Sociology of Fam Ch. 4 Review

Of families in the following groups, which is most likely to be poor? Latinos American Indians African Americans Whites

American Indians FEEDBACK: Poverty is concentrated by race/ethnicity and American Indians have the highest poverty rate of all these groups.

A group of people who share common interests and similar levels of education and income can be referred to as a family. a social class. colleagues. workers.

a social class. FEEDBACK: A social class is defined by more than income. Members of a social class also share common interests and experiences and views of the world.

According to Cohen, what is the strongest predictor of a person growing up to be poor? Having a single mother as a child is the strongest predictor of poverty in adulthood. Being poor as a child is the strongest predictor of poverty in adulthood. Poverty and family structure in childhood are related and equally strong predictors. Neither poverty nor family structure in childhood can predict poverty in adulthood.

Poverty and family structure in childhood are related and equally strong predictors. FEEDBACK: Women, on average earn less than men, and low-wage work often has variable hours that include nights and weekends making childcare challenging. Children who grow up in poor neighborhoods are likely to attend poorly financed schools and so are less likely to go to college than their better off peers.

The most common family income for children in a married couple family is __________, while it is __________ for children with a single mother. $50,000-$100,000/ under $25,000 $25,000-$49,999/ $100,000-$150,000 under $25,000/ $50,000-$100,000 $100,000-$150,000/ $25,000-$50,000

$50,000-$100,000/ under $25,000 FEEDBACK: Two married parents provide for the possibility of two incomes, while a single parent is the sole provider. Additionally, people with lower incomes are less likely to marry.

In 1980, the richest 1 percent of individuals earned 11 percent of all income. How much of the total income did the richest 1 percent of individuals earn by 2014? 15 percent 20 percent 25 percent 30 percent

20 percent See pg. 154, "Trend to Watch: The 1 Percent"

Pallavi's parents are professionals, as are their siblings and most of their friends. They are able to draw on their social networks to help Pallavi achieve her goals. This is an example of Bourdieu's social capital. Marx's conflict theory. Weber's iron cage. Durkheim's division of labor.

Bourdieu's social capital. FEEDBACK: Social networks can be important resources for gaining opportunities and access to education, jobs, experiences, friends, and romantic partners.

What happened to the poverty rate in the 2000s? It increased dramatically. It decreased dramatically. It remained unchanged. It fluctuated significantly.

It increased dramatically. FEEDBACK: The real worth (what you can purchase) of the minimum wage fell, the number of single-mother households increased and a severe economic crisis erupted in 2008, leading to the highest percentage of people in poverty since the 1960s.

Children who live with __________ are concentrated in higher-income families, while children who live with __________ are concentrated in lower-income families. Mothers/ fathers Grandparents/ parents Siblings/ no siblings Married parents/ a single parent

Married parents/ a single parent FEEDBACK: Two married parents provide for the possibility of two incomes, while a single parent is the sole provider. Additionally, people with lower incomes are less likely to marry.

What is a primary reason the proportion of people age 65 or older living in poverty is smaller today compared with the 1960s? People age 65 or older are now more likely to live with relatives who provide financial support. People age 65 or older are healthier and spend less of their income on healthcare. The Social Security program distributes more money to retired people than in the 1960s. There are fewer older people living today than in the 1960s.

The Social Security program distributes more money to retired people than in the 1960s.

Since the 1970s, what has happened to the education earnings gap? College graduates still earn the same amount more than high school graduates. The gap between the earnings of college and high school graduates has increased. The gap between the earnings of college and high school graduates has decreased. High school graduates now earn more than college graduates.

The gap between the earnings of college and high school graduates has increased FEEDBACK: The income gap between college and high school graduates has widened. Better educated parents are also better equipped to deal with teachers and administrators.

Elizabeth takes piano lessons, plays on a travel soccer team, attends after-school tutoring sessions, goes to science camp, and is encouraged by her parents to question teachers, doctors, and others in positions of authority. Elizabeth's college-educated professional parents engage in a style of parenting called helicopter. accomplishment of natural growth. conformity. concerted cultivation.

concerted cultivation. FEEDBACK: Sociologist Annette Lareau found that middle-class parents worked hard to actively develop their children's abilities. To do so they enrolled them in lots of activities and encouraged them to interact with and question adults in positions of authority. Lareau calls this parenting practice "concerted cultivation."

Kai and his family live in a small town in Minnesota, and Amelia and her family live in Boston. According to the federal poverty line, both families are poor. However, the poverty line __________, making things even more difficult for Amelia's family in such an expensive city. does not consider family size is based on housing costs includes only key government benefits does not consider geographical differences in cost of living

does not consider geographical differences in cost of living FEEDBACK: The federal poverty guidelines do not account for geographical differences in cost of living (except for Alaska and Hawaii) so families who live in an area with a higher cost of living may have a more difficult time getting by.

Since the 1950s, family income inequality in the United States has declined dramatically. increased dramatically. declined slightly. increased slightly.

increased dramatically. FEEDBACK: Income inequality has increased dramatically and fairly consistently since the 1960s. This means that there is a larger gap between the wealthy and everyone else than in the past.

The official poverty line (threshold) __________. was developed during the New Deal of the 1930s is based on the cost of average low-cost housing, multiplied by two in 2009 was about $28,000 for a family of four, and about $24,000 for a family of three is based on the cost of a government-determined "economy food plan" times three

is based on the cost of a government-determined "economy food plan" times three FEEDBACK: When the government decided it need to measure poverty it researched what families tended to spend their money on. In the 1960s families spend about one-third of their income on food. The government developed an "economy food plan" and multiplied that cost times three to arrive at the poverty line.

Alyssa was born to a young single mother and grew up in a poor rural area with low-quality schools. According to the sociological concept of life chances, she has a __________ of becoming rich because __________. low chance/ the practical chance of doing so is small high chance/ the practical chance of doing so is large high chance/ there are few formal obstacles (laws) to deter her low chance/ social capital is high

low chance/ the practical chance of doing so is small FEEDBACK: In the U.S. we tend to think that when there are few formal obstacles to moving up the social ladder people should be able to do so regardless of their family circumstances. Weber's concept of life chances focuses on the "practical" ability to achieve. A child born to a young single mother has a higher chance of living in poverty than a child born to a dual-earner couple or even to an older single mother. Living in a poor area makes it more likely that the public schools will be under-funded. Practically, that child's life chances are shaped by their family situation and will shape her/his class position.

Children growing up with a single parent face particular challenges to social mobility. These include lower incomes, less time with parents, and less access to social capital. access to high quality education, lower income, and significant social capital. access to vast social networks, more time with parents, and stable income. stable income, free higher education, and many extracurricular activities.

lower incomes, less time with parents, and less access to social capital FEEDBACK: A single parent means a single income and the good possibility that parent will need to work long hours to make ends meet leaving less time with children. Single parents may have smaller networks and resources to provide for their children.

According to your textbook, which pattern would show a society with a big division between social classes? many family ties within each class and many ties between classes many family ties within each class and few ties between classes few family ties within each class and many ties between classes few family ties within each class and few ties between classes

many family ties within each class and few ties between classes FEEDBACK: When people tend to interact mostly with people in their same social class, their class identity also tends to be stronger. There is little interaction between social classes and thus few ties. People marry within their social class, socialize with people in their social class, and live in neighborhoods segregated by social class.

A society's Gini index has shifted from 0.57 to 0.34. This means that more families share a larger proportion of the income. fewer families share a larger proportion of the income. there is more significant income inequality. a minority of families have a minority of the income.

more families share a larger proportion of the income. FEEDBACK: The Gini index measures income inequality and is a score between 0 and 1. A score of 0 means all families have the same income, while a score of 1 means one family has all the income. A shift from 0.57 to 0.34 would indicate that income is distributed more evenly.

Poor families in the private rental market on average spend __________ of their income on housing expenses. about 20 percent between 30 and 40 percent about 40 percent more than 50 percent

more than 50 percent

Children whose parents are college educated are __________ likely to have Internet access at home and to spend __________ time watching television than those whose parents have a high school diploma or less. less/ less less/ more more/ more more/ less

more/ less FEEDBACK: The higher the level of education of the parents, the more likely they are to have Internet access at home. Even though children with less educated parents are less likely to have Internet access at home, they spend more time (about an hour) each day watching TV/videos.

In her research on social class and parenting, Annette Lareau found that poor and working-class parents engaged in a style of parenting she called the accomplishment of natural growth. These parents believed their children's success would be the natural outcome of a childhood spent playing informally and hanging out in mixed-age groups of friends and family. involved in structured activities with same-age peers. questioning authority. preparing for college.

playing informally and hanging out in mixed-age groups of friends and family. FEEDBACK: Lareau found that working-class and poor parents felt their children would be successful if they were provided with protection, comfort, and care. Their own social class background and access to the funds to enroll their children in lots of activities influenced their emphasis on informal play and spending time with mixed-age groups in their neighborhoods. Unlike their middle-class counterparts, these parents tended to defer to professionals and taught their kids to do the same.

Functionalist theories argue that since social inequality exists in all societies, it must be eliminated. is harmful. serves an essential purpose. prevents exploitation.

serves an essential purpose. FEEDBACK: Because it exists in all societies (to varying degrees), functionalists argue that social inequality in necessary. Unequal rewards, they argue, provide incentives for people to get the best jobs they can, which may include acquiring the education and training to do difficult work. Inequality is beneficial and necessary for society to function well.

Elizabeth graduated from Princeton, as did her father. Her sister and brother graduated from Yale like their mother. After graduating, Elizabeth used her __________ to land several interviews and ultimately her dream job. work ethic concerted cultivation social capital culture

social capital FEEDBACK: Elizabeth has a good deal of social capital because she access to a network of people who have connections and resources to help her make connections.

Jennifer's father was a lower-level manager of a department store. Jennifer was able to go to college and get her master's degree in business administration, and now she is a district manager overseeing all department stores that operate on the West Coast. This is an example of social mobility. individual-level factors. resiliency. ascribed status.

social mobility. FEEDBACK: Jennifer was able to move up the social class ladder because she gained access to higher education and the networks necessary for social mobility.

The fact that American Indians, Latinos, and African Americans are about three times more likely to be poor than Whites is evidence of equitable distribution of wealth. the poverty line. the concentration of poverty by race-ethnicity. cultural deficiency.

the concentration of poverty by race-ethnicity. FEEDBACK: The percentage of American Indians, Latinos, and African Americans living in poverty is higher than the percentage of whites living in poverty even though whites make up the numerical majority of the population. This concentration of poverty is related to educational access, incarceration, family structure, as well as racism and sexism.

A conflict theorist would say social inequality stems from a fundamental class division of skills and expertise. a pattern of unequal rewards that are necessary to entice people to seek extensive training. the process by which the labor of some produces wealth that is controlled by others. differences in the way people respond to hardships.

the process by which the labor of some produces wealth that is controlled by others FEEDBACK: Conflict theorists would agree with the statement that social inequality is due to the unequal control of wealth and labor.

The poor have had a difficult time moving out of poverty because they tend to pick college majors that do not pay very well. the value of the federal minimum wage has declined significantly over the last 40 years. they tend to be single-parent families (which are usually headed by women). the poorest fifth of American households pay 26 percent of their income in federal taxes.

the value of the federal minimum wage has declined significantly over the last 40 years. This question would only let me choose one answer, otherwise I would've chosen this answer as well as the single parent answer. FEEDBACK: The amount of government assistance to the poor is lower in the United States than it is in most other wealthy, developed countries. Adjusting for inflation, the federal minimum wage has fallen by about 30 percent since 1968. Poverty is closely related to family structure, and the poverty rate for families headed by single women is more than four times higher than married-couple families.

A reporter is writing an article about social mobility in the United States. As a sociologist, you advise her that there is little substantial upward social mobility. upward mobility is primarily found at the middle-income levels, with middle-class children moving up from their parents. one reason for so much social mobility is that more avenues for mobility exist than in the past, such as the availability of college. the United States has more social mobility than many other industrialized, developed nations, including Canada, Finland, Sweden, and Germany.

there is little substantial upward social mobility. FEEDBACK: American children are more likely than children in other wealthy countries to remain in the same social class of their parents. It is particularly difficult for poor children to escape poverty and quite unlikely that the children of wealthy parents will move down the social class ladder.