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17 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Social Class |
category of people who share similar opportunities, similar economic and vocational positions, similar lifestyles, and similar attitudes and behaviors.
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Stratification |
society that has several different social classes and permits social mobility
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Systems of Stratification (4 ans..)
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Slavery: The most extreme form of legalized social inequality. People are owned by other people.
Castes: Are hereditary ranks that are usually religiously dictated and ten to be fixed and immobile. Ascribed status at birth. Estates: Feudalism, requires peasants to work land leased to them by nobles in exchange for protection and other services. Social Class: A social ranking based primarily on economic position which is achieved and possible social mobility. |
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Social Classes in the United States
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Upper class (1 – 3% of pop.)
Upper-middle class (10 – 15% of pop.) Lower-middle class (25 – 30 % of pop.) Working class (40 – 45% of pop.) Lower class (20 – 25% of pop.) |
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Factors contributing to the shrinking size of the middle class. (4 ans..)
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Disappearing opportunities for those with little education.
Global competition and rapid advances in technology Growing dependence on the temporary workforce The rise of new growth industries and non-union workplaces. (fast food, box stores, etc) |
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Poverty
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Prefers to a condition in which people do not have enough money to maintain a standard of living that includes the basic necessities of life.
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National Poverty Rate
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calculated by the government based upon locale, and the ability to obtain those essential necessities in which to live. Generally the figure represents whole household income.
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The Feminization of Poverty
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disproportionate concentration of poverty among female-headed families.
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Government Assistance Programs
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Government programs that provide benefits to families or individuals can be divided into two categories:
social insurance and cash benefits going to people of all income levels means-tested programs and cash assistance going only to the poor. |
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Consequences of Social Stratification
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Low-income mothers are more likely to have low birth-weight babies.
The poor have a lower life expectancy, regardless of race or ethnicity. Babies born in poverty are significantly more likely to die before their first birthday. |
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Functionalist Theory of Stratification
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Views social stratification as a social necessity.
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Conflict Theory of Stratification: Marx
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Stratification is the outcome of a struggle for dominance between:
the bourgeoisie, the owners of the means of production the proletariat, or working class. Marx believed the moving force of history was class struggle, or class conflict. |
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Marx: Distribution of Wealth
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Marx believed that people’s lives are centered on how they deal with the material world.
Wealth can be distributed in at least four ways: To each according to need. To each according to want. To each according to what is earned. To each according to what can be obtained—by whatever means. |
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Max Weber
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Believed there were three sources of stratification:
Economic class Social status Political power. Economic classes arise out of the unequal distribution of economic powe |
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Marx and Weber
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Weber agreed with Marx on the following issues related to stratification:
Group conflict is a basic ingredient of society. People are motivated by self-interest. Those who do not have property can defend their interests less well than those who have property. |
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Modern Conflict Theory: 5 Aspects
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Social inequality emerges through the domination of groups by other groups.
Those who are dominated have the potential to express resistance toward those in power. Conflict will most often center on the distribution of property and political power. What are thought to be the common values of society are really the values of the dominant groups. Because those in power are engaged in exploitative relationships, they must find mechanisms of social control to keep the masses in line.
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Comparison of Functionalist and Conflict Views of Social Stratification:
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Functionalist:
Stratification is universal, necessary, and inevitable. Social organization shapes the stratification system. Stratification arises from the societal need for integration, coordination, and cohesion. Stratification facilitates the optimal functioning of society and the individual. Stratification is an expression of commonly shared social values. Power usually is distributed legitimately in society. Tasks and rewards are allocated equitably. The economic dimension is subordinate to other dimensions of society. Stratification systems generally change through processes. CONFLICT: |
