Sociology 101: Social Stratification and Inequality Study Guide

Social Stratification

A trait of society that carries over from generation to generation, is universal but variable, and involves not just inequality but beliefs as well.

Ascription

A closed system where one's social position is primarily based on hereditary or conditions outside of one's control.

Achievement

An open system where individuals obtain their place in the stratification system based on merit.

Caste System

A stratification system primarily based on ascription.

Class System

A stratification system based on both ascription and achievement.

Social Mobility

A change in position within the social hierarchy.

Status Consistency

High status in one category but low in another.

Ideology

Cultural beliefs that justify particular social arrangements, including patterns of inequality.

Income

Money, wages, and payments periodically received as returns from an occupation or investment.

Wealth

Accumulated assets in the form of valued goods, such as real estate, stocks, bonds, or money held in reserve.

Income Inequality Trends

Income inequality peaked during the roaring twenties, crashed after the 1929 stock market crash, and is currently higher than at any other point in history.

Great Divergence

The sharp rise in inequality since the 1980s, explained by the undoing of New Deal policies.

Distribution of Wealth in the US

Share of total before-tax income flowing to households in the top 1 percent of the income distribution from 1913-2010.

Upper Class

Includes old money (generational) associated with elite institutions and new money (working rich) in the corporate class.

Middle Class

Influences American culture; the vast majority of Americans identify as middle class, which is declining and is associated with college education and white-collar work.

Working Class

Consists of blue-collar jobs and high school jobs, which limit wealth.

Poverty

Relative poverty is defined in relation to the economic status of other members of the society.

Absolute poverty

a deprivation of resources that is life threatening

Relative poverty

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

Trends in poverty

Recent decades have seen a higher number of people in poverty in the suburbs rather than urban areas

Children under the age of 18

are most likely to be poor

2/3 of all poor

are white, yet whites are less likely to be poor than any other ethnic group

Single parent families

are more likely to be poor than two parent families

Women

are more likely to be poor than men

The feminization of Poverty

women facing higher poverty rates and more severe forms of poverty than men

The working poor

are working people whose income fall below the poverty line

Social Mobility

Change in position within the social hierarchy

Health outcomes in the US

are closely linked to class

US healthcare ranking

ranked 37th in the world by Costa Rica

US life expectancy

has the lowest life expectancy of all OECD nations

Weber's claim

that social stratification affects people's life choices

Rich political tendencies

tend to be more conservative on economic issues, liberal on social issues

Poor political tendencies

tend to be more liberal on economic issues, conservative on social issues

Political parties in the US

do not fall on strict class lines

Education and geography

are the most important factors in determining political ideology

Davis Moore Thesis

Social stratification has beneficial consequences for the operation of a society

Marxist perspective

Class conflict rooted in people's relationship to the means of production

Symbolic Interactionism

examines stratification from a micro level perspective emphasizing how appearance (symbols) reflect social standing

Conspicuous Consumption

consumption directed toward a social display

Race

a socially constructed category of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important

Ethnicity

is a shared cultural heritage

Minority

any category of people distinguished by physical or cultural difference that a society sets apart and subordinates

US minority majority nation

expected to be a minority majority nation by 2050

Racism

the belief that one racial category is innately superior or inferior to another

Prejudice

refers to the beliefs, thoughts, feelings and attitudes someone holds about a group

Colorblind Racism

the belief that race no longer matters in people's existence, they no longer see color

Gender

refers to the socially constructed definitions of what it means to be a female and a male

Sex

refers to biological characteristics although not without debate

Patriarchy

a form of social organization in which males dominate females

Matriarchy

a form of social organization in which females dominate males