Sociology Final

What are the dominant legitimating rationales for racial inequality in the U.S.?

- Colorblindness - Idea that race doesn't matter to Americans - Cultural Deficiencies - Certain racial groups do not hold the correct values to succeed in life

What is privilege?

Invisible package of unearned assets, based on group membership -SOCIAL not PERSONAL - privilege is as a result of the structure of our society and how it is organized

What are some of the main points of Hesse-Biber's "Men and Women: Mind and Body"? How does this relate to gender inequality/patriarchy?

- Male Centered Language is another indicator and reinforcer of a system that privileges men over women -- male-identified patriarchy - Men are judged are based on qualities of the mind, and women are judged on qualities of the body. Women's bodies have been continuously shaped as cultural artifacts, society has always been in control of women's bodies

What does it mean to suggest that society is male-dominated? Male-identified? Male-centered?

- Male-Dominated - Positions of authority are generally reserved for men - Male-Identified - Core cultural ideas about what is good, desirable, preferable, or normal associated with how we think about men and masculinity - Male-Centered - Focus of attention is primarily on men and what they do

What are some of the key ways that gender (femininity and masculinity) are socially constructed in U.S. society?

- Males are associated with manual labor, active language and dominance - Females are associated with domestic roles, with an emphasis on appearance -- Idea that masculinity and femininity are dichotomous- they are expected to be opposite to each other feminine : masculine docile : aggressive weak : strong

What does passive racism entail? Active racism?

- Passive - covert, going along with the status quo, subtle; laughing along with a racist joke PG 105 - Active - blatant, intentional acts of racial bigotry that re-enforce the system of privilege; Racial slurs and jokes

What is the difference between phenotype and genetic differences

- Phenotype - Physical appearance this serves as a racial marker - Skin color, eye shape, hair texture o Used to stereotype - Genetic - There is very little genetic differences between races; there is no race gene

How do sociologists distinguish prejudice from racism? What is cultural racism?

- Prejudice - a preconceived judgement/opinion; usually unconscious and created by the cultural images we are surrounded by, stem from cultural images we're surrounded by at the individual level - Racism - System of advantage & disadvantage based on race; a system involving cultural messages & institutional outcomes, in every area of life there is a clear racial hierarchy where whites fair better in most things; Societal level - PERSONS OF COLOR CANNOT BE RACIST but can be prejudice

What are the consequences of racial classification?

- Prejudices and Racism - Racial classification serves as the foundation of racial stereotypes - We use the color of the skin or other phenotypes as a way to tell what is underneath -- Athletic ability, intelligence

Why do sociologists view race as a socio-historical construction?

- Race is what we make it to be, it is socially constructed and not biologically derived; varies cross culturally and has changed significantly across time, and geographically - immigrants from Italy, Germany, and Poland were not considered white, now they are - change in classification

What were some of the takeaway messages from Kilbourne's Killing Us Softly 4? How do they relate to gender inequality/patriarchy?

- The expectations of beauty that we see in advertisements are unattainable, if we tell women that this is important but what we judge that on is unrealistic how will they ever feel good about themselves

How does today's racism/discrimination operate in comparison to previous eras in American history (hint: think about the way discrimination happened in the podcast we listened to)?

- Today's racism is subtle, and covert as compared to other times in history - Think about the different races went to find an apartment and the super told them there was nothing available, in the 1900's Jim crow laws not allowed to use this because you're black, this one is reserved for blacks

What are the dominant sociological explanations for racial inequality?

-- Racially Homogeneous Networks - Whites with whites certain networks have more social capital available and that capital stays within that network. -- Wealth Gap - Government prohibited wealth accumulation for minority groups -- Racial residential Segregation -- Cities today are very segregated & minority areas have less resources -- Structural Racism - Historical legacy, interwoven into current society we are still experiencing the after effects

What is achievement ideology? Why are sociologists critical of it?

-Achievement Ideology = Hard Work = Success - the idea that anyone who works hard enough can succeed -Legitimating Rational, Pygmalion Effect, Societal Mobility

What does it mean to say that gender has an institutional component to it?

-Gender is institutionalized in statuses and roles within institutions often have gendered expectations -- Families - Mothers; Feminine Fathers: Masculine -- Labor Market - Education jobs are for females, Sports jobs are for men

How have social factors influenced social mobility?

-Historically the upward mobility that we have seen in our society is as a result of social factors rather than a result of individual factors -- Changes in the structure of society is the only way that some people are able to move up

What does it mean to think of something from an intersectional perspective?

-Intersectional Perspective - Social locations that interact with one another to shape identities, behaviors, interactions & experiences of inequality -The experiences of people of color will vary between class and gender -What it means to be an upper class black woman is different than lower class black woman

Example of a false parallel

-Men sexually objectify women, but women also sexually objectify men -failing to take into consideration the degree that it occurs, this is also based on how society expects men to sexually objectify women

What are the different types of privilege?

-Negative- Dominant groups have the ability to ignore less powerful people- BAD -Positive- Neighbors that are decent and welcoming- What we want for everyone -Would you want everyone to have this asset, or no one to have this asset - EX. curriculum that reflects racial group

How does the educational system fit into considerations of class inequality?

-Poor schools have less resources, making it harder for them to be successful - schools are funded unequally -Pygmalion Effect - Self-fulfilling prophecy as people follow the frame people expect of them -Effected by teachers and the difference in expectations between lower and upper class students -Societal Mobility - most upward mobility is because of societal change

What is the main point of "The Land of Opportunity"? How does it relate to achievement ideology?

-Students are not taught that America the class structure, they are taught that individual hard work and making good choices will get them further -Achievement ideology - idea that the class that we are in is based off our efforts or lack there of

What is a legitimating rationale?

-belief system that provides justification for a system of stratification -Problematic because low wage jobs are scares, not all people are able to work, resources are unequal, structure doesn't allow for everyone to succeed, we NEED people in lower class jobs

What do the structural explanations for class inequality entail?

Considered more valued in than cultural views that inequality between rich and poor is due to the consequences of poverty and lack of access to opportunity compared to the rich.

What does it mean to say that gender is policed?

How Gender norms are enforced - the negative response when people of a certain gender step outside their gender cultural expectation

False parallel

Inaccurate Comparison - do not take history, context, or power dynamics into account. -When people make comparisons between two different things without considering history, context, or power

What do the cultural explanations for class inequality entail?

People in different social classes have different patterns, values, beliefs, and behavioral norms - which are then passed down to their children - Lower classes are not as compatible with success in our country

What does it mean to say that we "do" gender?

Performative aspect of being a gender - how we present ourselves in mannerisms, speech patterns etc.

How do structuralists view cultural explanations of class inequality?

Poverty is caused by lack of opportunity, you cant blame the people for being poor they simply don't have the same resources

How do sociologists distinguish between sex and gender?

Sex - Biological identification of female or male Gender - Socially constructed, based on cultural expectations, attitudes, activities - varies cross culturally/ across time

What is social capital? How does it relate to class inequality?

Social capital- resources social networks provide - Upper classes have a stronger social capital and because they give that capital to their children its creates a cycle.

What is the main argument Kleinman makes in "Why Sexist Language Matters"? How does this relate to gender inequality/patriarchy?

We need to change how we use language if we want to change gender inequality. The prevalence of male generic words in our language is an example of how men are privileged over women