Sociology Chapter 8: Class

Socioeconomic status (SES)

A combined measure that attempts to classify individuals, families, or households in terms of factors such as income, occupation, and education to determine class location; comes from Weber's multidimensional approach of ranking people in classes based on wealth, prestige, and power

Alienation

A feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from other people and from oneself; develops as the workers are responsible for physically manufacturing products but the goods don't belong to them and they feel self-estrangement as a result

Meritocracy

A hierarchy in which all positions are rewarded based on people's ability and credentials; supported by the functionalist perspective to explain why there are such social inequalities; does not take into account the inherited wealth and intergenerational family status a child can just be born into

Absolute Poverty

A level of economic deprivation that exists when people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life; often comes hand in hand with life-threatening consequences (i.e. homeless person freezing to death)

Relative Poverty

A level of economic deprivation that exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living;

Slavery

An extreme form of stratification in which some people are owned or controlled by others for the purpose of economic or sexual exploitation; example of closed system

Social mobility

The movement of individuals or groups from one level in a stratification system to another; possible in open systems, not closed systems; can be both upward and downward

Open System

... of stratification where the boundaries between groups in a hierarchy are more flexible and influenced by an individual's achieved statuses; allows class mobility

Job deskilling

A reduction in the proficiency needed to perform a specific job that leads to a corresponding reduction in the wages for that job or in the use of nonhuman technologies to perform the work; another factor in the U.S.'s struggle with poverty and unemployment

Caste system

A system of social inequality in which people's status is permanently determined at birth based on their parents' ascribed characteristics; example of closed system; exists in both India (based on occupation held by family) and for some time in South Africa (based on race); sustained by cultural beliefs and values and religion (Hinduism)

deference

A type of ceremonial activity that functions as a symbolic means and appreciation/respect is convey to a recipient; three types of linguistic ... identified by Judith Rollins in her study of the relationship between household workers and employers: workers/cleaners are called by first name and employer is called "Mrs. xxx," Employer also uses term "girls" to refer to female house workers (no matter what age)

Class System

A typed of stratification based on the ownership and control of resources and on the type of work that people do; theoretically is more of an open system, has social mobility ; boundaries are less distinct and status can be determined partly by achievement (not just ascribed)

Rentiers

Another class described by Max Weber consists of wealthy individuals who live off their investments rather than working; able to purchase expensive goods, control other people's opportunities, and monopolize costly status privileges

Resources

Anything valued in a society, ranges from money and property to medical care and education; considered to not have enough for all of society and it distributed unequal which causes inequalities and hierarchies in society

Closed system

Boundaries between hierarchical levels are rigid; position in society is determined by ascribed status

Superstructure

Composed of government, schools, churches, and other social institutions produce and disperse ideas that perpetuate the already existing worker exploitation

Middle Class

Defined by Weber as one of the two classes that works for wages; consists of white-collar workers, public officials, managers, and professionals

Working Class

Defined by Weber as one of two classes that works for wages; consists of skilled, semiskilled, and unskilled workers

Class conflict

Karl Marx's term for the struggle between the capitalist class and the working class; once workers realized the capitalist class caused their oppression they would overthrow the capitalists and capitalism and take over the government to make an egalitarian society.

Working class (proletariat)

Karl Marx's term for those who must sell their labor to the owners in order to earn enough money to survive; exploited by the capitalist class in order for them to maximize their profits

Capitalist class (bourgeoisie)

Karl Marx's term for those who own and control the means of production; exploits the working class

Life Chances

Max Weber's term for the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care; the more affluent and individual is the more ... they have

Vertical mobility

Occurs when people actually move up or down in the class structure

Horizontal mobility

Occurs when people experience a gain or loss in position and/or income that does not result in them changing places in the class structure

Entrepreneurs

Privileged commercial class defined by Max Weber including wealthy bankers, ship owners, professionals, and merchants; able to purchase expensive goods, control other people's opportunities, and monopolize costly status privileges

Pink-collar occupations

Relatively low-paying, nonmanual, semiskilled positions primarily held by women; includes checkout clerks, cashiers, restaurant servers, nail technician, day-care workers

Erik Olin Wright

Stratification theorist focused a lot on power; used four criteria to create four classes and place individuals in these groups; Criteria: ownership of the means of production, purchase of the labor of others, control of the labor of others, sale of one's own labor; Classes: capitalist class, managerial class, small business class, working class

Power

The ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others; those with more ... are able to shape society (norms, laws, etc.) in a way that benefits them and their interests best

Income

The economic gain derived from wages, salaries, income transfers (governmental aid), and ownership of property; Distribution varies by race/ethnicity

Social Stratification

The hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on their control of basic resources; patterns of structural inequality that are supported by ideologies within the groups of the hierarchy

Official poverty line

The income standard that is based on what the federal government considers to be the minimum amount of money required for living at a subsistence level; Established by U.S. Social Security Administration; determined by taking the cost of a minimal nutritious diet and multiplying the number by three to account for nonfood necessities; not an actual indicator for the bare minimum costs of basic necessities

Prestige

The respect or regard that a person or status position is given by others; forms include fame, respect, honor, and esteem

Intergenerational mobility

The social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next

Intragenerational mobility

The social movement of individuals within their own lifetime

Feminization of Poverty

The trend in which women are disproportionately represented among individuals living in poverty; one reason for this includes the major economic and emotional burdens presented to them when raising a child; another reason is the pay gap between women and men (.79 : 1.00)

Wealth

The value of all a person's or family's economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property; Weber used this as as prestige and power to determine what class individuals belonged in

Underclass

Those who are poor, seldom employed, and caught in long-term deprivation that results from low levels of education and income and high rates of unemployment; often individuals are unable to work due to age or a disability; also single mothers are overrepresented in this class

Very low food security

about 5.6% of households are categorized as such; indicators include: "being hungry but no eating," "losing weight," "went whole day without eating"

Low food security

about 8.7% of households are categorized as such; indicators include "worrying food will run out," "bought food did not last," "could not afford balanced meals"

Food insecure

term used to identify people whose access to adequate food is limited by lack of money, lack of access to a grocery store or fresh/nutritious produce; highest rates are in households near or below the poverty line, single parent households, or black and hispanic households

Deindustrialization of America

the displacement of many corporations (and their manufacturing jobs) leaving the United states and setting up in other countries where the labor fees are less; one major factor in the U.S.'s struggle with poverty and unemployment

Net worth

the total household wealth after secured debts and unsecured debts are subtracted