/Openstax Sociology Chapter 9

class

a group who shares a common social status based on factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation

class system

social standing based on social factors and individual accomplishments

downward mobility

a lowering of one's social class

endogamous marriages

unions of people within the same social category

exogamous unions

unions of spouses from different social categories

income

Earnings from work or investment

meritocracy

an ideal system in which personal effort—or merit—determines social standing

primogeniture

a law stating that all property passes to the firstborn son

social stratification

a socioeconomic system that divides society's members into categories ranking from high to low, based on things like wealth, power, and prestige

status consistency

the consistency, or lack thereof, of an individual's rank across social categories like income, education, and occupation

class traits

the typical behaviors, customs, and norms that define each class (also called class markers)

intergenerational mobility

a difference in social class between different generations of a family

intragenerational mobility

a difference in social class between different members of the same generation

social mobility

the ability to change positions within a social stratification system

standard of living

the level of wealth available to acquire material goods and comforts to maintain a particular socioeconomic lifestyle

structural mobility

a societal change that enables a whole group of people to move up or down the class ladder

upward mobility

an increase—or upward shift—in social class

global stratification

a comparison of the wealth, economic stability, status, and power of countries as a whole

conspicuous consumption

the act of buying and using products to make a statement about social standing

Davis-Moore thesis

a thesis that argues some social stratification is a social necessity

wealth

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

caste system

a system in which people are born into a social standing that they will retain their entire lives