetero women are ALSO less approving of informal privileges for lesbian & gay couples compared to hetero couples
Deborah Woo- "model minorities"
Horatio Alger- rags to riches success stories - Model minority logic→ cultural factors are the primary ingredients for success (blaming culture- WRONG)
Black Lives Matter movement
Horrific murders of black men & women - Ahmaud Arbery - Breonna Taylor - George Floyd ALL at the hands of CURRENT or former police officers- **reminder as to what institutional racism looks like
GENDER is NOT
INNATE OR BIOLOGICAL it IS SOCIAL***
American Dream is an:
Ideology
_________ is the power behind stratification
Ideology ***Every culture considers some type of INEQUALITY JUST
Group Threat Theory
If we think of another group as politically, economically, or culturally THREATENING→ STRONGER prejudices Ex: size of minority group grows in neighborhood
Androgynous→
Incorporating both feminine and masculine characteristics
Individual classism
Individual thoughts or behaviors that result in differential treatment based on social class - Don't give money to homeless people - Drug addicts or alcoholics
Gender Inequality→
Individuals or groups are treated & perceived differently based upon their gender
Informal Privileges
Interactional & often subtle advantages that dominant groups enjoy over minority groups - Ex: picture on desk of same sex couple - How comfortable holding hands or kissing in public??
Internalized Homophobia→
Involuntary belief by lesbians & gay men that the homophobic stereotypes and beliefs (that are delivered to everyone in a heterosexist homophobic society) are TRUE** - Bias towards own group
Homeless→
Lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence
One-Drop Rule→
Law declaring that any person with any African ancestry AT ALL was BLACK - This may not be a law anymore, but still exists= figures like tiger woods and barack obama (parents with diverse ancestries)- but they were called & identified as BLACK
The Culture of Classism
Leads people to have low expectations for low-income students - It diverts attention from what people in poverty DO have in common... unfair access to basic human rights
Socialization→
Learn about gender from family, peers, teachers, coaches, and other influential people in our lives ex: media, tv, songs, etc
Formal Rights
Legal rights, such as the partnership benefits conferred on married couples - Ex: marriage rights & healthcare rights
Weird finding-->
Lesbian & gay male respondents were also more willing to grant informal privileges to heterosexual couples over gay & lesbian couples
Thomas Shapiro
Many black problems- high rates of poverty, mass incarceration, unemployment- can be DIRECTLY CONNECTED to the wealth gaps between blacks and whites
Civil Rights→ group head:
Martin Luther King Jr - leader of Southern Christian Leadership Council
Relative Poverty→
Measure that takes into account the relative economic status of people in a society by looking at how income is distributed; those in the lowest income brackets would be considered poor in comparison to others in their society
Late 19th (1800s) - shift
Medical professionals suggested men & women had a healthy libido (sexual desire) - Sexual pleasure: normal & necessary not just for reproduction anymore (labor--> CONSUMER ECONOMY + lifestyle)
Who invented race?
Mid-1700s- Carl Linnaeus - Argued that psychological traits associated with physical traits (aka skin color) 4 subspecies (racial groups) - associated groups to specific geographic locations
Social Mobility →
Move from an ascribed social class position to a new achieved social class position
Counts on homelessness are:
NOT ACCURATE - prostitutes in hotels, people that sleep in parking lots or parks, young people embarrassed to admit they're homeless, etc
RACE
NOT BIOLOGICAL but IS SOCIAL
Non-binary→
Not exclusively masculine or feminine
Explanation for gender wage gap-->
Occupational Segregation (8% of wage gap) --> Men & women go into different occupations -------------------------- *Horizontal segregation:* some jobs seem more appropriate for women (nursing) VS *Vertical segregation:* WITHIN a field (more men are at the top
Colonialism→
One country politically & economically controls the people & resources of another geographic area
1st Census
Only 3 race categories: 1) "free white males or free white females" 2) "all other free people" 3) "slaves" before the 1950s, surveyers would just look at you & assign a race
*The AMERICAN DREAM is a myth*
Only about 50% of children will experience upward mobility (odds lower for black people) - more likely to be born & stay in poverty
Explicit racial bias→
Openly viewing racial groups in particular ways - Has declined over time & become less acceptable to hold overtly negative views of certain races (but these attitudes still exist)
"post-factum"
Or invoked AFTER a group has ALREADY achieved success (so they can alter the REASONS for that success) - They are UNABLE to accurately PREDICT success
ROOTS of the "Culture of Poverty" concept-->
Oscar Lewis→ coined the term "culture of poverty" - Even tho he studied SMALL communities, he thought he could generalize this to ALL PEOPLE IN POVERTY (been proven wrong but people still think it)
Sheltered Homeless→
People staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, or safe havens - 63%
working poor class (10.5 mill)
People who have spent at least 27 weeks (over half a year) in the labor force but whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level --insecurity and vulnerability (bad diet, no medical aide, poor housing and schooling, etc)
Transgender→
People whose gender identity and expression are different from what they were assigned at birth
Absolute poverty→
People without basic necessities
2014- Ferguson, Missouri-
Police officer Darren Wilson shot & killed→ Michael Brown - Prosecutors refused to charge Wilson (even tho brown was not armed or suspicious) - Ferguson protested national spotlight: Black Lives Matter (racial inequality)
Affirmative Action→
Policies or programs that seek to address past discrimiantion through active measures to ensure equal opportunity NOW - Openly acknowledges unjust policies & decisions that limited opportunities to disadvantaged groups & benefitted majority groups - Trying to MAKE UP for these injustices JFK
LAST WEEK
Political Sociology
Brute Caricature→
Portrayed black men as savage sexual predators
Jezebel Caricature→
Portrayed black women as highly sexual & lusty
Prejudice→
Preconceived beliefs, attitudes, and opinions about members of a group - They are NOT based on personal experience or evidence & usually negative Individual prejudices are driven by our views about different social groups & where those groups rank relative to our own*
Unsheltered Homelessness→
Primary nighttime residence is a public or private place not designated for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping space, such as the streets, vehicles, or parks - 37%
Puberty
Process of becoming a sexually mature individual (biological) - After- capable of sexual reproduction
WEEK 10
RACE & ETHNICITY
Most extreme social movement would be a:
REVOLUTION that topples the government ex: When US settlers overthrew the colonial govt allied with king Geoge III (british) OR French Revolution--> - Protestors overthrew the king of france & killed him
VIDEO LECTURE- Social Stratification
Race, Class, Gender
Trans women of color-->
Racism, sexism, & homophobia & transphobia all in one (lose healthcare, housing, & employment)
Social construction of gender→
Refers to how meanings of gender are created through social interaction and social norms - Teaching, learning, policing gender behavior via gender expectations leads to that construction
Institutional Racism→
Refers to the ways that core institutions, like the legal, educational, and criminal justice systems, are embedded with racial biases & practices that reproduce racial inequality Existed since founding of USA - "All men created equal"- jefferson... a slave owner - slaves→ 3/5s human - Not full citizens
Corinne Moss-Racusin (gender stereotypes)
Resumes were all the same, except half were women & half men - More hired men & offered them better salaries
Gap in household income between blacks & whites
SAME (1967-2016) Whites are at TOP of economic hierarchy
These understandings about sex are a form of :
SOCIAL CONTROL- they enforce sexual behaviors and views
Immigrant philippines- they have powerful gender to combat racism towards them-->
Said american women lack sexual morality ---> BUT Phillipine women are modest (opposite) they use sexism to combat racism
Sir Francis Galton- (Darwin's cousin)
Selective breeding of the fittest people, genetic engineering, in vitro fertilization, & forced sterilization of "unfit" humans - Said with this they could enhance human intelligence & reduce suffering
whites sexualized blacks to -->
Sexualized characters were used to JUSTIFY slavery & jim crow system - raped black women (promiscious) & killed black men for being aggressive
567,715 homeless people in america (107,069 children) -->
Singular homeless people (70% and 70% of those are men) But families (60% are girls & women)
WEEK 9
Social Class, Inequality, & Poverty
Gender norms→
Social definitions of behavior assigned to particular sex categories - They CAN change over time BUT they are socially-determined & enforced
Nurture→
Social influences
programs inherently favored whites-->
Social security- retirement benefits, unemployment benefits, & programs to assist low-income women & children - BUT it only covered CERTAIN jobs (excluded "black" positions) So they didn't get any benefits "policy aparthied"
cisgender→
Someone whose gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth
Chronic Homelessness→
Someone with a disability who has A) been continuously homeless for a year or more or B) has experienced at least 4 episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years where the combined length of the homeless episodes is at least 12 months - Disabilities include substance use disorders, serious mental illness, developmental disabilities, PTSD, cognitive impairments- brain injury, or chronic physical illness or disability
Theda Skocpol-->
States are strong when A) the more elite sectors of society, such as nobles, support them and B) they don't face competition from other states *Revolutions occur when states are pressured from many sides --> Powerful groups inside the country lose faith in state, allowing challengers to appear, as well as the state being hit by external conflict
FORMAL RIGHTS data-->
Straight men & women said they should have equal FORMAL rights *BOTH heterosexual men & women are equally willing to grant FORMAL RIGHTS to same-sex & heterosexual couples
Comprehensive sex education→
Stressed the importance of waiting to have sex while offering information about how contraception works so students can avoid unwanted pregnancies and STIs
Abstinence-only sex education→
Students are taught that abstinence is expected of them some schools BANNED from telling them anything else
Deficit Theory
Suggests that poor people are poor because of their own moral and intellectual deficiencies how do u even justify this? - 1) drawing on well-established stereotypes - 2) ignoring system conditions, such as inequitable access to high-quality schooling, that support this cycle of poverty
Motherhood Penalty→
Systematic disadvantages in wages, benefits, and other career factors that are associated with motherhood Michelle Budig & Paula England
white median income (1984-2015)
TRIPLED*** so... the racial wealth gap also TRIPLED
Ultimate Attribution Error
Tendency to perceive undesirable characteristics or behaviors exhibited by members of another group as innate or inherent part of their personality or essence- any negative behavior is seen as just "who they are" ***THEN, when someone from that minority group shows POSITIVE BEHAVIOR→ people attribute it to external factors like going to a good school, receiving opportunities, or just LUCK
Implicit Bias→
The association our minds make between seemingly unrelated things (subconscious) and we may be entirely unaware of our implicit biases - Ingrained in all of us, regardless of race & ethnicity, THROUGH socialization in families, neighborhoods, media, etc - Exists whether people have explicit attitudes or not
Gender Binary→
The classification system that allows for only 2 separate gender categories
Sex→
The different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females - Ex: reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones
Point-in-time- count→
The homeless population in the US is established by this
Eugenics→
The idea that we can actively improve the genetic profile of humans, led to forced sterilizations of groups of people labeled as unfit to reproduce
Institutional Politics→
The process by which people assert influence in official and sanctioned ways - Recognized by law, public thinks they are legitimate, and there is a routine & established way to do them EX: voting, money to political party, & registering as a lobbyist to contact politicians
Phenotype
The set of our visible features or characteristics, like color of skin, hair, eyes - Affected by BOTH genetics & environment - Many change over lifetime *used to justify racial exploitation*
Gender→
The socially-constructed characteristics of women & men- such as norms, roles, and relationships among and between groups of women & men
Income
The total amount of money someone earns each year - It is used to identify someone's social class & class standing
Wealth
The total amount of money that a person has or could have if she sold all of her assets - All money in bank & retirement accounts PLUS everything you own- houses, cars, property, stock market, anything else u could sell- THAT TOTAL is your wealth*
Discrimination→
The unjust treatment of different groups of people - It is AN ACTION (not just thoughts or feelings)
Social control→
The way we enforce normative behaviors through social interaction, values, worldviews, and laws
Intersectionality→
The ways in which different types of social relations are linked in complex ways - Creating VERY different experience for different groups of people
RECIPROCAL-->
This individual bias perpetuates the institutions BUT is also PRODUCED by those same institutions... its a vicious cycle of ignorance that needs to be changed***
Billings, Montana white vs native american housing
This is an audit study* - Applications were EXACTLY the same besides RACE (that was only thing different so it had to be the reason) - YES: white applicants favored
Mark Rank & Thomas Hirschl
Those who are younger, not white, female, not married, with 12 years or less education, or who have a work disability are SIGNIFICANTLY more likely to encounter poverty
Poverty is NOT an equally shared experience-->
Type of household, level of education, disability status, and race are among the characteristics that put some groups at higher risk of poverty than others FACTORS INTERPLAY***
What about blacks & NAs?
US forced sterilization to NA and AAs (w/o consent) - "Mississippi appendectomies"
People who protest are more likely to
VOTE, belong to clubs, & be "civic participants" **Movements can change people--> Teach them "tricks of the trade" --> Organize meetings & interact with others - Useful for politics --> That's why many political leaders were once activists (Obama- chicago community organizer)
Racial gaps in ----- are even more severe than income*
WEALTH (income- u can have the same job... but WEALTH) whites= 13x as much wealth as blacks
Only 44 woman governors in US Only 2 were women of color
WOW
Stalled Revolution
Wage inequality between men & women (gender wage gap) ***Women make 77 cents per man's dollar
Candace West & Don Zimmerman Do gender-->
We perform actions that produce gender - We do gender in interactions with others & we take into consideration what is believed to be appropriate for OUR gender be judged by others- "not ladylike"
Ruth Hubbard
We're taught to express sexuality in socially acceptable ways
"Operation Varsity Blues"
Wealthy families paying bribes to have their children accepted by prominent universities like Yale, Stanford, & Georgetown - Lori Loughlin & Mossimo Giannulli paid $500,000 for USC - its common for rich families to invest a lot in their kids college thats what Americans call "meritocracy" i guess... paying your way into things **
Chris Gardner (social mobility)
Went from being homeless to working in finance and being an inspirational speaker ---> Life of poverty to an achieved status of wealth & comfort *Rags to riches "American dream"*
Institutional classism
When classism appears in the institutions, laws, policies, and practices that make up a society - Policies that perpetuate poverty (late financial aid) - Institutional racism & sexism
Upward mobility→
When someone moved from a lower social class position to a higher one "American Dream"
Wealth chart-->
White is exceptionally higher than black and hispanic - 2 individuals could have the same income but drastically different wealth More Wealth= more opportunities (born into wealth=> easier access to opportunity)
women are paid 85% of what men get-->
White women (earn 82 cents to the dollar) but black women only 65 cents) "Mens work" vs "womens work" More women in industry (paid less) but more men in an industry- paid MORE
Race- poles of spectrum
Whiteness- pole of PRIVILEGE (high income & opportunities) BUT Blackness is associated with stigmas- marginalized, poverty, incarceration RACE IS NOT FIXED (new meanings overtime)
Stereotypes→
Widely-shared perceptions about the personal characteristics, tendencies, or abilities of members of a particular group- like intelligence, personality, physical features, preferences, aggressiveness, or criminality
Maya Warren
Working poor - She had a c-section which required 12 days of rest but she started working for Uber only after 6 days LACK OF BENEFITS - The federal Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows 12 weeks after birth but its all unpaid --> *And only applies to people that have worked 1 full year and if job has more than 50 employees
Severance Packages-->
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer (let go after acquisition- $23 million severance payment + stock options $260 million) *Jack Welch* (CEO of general electric)- Over $400 million *Lee Raymond* (CEO of Exxon Mobile)- Over $300 million *William McGuire* (CEO of UnitedHealth Group)- Over $300 million *Edwards Whitcare* (CEO of AT&T)- Over $200 million *Robert Marcus*- CEO of Time Warner for only a FEW MONTHS... then he negotiated himself out of a job by selling the company to Charter Communications Walked away with $90 million for working there only several months
EX: 17yr old Trayvon Martin & George Zimmerman
Zimmerman- self appointed neighborhood watchman called 911 "suspicious person"- altercation- zimmerman got some bruises and martin was DEAD (shot)
Authoritarianism→
a style of government that relies on obedience to leaders - China may have adopted economic reforms but the govt still controls the people
Assumption (USA) that social class is an
achieved status (which it really is NOT) - People believe your position in the social class structure depends on individual efforts: motivated (meritocracy) ... meritocracy is a MYTH***
Ascribed status
acquired through birth and take on involuntarily in life ex: the social class of your family (can't choose it)
Pregnancy, ADHD, alcoholism -
are actually all social problems but now MEDICAL
Standardized tests-->
better scores correlate to wealthier families - More resources to help kids academically
Gender perceptions match -
biological sex
CJ Pascoe-->
boys call each other "fa**ots" - to insult masculinity - If they were too emotional or did unmanly things
This is why whites are at the top of the racial hierarchy...
cause it was MADE by WHITES - whiteness= perfection (ideal) - Ordered from lightest to darkest
Social Movements are NOT
centrally organized - a large group sets an agenda
2020 Census-->
chose not to add Middle East/North African (these people NOW identify as white- no other category fits them)
Seeing positive behaviors from people we think negatively of→
cognitive dissonance
USA is NOT:
colorblind or post-racial (race is still a CRUCIAL aspect in EVERY institution)
GINI Index
compares inequality globally Total equality= 0 Total inequality= 100 *US has the second-highest GINI index* - Based on after-tax income (most countries taxes LIMIT the gap... but not America!
Incest Taboo-->
culturally universal
so what perpetuates poverty?
culture of CLASSISM
Some movements are INTENTIONALLY
decentralized BLM prides itself on being grassroots
deficit perspective
define people by their WEAKNESSES rather than STRENGTHS
American Dream-
democracy, equal rights, equality of opportunity for prosperity and success, hard work
Jews-->
didnt work from the ground up... they joined through the outside (banking or property law) NOT climbing positions within the companies they assimilated well because--> Identity management, class, education, & light skin + arrived with industrial skills
Combines prejudice with
discrimination*
PROGRESS?
educational attainment has improved & life expectancy
Social movements are OPEN-->
ex: occupy wall street 2011 - Anti-corporate movement didn't even have leadership - People just gathered in democratic assemblies to discuss what they should do
Physical markers have been used to
explain differences or inequalities between groups & justify discrimination ***The idea of race has been justified on basis of science (WHICH IS FALSE)** ---NO psychological, mental, or physical distinctions among races
**race and ethnicity are NOT
fixed, biological attributes**
1st wave of feminism-->
focused on upper & middle class white women
Neoliberalism-
free trade, privatization, deregulation, laissez-faire economic policies
Income Inequality-->
gap between rich and poor grows constantly - The top 1% have had HUGE increases in their income along with the top 5-20% BUT the other 80%'s incomes remain the same - Wages for anyone not in the privileged class have stayed the same or even LOWERED
Kimberly Crenshaw & Intersectionality
gender, race, class, disability, sexuality, geography, etc INTERSECT & INTERACT to shape individual experience* - Nothing in a vacuum
Karl Marx-->
growing economic GAP between haves & have nots (conflict)
Trump-->
hate crimes against racial & religious minorities increased & white suprematist groups grew bolder & got more attention
EVERYONE has-
implicit bias *IMPLICIT BIAS is how we make sense of our social interactions*
Heterosexuality was ...
invented
cultural capital (EDUCATION) can be converted into-->
job security, benefits, authority BUT- cultural capital is stratified so so is success
SOCIAL CLASS-->
larger idea: if you have enough money→ some of the other inequalities (race & gender) may be blurred or ignored (what we believe) NOT TRUE (rich black people are still discriminated against)
oversimplified ideas about groups→
leads us to believe stereotypes
People with less advantages ascribed characteristics (minority races, low income, and being a woman) lead to-->
less opportunities
Women live longer than Whites live longer than
men blacks & latinos
MEN--> Glass escalator→
men in female dominated field are MORE likely to move up (principals) BUT women in male ones are LESS likely to succeed
Egalitarian gender beliefs
more liberal
HOUSING-->
not a need but a RIGHT desmond--> Housing choice voucher program (decent housing in private market) - wants to promote=> universal housing cost for everyone below a certain level
study- Made people classify faces as white or black-->
overalls--> subconsciously moved towards BLACK suits--> white **Stereotype that a higher class (suit) is associated with WHITENESS
basic necessities of life: food, water, shelter, clothing-->
people WITHOUT these are POOR*
Grassroots→
people can set up a chapter of the movement in their town and don't need permission from the leadership to do it
"American dream"- invoked by
politicians, educators, religious leaders, and media sources - use examples like Oprah & Jay Z to enforce this
Arab Spring
protests in the middle east--> After Arab Spring... anti-democratic movement emerged→ *The Islamic State in Iraq & Syria (ISIS)* arab spring (non-violent) vs ISIS (solely violent)
NO discovery of a gene for
race - No gene has been found that determines which racial category someone falls into OR that clearly separates one race from another ****A white and black person can be more genetically similar than 2 whites or 2 blacks
critics->
reverse discrimination IS NOT REAL
SO (17s-18s)
skin color, hair color/texture & eye color were believed to reflect PSYCHOLOGICAL and MENTAL abilities (made races superior) ---Pseudo-scientists → used skull weight & face shape to PROVE that some people were inferior (meant NOTHING) - but it WORKED*
Systematically oppressed by:
slavery, Jim Crow segregation, institutional discrimination - Whites had none of this and were able to increase their family wealth generation after generation when black families have NEVER been able to anchor themselves financially or have only BEGUN to recently
sexuality is a-
social construction
stereotypes RATIONALIZE
social inequalities
The Just-World Fallacy is a cognitive bias that we use to TRY and describe or justify
social stratification and inequality the american dream is NOT POSSIBLE
Only matters to the extent that sexuality is embedded in
socially constructed institutions & cultural norms
Movements that have ___________ are more successful
specific goals - Civil rights→ voting for african americans (congress passed voting rights act in 1965) VS - Occupy wall street didn't ask for any policy they just addressed economic inequality but nothing really changed *Alliances with "insiders"- also valuable
Black lives matter-
started by 3 black WOMEN after trayvon martin Opal tometi, patrisse cullors, alicia garza
Healthy Immigrants-->
strong social bonds - longer in USA--> less healthy better mental health too (but kids of immigrants had worse mental health)
Barbara Ehrenreich
study: Nickel and Dimed- --> She tried to survive off these low-wage jobs to understand what these people are going through - barely could afford to eat
Justify HUMAN inequality with biological theories
thats why theyre still strong today even though the are FALSE
Nationalism→
the belief that the government should put national interests first by closing borders and waging trade wars - Western ideal (racist) --> Ex: Brexit (wanted to stop trade with other nations/immigrant issues so they left the EU)
Racial Wealth Gap→
the difference in accumulated wealth between different races and ethnicities
Social Movement Sector→
the individuals and organizations that spend their time organizing protests, challenging authority, and changing public opinion (Both conservatives & progressives)
Way more violence & assault directed at
the trans community K-12- 1,876 trans/gender-nonconforming- 78% harassed, 35% assaulted & 12% raped ½- ⅔ trans are sexually assaulted in life
*all societies have stratification systems, but -----
they VARY in what categories they use to sort people & HOW unequal the categories are (wage gap, etc) - ex: gender, wealth, race, religion, etc
When a movement is successful & demands attention...
they can begin to infiltrate government support (They could also join with political parties--> Biden & BLM) - Ex: 2000s: democratic party was antiwar for congress (When obama won→ less protesting because they were satisfied) - *A party can also UNDERMINE a movement (dumb trump supporters)
Korean Americans- "inclined to open & run small businesses"-->
they just did this to AVOID American structural barriers (who wouldnt give them benefits)
***As long as policymakers embrace this idea that social class is ACHIEVED...
they will enact policies that reflect this belief and IGNORE external factors that produce and perpetuate social inequality ****
Emile durkhiem
this social control exists in every society so they can regulate themselves
1976- Reagan coined term "welfare queen"-->
to refer to black women who were conning the government by living luxuriously on generous welfare checks - He exploited stereotypes to appeal to racist white voters - Ignoring that most welfare recipients were actually white & these "queen" were NOT committing fraud Kathyrn Edin & Laura Lein study
Racial assumptions lead people to choose to associate certain people with certain things-->
unemployment- black prison- black interviewers are more likely to assume they are african american
Simple class system-->
upper, middle, lower (working) class - too simplified
High-rising terminal (uptalk)- Vocal fry-
voice gets higher at the end of each sentence like a question end sentences with low/croaky tone Both associated with young women (seen as less smart, but when men do it it doesn't matter)
Stalled->
we did narrow the gender gap a little... but we STALLED (were still stuck)
You can have _____ without _____
wealth without income (can have real estate, investments, inheritance and NO JOB- important to measure wealth)
Things that are used to biologically justify sexuality are actually NOT FIXED
which means they are culturally constructed (incest) (heteros) (types of sexual behavior)
Men make significantly more than: Whites make more than:
women blacks and hispanics and asians even when they have the same education level *Access to higher education is NOT distributed evenly
Progress?
women more likely to enroll in college - Graduate at higher rates & graduate school
Achieved status
you gain it in part through your achievements, abilities, and efforts
