Sociology Ch. 7

Front 1

Social Stratification

Back 1

The division of society into groups arranged in a social hirearchy

Front 2

Social Inequality

Back 2

The unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society

Front 3

Slavery

Back 3

The most extreme form of social stratification, based on the legal ownership of people

Front 4

Caste System

Back 4

A form of social stratification in which status is determined by one's family history and background and cannot be changed.

Front 5

Appartheid

Back 5

The system of segregation of racial and ethnic groups that was legal in South Africa between 1948 and 1991

Front 6

Social Class

Back 6

A system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power, and prestige

Front 7

Socoieconomic Status (SES)

Back 7

A measure of an individual's place within a social class system; often used interchangeable with "class"

Front 8

Intersectionality

Back 8

A concept that identifies how different categories of inequality (race, class, gender, etc) intersect to shape the lives of individuals and groups

Front 9

Upper Class

Back 9

An elite and largely self sustaining group who posses most of the country wealth; they constitute about 1 percent of the U.S. Population

Front 10

Upper-Middle Class

Back 10

Mostly highly educated professionals and managers who have considerable financial stability; they constitute about 14 percent of the U.S. population.

Front 11

Middle Class

Back 11

Composed primarily of "white collar" workers with a broad range of education and incomes; they constitute about 30 percent of the U.S. population

Front 12

White Collar

Back 12

A description characterizing lower-level professionals and management workers and some highly skilled laborers in technical jobs

Front 13

Working Class/Lower-Middle Class

Back 13

Mostly "blue collar" or service industry workers who are less likely to have college degree; they constitute about 30 percent of the U.S. population.

Front 14

Blue Collar

Back 14

A description characterizing skilled and semi-skilled workers who perform manual labor or work in service or clerical jobs.

Front 15

Working Poor

Back 15

Poorly educated manual and service workers who may work full-time but remain near or below the poverty line; they constitute about 20 percent of the U.S. population

Front 16

Underclass

Back 16

The poorest group includes the homeless and chronically unemployed who may depend on public or private assistance; they constitute about 5 percent of the U.S. population.

Front 17

Status Inconsistency

Back 17

A situation in which an individual has differing levels of status in terms of the individuals wealth, power, prestige, or other elements of socioeconomic status.

Front 18

Feudal System

Back 18

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

Front 19

Wealth

Back 19

A measure of net worth that includes income, property, and other assets.

Front 20

Prestige

Back 20

The social honor people are given because of their membership in well-regarded social groups.

Front 21

Social Reproduction

Back 21

The tendency of social classes to remain relatively stable as class status is passed down from one generation to the next

Front 22

Cultural Capital

Back 22

The tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, and other cultural assets that help us gain advantages in society.

Front 23

Everyday Class Consciousness

Back 23

Awareness of one's own social status and that of others

Front 24

Social Mobility

Back 24

The movement of individuals or groups within hierarchal systems of social classes

Front 25

Closed System

Back 25

A social system with very little opportunity to move from one class to another

Front 26

Open System

Back 26

A social system with ample opportunities to move from one class to another

Front 27

Intergenerational Mobility

Back 27

Movement between social classes that occurs from one generation to the next

Front 28

Intragenerational Mobility

Back 28

The moment between social classes that occurs during the course of an individual's lifetime

Front 29

Horizontal Social Mobility

Back 29

The movement of individuals or groups within a particular social class, most often a result of changing occupations

Front 30

Vertical Social Mobility

Back 30

The movement between different class statuses, often called either upward mobility or downward mobility.

Front 31

Structural Mobility

Back 31

Changes in the social status of large numbers of people as a result of structural changes in society

Front 32

Relative Deprivation

Back 32

A relative measure of poverty based on the standard of living in a particular society.

Front 33

Absolute Deprivation

Back 33

An objective measure of poverty defined by the inability to meet minimal standards for food, shelter, clothing or health care

Front 34

Homogamy

Back 34

Choosing romantic partners who are similar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion, and other social group members

Front 35

Heterogamy

Back 35

Choosing romantic partners who are dissimilar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion, and other social group membership

Front 36

Hypergamy

Back 36

Marrying "up" in the social class hierarchy

Front 37

Hypogamy

Back 37

Marrying "down" in the social class hierarchy

Front 38

Digital Divide

Back 38

The unequal access to computer and internet technology, both globally and within the United States

Front 39

Culture of Poverty

Back 39

Entrenched attitudes that can develop among poor communities and lead the poor to accept their fate rather than attempt to improve their lot

Front 40

Just World Hypothesis

Back 40

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.

Front 41

Residential Segregation

Back 41

The geographical separation of the poor from the rest of an area's population

Front 42

Disenfranchisement

Back 42

The removal of the rights of citizenship through economic, political, or legal means.

Front 43

Meritocracy

Back 43

A system in which rewards are distributed based on merit

Front 44

Simplicity Movement

Back 44

A loosely knit movement that opposes consumerism and encourages people to work less, earn less, and spend less, in accordance with nonmaterialistic values.