Sociology 101 Chapter 8 Terms
relative deprivation
a relative measure of poverty based on the standard of living in a particular society
status inconsistency
a situation oin which there are serious differences between the different elements of an individual's socioeconomic status
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
meritocracy
a system in which rewards are distributed based on merit
feudal system
a system of social stratification based on a hereditary nobility who were responsible for and served by a lower stratum of forced laborers called serfs
social class
a system of stratification based on access to resources such as wealth, property, power, and prestige
absolute deprivation
an objective measure of poverty, defined by the inability to meet minimal standards for food, shelter, clothing, or health care
just world hypothesis
argues that people have a deep need to see the world as orderly, predictable, and fair, which creates a tendency to view victims of social injustice as deserving of their fates
class consciousness
awareness of one's own social status and that of others
structural mobility
changes in the social status of large numbers of people due to structural changes in society (great depression)
middle class
composed primarily of "white collar" workers wit ha broad range of incomes; they constitute about thirty percent of the us population
working class/ lower middle class
mostly "blue collar" or service industry workers who are less likely to have college degree, they constitute thirty percent of the us population
upper-middle class
mostly professionals and managers, who enjoy considerable financial stability; they constitute about fourteen percent of the us population
intergenerational mobility
movement between social classes that occurs from one gereation to the next
working poor
poorly educated workers who work full time but remain below the poverty line; they constitute about twenty percent of the us population
social stratification
the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy
residential segregation
the geographical separation of teh poor from the rest of the population
slavery
the most extreme form of social stratification, based on the legal ownership of people
vertical social mobility
the movement between different class statuses, often called either upward mobility or downward mobility
intragenerational mobility
the movement between social classes that occurs over the course of an individual's lifetime
social mobility
the movement of individual or groups within the hierarchal system of social classes
horizontal social mobility
the occupational movement of individuals or groups within a social class
underclass
the poorest americans who are chronically unemployed and may depend on public or private assistance; they constitute about five percent of the population
disenfranchisement
the removal of the rights of citizenship through economic, political, or legal means
prestige
the social honor people are given because of their membership in well regarded social groups (Max Weber)
apartheid
the system of segregation of racial and ethnic groups that was legal in South Africa between 1948 and 1991
cultural capital
the tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, and other cultural dispositions that help us gain advantages in society. (Pierre Bourdieu)
social reproduction
the tendecny of social classes to remain relativelyu stable as social calss status is passed down from one gerneration to the next (Pierre Bourdieu)
social inequality
the unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society
blue collar
a description characterizing workers who perform manual labor
caste system
a form of social stratification in which status is determined by one's family history and background and cannot be changed
upper class
a largely self sustaining group of the wealthiest people in a class system; in the us they constitute about one percent of the population and possess most of the wealth of the country
simplicity movement
a loosely knit movement that opposes consumerism and encourages people to work less, earn less, spend less, in accordance with nonmaterialistic values
socioeconomic status
a measure of an individual's place within a social class system, often used interchangeably with class
culture of poverty
entrenched attitudes than can develop among poor communities and lead the poor to accept their fate rather than attempt to improve their lot
