Intro To Soc Chp. 8

Front 1

Identify: social stratification

Back 1

A system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy, so that some people have more money, power, and prestige than others
- A trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences
-carries over from one generation to the next
- is supported by a system of cultural beliefs that define certain kinds of inequality as just
- Takes two general forms:caste and class systems

Front 2

Identify: social mobility

Back 2

A change in position within the social heirarchy

Front 3

Identify: caste system

Back 3

-social stratification based on ascription, or birth
-Permit little or no social mobility
- Are common in traditional, agrarian societies

Front 4

Identify: class system

Back 4

-social stratification based on both ascription (birth) and meritocracy (individual achievement)
-permit some social mobility
-are common in modern, industrial and postindustrial societies

Front 5

Identify: meritocracy

Back 5

social stratification based on personal merit

Front 6

Identify: status consistency

Back 6

The degree of consistency in a person's social standings across various dimensions of social inequality

Front 7

Identify: structural social mobility

Back 7

A shift in the social position of a large numbers of people due more to changes in society than to individual efforts

Front 8

Identify: ideology

Back 8

cultural beliefs that justify particular social arrangements, including patterns of inequality

Front 9

Identify: Davis-Moore thesis

Back 9

The assertion that social stratification exists in every society because it has beneficial consequences for the operation of society

Front 10

Identify: Capitalists

Back 10

People who own and operate factories and other businesses in pursuit of profits.

Front 11

Identify: proletarians

Back 11

Working people who sell thier labor for wages

Front 12

Identify: alienation

Back 12

The experience of isolation and misery resulting from powerlessness

Front 13

Identify:Blue-Collar occupations

Back 13

Lower-prestige jobs that involve mostly manual labor

Front 14

Identify: White-Collar Occupations

Back 14

Higher-prestige jobs that involve mostly mental activity

Front 15

Identify:Socioeconomic status

Back 15

A composite ranking based on various dimensions of social inequaliy

Front 16

Identify: Conspicuous consumption

Back 16

Buying and using products with an eye to the "statement" they make about social postion

Front 17

Identify: Income

Back 17

Earnings from work or investments

Front 18

Identify: Wealth

Back 18

The total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts

Front 19

Identify: Intragenerational social mobility

Back 19

A change in social position occurring during a person's lifetime

Front 20

Identify: intergenerational social mobility

Back 20

Upward or downward social mobility of children in relation to their parents

Front 21

Identify: relative poverty

Back 21

The deprivation of some people in relation to those who have more

Front 22

Identify: absolute poverty

Back 22

A deprivation of resources that is life-threatening

Front 23

Identify: feminzation of poverty

Back 23

The trend of women making up an increasing proportion of the poor

Front 24

Explain: The Structural-Functional Approach to Social Stratification

Back 24

- points to ways social stratification helps society to operate
- The "Davis-Moore Thesis" states that social stratification is universal because of its functional consequences.
- In caste systems, people are rewarded for performing the duties of their position at birth
- In class systems, unequal rewards attract the ablest people to the most important jobs and encourage effort.

Front 25

Explain: The Social-Conflict Approach to Social Stratification

Back 25

-Claims that stratification divides societies in classes, benefiting some categories of people at the expense of others and causing social conflict
-Karl Marx claimed that capitalism places economic production under ownership of capitalists, who exploit the proletariat who sell their labor for wages
-Max Weber identified three distinct dimensions of social stratification:economic class, social status or prestige, and power. Conflict exists between people at various positions on a multidimensional hierarchy of socioeconomic status.

Front 26

Explain: The Symbolic-Interaction Approach to Social Stratification

Back 26

A micro-level analysis, explains out that we size up people by looking for clues to their social standing. "Conspicuous Consumption" refers to buying and displaying products that make a "statement" about social class systems. Most people tend to socialize with others whose social standing is similar to their own

Front 27

Concerning Social Stratification, What is the Structural-Function Approach's level of analysis?

Back 27

Macro-level

Front 28

Concerning Social Stratification, What is the Social-Conflict Approach's level of analysis?

Back 28

Macro-level

Front 29

According to the Structural-Functional Approach, what is social stratification?

Back 29

Stratification is a system of unequal rewards that benefits society as a whole

Front 30

According to the Social-Conflict Approach, what is social stratification?

Back 30

Stratification is a division of a society's resources that benefits some and harms others.

Front 31

According to the Symbolic-Interaction Approach, what is social stratification?

Back 31

Stratification is a factor that guides people's interaction in everyday life.

Front 32

According to the Structural-Functional Approach, what is the reason for our social position?

Back 32

Social position reflects personal talents and abilities in a competitive economy

Front 33

According to the Social-Conflict Approach, what is the reason for our social position?

Back 33

Social position reflects the way society divides resources

Front 34

According to the Symbolic-Interaction Approach, what is the reason for our social position?

Back 34

The products we consume all say something about our social position.

Front 35

According to the Structural-Functional Approach, are unequal rewards fair?

Back 35

Yes. Unequal rewards boost economic production by encouraging people to work harder and try new ideas. Linking greater rewards to more important work is widely accepted.

Front 36

According to the Social-Conflict Approach, are unequal rewards fair?

Back 36

No. Unequal rewards only serve to divide society, creating "haves" and "have-nots." There is widespread opposition to social inequality.

Front 37

According to the Symbolic-Interaction Approach, are unequal rewards fair?

Back 37

Maybe. People may or may not define inequality as fair. People may view their social position as a measure of self-worth, justifying inequality in terms of personal difference.

Front 38

"Map out" Social Stratification and Technology: A Global Perspective

Back 38

Hunting and Gathering, Horticultural and Pastoral, Agrarian: Gerhard Lenski explains that advancing technology initially increases social stratification, which is most intense in agrarian societies.
Industrial: Industrialization reverses the trend, reducing social stratification
Postindustrial: In postindustrial societies, social stratification again increases.

Front 39

Explain: Social Stratification involves many dimensions:

Back 39

-Income: Earnings from work and investments are unequal, with the richest 20% of families earning twelve times as much as the poorest 20% of families.
- Wealth: The total value of all assets minus debts, wealth is distributed more unequally than income, with the richest 20% of families holding 84% of all wealth
-Power: Income and wealth are important sources of power
-Prestige: work generates not only income but prestige. White-Collar jobs generally offer more income and prestige than blue-collar jobs. Many lower-prestige jobs are performed by women and people of color.
-Family ancestry, race and ethnicity, and gender all affect socail standing.

Front 40

Explain: Social Classes in the US

Back 40

Upper Class: 5% of the population. Most members of the "upper-upper class" or "old rich" inherited their wealth; the "lower-upper class", or "new rich" work at high-paying jobs
Middle Class: 40-45% of the population. People in the "upper-middle class" have significant wealth; average-middles have less prestige, do most white-collar work, and most attend college
Working Class: One third of the population. People in the "lower middle class" do blue collar work; only about a third of children attend college.
Lower Class: 20% of the population. Most people in the lower class lack financial security due to low income; many live below the poverty line; half do not complete high school

Front 41

T or F:
People with higher social standing generally have better health, hold certain values and political attitudes, and pass on advantages in the form of "cultural capital" to their children

Back 41

T

Front 42

T or F.
Social mobility is common in the US, as it is in other high-income countries, but typically only small changes occur from one generation to the next.

Back 42

T

Front 43

T or F.
Due to the expansion of the global economy, the richest families now earn even more than ever; families near the bottom of the class system have seen only small increases.

Back 43

T

Front 44

Explain:
Poverty in the US: Poverty Profile

Back 44

-The gov classifies 37 million people, about 12.6% of the population, as poor.
-About 35% of the poor are children under 18
- 2/3 of the poor are white, but in relation to their population, African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to be poor
- The "feminization of poverty" means that more poor families are headed by women
-About 48% of the heads of poor families are among the "working poor" who work at least part-time but do not earn enough to lift a family of four above the poverty line

Front 45

Explain:
Poverty in the US: Explanations of Poverty

Back 45

-Blame individuals: The "culture of poverty" thesis states that poverty is caused by shortcomings in the poor themselves
- Blame society: Poverty is caused by society's unequal distribution of wealth and lack of good jobs

Front 46

"Social Stratification" refers to

Back 46

Ranking categories of people into a hierarchy

Front 47

A caste system of Social stratification ___

Back 47

Is based on birth!

Front 48

Sonja has 2 advanced degrees, an average salary, and is working at a low-prestige job. Which concept best describes her situation?

Back 48

Low status consistency

Front 49

According to the Davis-Morris thesis,

Back 49

More important jobs must offer enough rewards to draw talent from less-important work.

Front 50

Karl Marx claimed that society "reproduces class structure."By this he meant that,

Back 50

Class differences are passed on from one generation to antoher

Front 51

Max Weber claimed that social stratification is based on

Back 51

-economic class
-social status or prestige
-power

Front 52

The wealthiest 20% of people in the US own about how much of the country's private owned wealth?

Back 52

84%

Front 53

About what share of Us adults over the age of 25 are college graduates?

Back 53

28%

Front 54

Which of the following is another term for the "working class"?

Back 54

lower-middle class

Front 55

Which quintile (20%) of the US population has seen the greatest change in income over the last generation?

Back 55

The top quintile

Front 56

Change in social postion during a person's own lifetime is called

Back 56

Intragenerational social mobility

Front 57

Which age category of the US population has the highest poverty rate?

Back 57

Children