sociology exam #2 brian ott

conspicuous consumption

spending your money on flashy, expensive goods to show off your wealth

cultural omnivore

choosing to expand your knowledge and have a wide array of knowledge instead of the newest, flashiest thing

how Max Weber defined social class

people who rank close in power, property and prestige

the three p's

power, property, prestige

power

ability to carry out your will even over resistance of others

property

materials and wealth

prestige

respect or regard

status consistent

having a similar ranking in all three of the p's

status inconsistent

rankings in each of the three p's vary

ascribed status

status assigned by society without regard for person's unique talents, efforts or characteristics

YOU CANNOT EARN THIS

ex. race, gender

achieved status

status that results from one's efforts

YOU CANNOT BE BORN WITH THIS

ex. occupation, education

three types of capital

defined by Pierre Bourdieu

economic, social, cultural

economic capital

Income, property, wealth

social capital

Social network of connections

cultural capital

Non-economic resources (knowledge, skills, behaviors) that are useful in a particular sphere of social life

three types

three types of cultural capital

embodied, objectified, institutionalized

embodied cultural capital

Manner, style, ways of acting

May seem like a kind of muscle memory or as "natural"

institutional cultural capital

Institutional recognition, often a credential

ex. a degree

objectified cultural capital

Material objects (clothes, possessions)

what capital did Gengler introduce and what are the two types?

healthcare capital, two types are care captaining and care entrusting

fields

place where a specific type of social capital is exchanged

there are specific "rules of the game" one must know to participate thoroughly

habitus

actions within a field showing you understand the rules (ex. ordering a venti at Starbucks. Starbucks is the field, asking for a venti is the habitus)

care captaining

when parents take a highly active, knowledgeable role in managing their child's healthcare.

care entrusting

parents with low healthcare capital often don't know much about the medical field and are more likely to leave the care of their child fully in the hands of the physician

income

total amount earned each year by a person

wealth

how much money a person could have if they sold all their belongings

distribution of wealth

top 10% own 50%, bottom 50% of 2.5%

stratification

any created social system that imposes social class

social class

a group of people with similar backgrounds, incomes, and ways of living

cumulative advantage

The rich get richer and get the best opportunities, widening the gap over time.

compounding

looking at multiple aspects of a person at once instead of just one thing (ex race, gender, education)

racial wealth gap

Drastic and growing difference in wealth accumulation between Black and White individuals.

social mobility

movement from an ascribed social class position to a new achieved social class position

american dream

ascribed status should not hold you back from becoming who or what you want to be, as long as you work hard and don't give up

why is the American dream a myth?

the amount of income has not been going up by generation and children are not higher achieving than their parents

absolute poverty

measure of poverty that focuses of essentials (housing, health, food)

relative poverty

varies by location, does not take into account cost/standard of living in specific location

private opulence and public squalor

the wealthy tend to not need public resources (busses, pools, etc.) and so they are less inclined for their tax dollars to go to the public goods, so the public is not funded and falls to a state of squalor

Bandwith Tax

being poor reduces a person's cognitive capacity more than going a full night without sleep

who benefits most from federal benefits?

according to Desmond it is the elderly

single mother household

most likely to live in poverty and/or be homeless

single men

more likely to be homeless than single women

student loan debt

2001 - 6% of black households; 4% for white households

2013 - 20% for black households; 8% for white households

example of racial wealth gap

patriarch/property marriage

Women and children legally defined as property of husband

Home as primary site of work for women

breadwinner/homemaker marriage

Dominant model in US by Industrial Revolution

Marriage with a wage-earning spouse supporting a stay-at-home spouse and children

Only ~40% of marriages in 1950 fit this model

marriage during Industrial Revolution

before people rarely married for love, this changed with the revolution

separate spheres

A gender division of labor with the wife at home as mother and homemaker and the husband as wage earner

ideology of true women

part of separate sphere ideology which was part of the industrial revolution when work became separate from home, asserted the home as the natural place for women

family wage

a wage paid to male workers sufficient to support a dependent wife and children

first shift

what one does for work outside of the home

second shift

work done at home (upkeep, childcare, etc)

Parenthood penalty for women vs. men

Men average a 6% increase in earnings for each child

Compared to a 4% decrease for women

sex

different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females

gender

socially constructed characteristics of men and women

transgender

Identification with a gender that does not match one's biological gender.

non-binary

gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine

cisgender

term used when gender identity and/or expression aligns with the sex assigned at birth

mark of a woman's record

Women with moderate gpa were more likely to get a call back than someone with a high gpa because average women were seen as more likable and less bossy and confident

gender panic

anytime a gender binary of a male or female is challenged there is panic and it reasserts a gender binary as natural

pride/professionalism dilemma

Pre-nationwide protections from being fired for being gay

three types: knitting, quitting, splitting

knitting

Primarily among those in CA, protected from firing, and/or if colleagues were supportive

Integrate sexual and professional selves - feel more authentic

quitting

Pursuing another career seemed like only viable option

splitting

Maintain division between identities of teacher and gay/lesbian

Sexual identity like clothing that can be removed and put back on

Some stated they'd be out if didn't have to fear reprimand

code switching

switching back and forth between one linguistic variant and another depending on the cultural context

material culture

tangible, physical items produced and used by members of a specific culture group and reflective of their traditions, lifestyles, and technologies

diversity capital

Corporations supporting cultural institutions in order to improve their reputation.

working poor

people who work but whose earnings are not enough to lift them above the poverty line

feminism

the belief that women should possess the same political and economic rights as men

glass ceiling

An invisible barrier that stops women and minorities from getting top jobs even when they’re qualified.

collective representation

the relationship between Congress and the United States as a whole, and whether the institution itself represents the American people

symbolic culture

the ideas associated with a cultural group, including ways of thinking (beliefs, values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving (norms, interactions, and communication)

subculture

A group of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences and situations

intersectionality

How overlapping identities create unique discrimination or privilege.

Androgyny

displaying both traditional masculine and feminine psychological characteristics