Sociology Test #4
__________ is the sociological term for the hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on the control of basic resources.
Social stratification
Sociologists often use the term __________ to refer to a classification that reflects a combination of factors such as income, occupation, and education.
Socioeconomic status
The Department of Agriculture uses the term __________ for people whose access to adequate food is limited by lack of money and other resources.
Food insecure
Sociologist Max Weber's term __________ refers to the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care.
Life chances
The term pink-collar refers to_____________________________.
Semiskilled positions that are low paying, are not manual labor, and are primarily held by women
In the Marxian model of Erik Wright, business owners and craftspeople that may hire a small number of employees but largely do their own work would be considered __________ class.
Small-business
The sociological term for the movement of individuals or groups from one level in a stratification system to another is __________.
Social mobility
The term __________ refers to those who are poor, are seldom employed, and experience long-term deprivation.
Underclass
In addition to unemployment, structural problems contribute to __________, where people work at jobs that do not pay a living wage and lack security.
Underemployment
A combination of three factors qualifies people for the __________ class: university degrees, authority and independence on the job, and high income.
Upper-middle
In the model of American social classes based on Weber's theory, the __________ is made up of prominent families that have held great wealth for several generations.
Upper-upper
Davis and Moore, two functionalists, believe that stratification results in __________.
A meritocracy
Poor people in the United States______________________________.
Are at greater risk for heart disease and cancer than more affluent persons
The U.S. Social Security Administration has established an official poverty line. The poverty line is computed by _______________________________.
Determining the cost of a minimally nutritious diet (short-term) and multiplying this figure by 3 to allow for nonfood costs.
Which age group (of all races) has the highest percentage living in poverty?
0-18 years
According to the social class model developed by Gilbert and Kahl, and based on the theory of Weber, the upper (capitalist) class of the United States includes about __________ of the population.
1 percent
The upper-middle class is comprised of highly educated professionals, such as physicians, attorneys, stockbrokers, and corporate managers, which make up about __________ of the population.
14 percent
The U.S. poverty rate in 2012 was __________.
15 percent
The U.S. State Department estimates that about __________ foreigners are brought to the United States and enslaved annually.
17,500
Of the richest 20 people in the world, how many are women?
3
In 2012, the poorest 20 percent of households in the United States received approximately __________ of the total income pie.
3 percent
About __________ of the U.S. population is included in the underclass.
3 to 5 percent
In 2012, the top 5 percent of households in the United States received more than 20 percent of all income—an amount greater than that received by the bottom __________ of all households.
40 percent
In 2009, the wealthiest 20 percent of households in the United States received approximately __________ percent of the total income pie.
50
Davis and Moore, two functionalists, believe that stratification results in __________.
A meritocracy
__________ poverty refers to the condition in which people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life.
Absolute
__________ is the most likely to have life-threatening consequences, such as when a homeless person freezes to death on a park bench.
Absolute poverty
Which of these racial/ethnic groups has the highest rate of poverty?
African Americans
Sociologist Karl Marx believed that the workers are exploited as capitalists maximize their profit by paying the workers less than the resale values of what they produce. Marx believed that this resulted in a feeling of powerlessness and estrangement that he called __________.
Alienation
Until the 1990s, white South Africans controlled the government, the police, and the military by enforcing __________, the term used in South Africa for "the separation of the races."
Apartheid
Marx used the term __________ for those who own the means of production—the land and capital necessary for factories and mines.
Bourgeoisie
According to the text, one of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification is their degree of __________.
Flexibility
According to Forbes magazine, the richest people in the world are Mexican entrepreneur Carlos Slim Helu, Bill Gates (co-founder of Microsoft Corporation), and investor Warren Buffet. In Wright's Marxian model these men would be members of the __________ class.
Capitalist
Both Karl Marx and Max Weber identified ___________ as an important determinant of social inequality and social change.
Class
__________ theorists stress that schools are agencies for perpetuating social inequality because parents with limited income are not able to provide the same educational opportunities for their children as are families with greater financial resources.
Conflict
When __________ behavior occurs between nonequals, it confirms the inequality of the relationship.
Deference
Corporations have been disinvesting in the United States, displacing millions of people from their jobs. Economists refer to this displacement as the __________ of America.
Deindustrialization
Marx predicted that when workers realized that capitalists were the source of their oppression, they would overthrow the capitalists and take over the government, creating a(n) __________ society.
Egalitarian
Sociologist Max Weber placed categories of people who have a similar level of wealth and income in the same class. He referred to the privileged commercial class of wealthy bankers, ship owners, professionals, and merchants who possess similar financial resources as __________.
Entrepreneurs
From the perspective of __________, social inequality is not only inevitable; it is an essential part of any healthy society.
Functionalism
A factory worker is promoted to the position of foreman in the factory. She receives a small increase in pay. This person has experienced __________ mobility.
Horizontal
__________ occurs when people experience a gain or loss in position and/or income that does not produce a change in their place in the class structure.
Horizontal mobility
__________ is the term for economic gain derived from wages, salaries, income transfers (government aid), and ownership of property.
Income
Vestiges of a caste system exist today in __________.
India and South Africa
__________ mobility is the social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.
Intergenerational
Camryn started her career as a high-tech factory worker and, through increased experience and taking specialized courses in her field, became an entrepreneur and started her own highly successful business. Camryn's advancement is an example of __________ mobility.
Intragenerational
__________ mobility refers to the social movement of individuals within their own lifetime.
Intragenerational
Today, great disparities exist in the distribution of educational resources. Because funding for education comes primarily from __________, school districts in wealthy suburban areas generally pay higher teachers' salaries, have newer buildings, and provide state-of-the-art equipment.
Local property taxes
Members of the __________ have earned most of their money during their own lifetime. This class includes entrepreneurs, presidents of major corporations, sports or entertainment celebrities, and top-level professionals.
Lower-upper class
In Wright's Marxian model, persons who have substantial control over production and over workers but do not participate in key corporate decisions such as how to invest profit are the __________.
Managerial class
The model of the American class system based on the work of __________ is based on three elements: education, occupation of family head, and family income.
Max Weber
Whereas Marx defined class in purely economic terms, sociologist __________ developed a multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige, and power.
Max Weber
Occupations such as medical technicians, teachers, and nurses pertain to the __________, which makes up an estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population.
Middle class
Of the two categories of people who work for wages, Weber called the white-collar workers, public officials, managers, and professionals the __________.
Middle class
A difference between the caste system in India and the caste system in South Africa is that in India caste was based in part on __________.
Occupation
According to sociologist Max Weber's system of stratification, __________ is the ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.
Power
Weber defined social class using ___________ as a major contributor.
Power
Whereas Marx defined class in purely economic terms, Max Weber developed a multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige, and __________.
Power
The dimension of Weber's system of stratification that helps determine one's class consists of the respect or regard that a person is given by others, and is called __________.
Prestige
A difference between the caste system in India and the caste system in South Africa is that in South Africa caste was based largely on __________.
Racial classification
__________ poverty exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living.
Relative
Weber used the term __________ for the category of wealthy individuals who live off their investments and do not have to work.
Rentiers
According to Marx, the capitalist class maintains its position at the top of the class structure by control of the society's __________, which is composed of the government, schools, churches, and other social institutions.
Superstructure
Meredith studies how waiters are treated by diners at a country club in order to learn about the daily structure of inequality and how these patterns are enacted and replicated. Meredith is a __________.
Symbolic interactionist
The United States is currently experiencing the greatest economic setback since_______________.
The Great Depression
In the late 1970s, sociologist Diana Pearce coined the term __________to refer to the trend in which women are disproportionately represented among individuals living in poverty.
The feminization of poverty
One of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification is their degree of flexibility. In a closed system of stratification __________.
There is little or no social mobility
Becky's mother is an architect and her father is a college professor. Becky left home at age 16 to live with her boyfriend. When their relationship ended, Becky no longer communicated with her parents and did not return to high school. After working briefly at a fast food restaurant, Becky resorted to asking passersby at a local shopping area for money. Becky's story illustrates the concept of __________.
Vertical Mobility
__________ occurs when people experience movement either up or down the class structure.
Vertical mobility
The term __________ include(s) property such as buildings, land, farms, houses, factories, and cars, as well as other assets such as bank accounts, corporate stocks, bonds, and insurance policies.
Wealth
__________ is the value of all of a person's or family's economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property.
Wealth
Skilled blue-collar workers, which include electricians, plumbers, and carpenters, and unskilled blue-collar workers which include janitors and gardeners, are all members of the __________, according to the Marxian model of class.
Working
An estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population is __________, which includes occupations such as semiskilled machine operators in factories and people in the service sector, such as clerks and salespeople.
Working class
In Wright's Marxian model, the __________ is made up of a number of subgroups, including blue-collar workers, some of whom are highly skilled and well-paid and others of whom are unskilled and poorly paid.
Working class
About 20 percent of the U.S. population lives from just above to just below the poverty line. These people typically hold unskilled jobs, seasonal migrant jobs in agriculture, and lower-paid factory and service jobs and are termed the __________.
Working poor
Social critic and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich demonstrated that people in the __________ use strategies like help from relatives and continually changing residences in order to survive.
Working poor
Working single mothers and their children and African Americans are overrepresented among the __________.
Working poor
When Carlos's grandfather migrated to the United States, he had completed six years of schooling and was an agricultural worker in California. Carlos's father completed high school and worked for twenty years as a clerk in a large state agency. Through the efforts of his father and grandfather, Carlos was able to graduate from college and medical school, and he now has a thriving medical practice in southern California. Carlos's family exemplifies __________ mobility.
Intergenerational
Wealth in the United States________________________.
Is nonexistent for nearly 1 in 4 U.S. households
The minimum wage_____________________________.
Is set by the federal government, but individual states may adopt a higher rate
Contemporary Marxian (or conflict) theorists examine class in terms of __________.
People's relationships with others in the production process
In a class system_____________________________.
Status is based on access to and ownership of resources
Caste systems and slavery are both __________.
Systems where status is determined at birth
Marx's theory had important insights into capitalist societies; for example,________________.
The economic basis of class systems
Slavery in the United States ___________.
Was challenged by some slaves through acts of resistance and sabotage
Weber called the class consisting of skilled, semiskilled, and unskilled workers the __________.
Working class