sociology exam #2

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. Also called inequality.

global stratification

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

wealth

the value of money and assets a person has from, for example, inheritance of salary

income

the money a person earns from work or investments

caste system

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

class system

social standing based on social factors and individual accomplishments

exogamous unions

unions of spouses from different social categories

endogamous marriages

unions of people within the same social category

meritocracy

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

status consistency

the consistency, or lack thereof, of an individual’s rank across social categories like wealth, power, and prestige

primogeniture

a law stating that all property passes to the firstborn son

social mobility

the ability to change positions within a social stratification system (upward or downward)

intergenerational mobility

a difference in social class between different generations of a family

intragenerational mobility

changes in a person’s social mobility over the course of their lifetime

class traits/markers

the typical behaviors, customs, and norms that define each class

conspicuous consumption

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

GINI coefficient

a measure of income inequality between countries using a 100-point scale, in which 1 represents complete equality and 100 represents the highest possible inequality

core nations

dominant capitalist countries

semi-peripheral nations

in-between nations, not powerful enough to dictate policy, but acting as a major source of raw materials and an expanding middle-class marketplace

peripheral nations

nations on the fringes of the global economy, dominated by core nations, with very little industrialization

deindustrialization

the loss of industrial production, usually to peripheral and semi-peripheral nations, where the costs are lower

debt accumulation

the buildup of external debt, wherein countries borrow money from other nations to fund their expansion or growth goals

debt bondage

the act of people pledging themselves as servants in exchange for money for passage, and are subsequently paid too little to regain their freedom

relative poverty

the state of poverty where one is unable to live the lifestyle of the average person in the country

subjective poverty

a state of poverty composed of many dimensions, subjectively present when one’s actual income does not meet one’s expectations. more to do with how a person or family sees themselves

absolute/extreme poverty

the state where one is barely able, or unable, to afford basic necessities

dependency theory

a theory which states that global inequality is due to the exploitation of peripheral and semi-peripheral nations by core nations

modernization theory

a theory that low-income countries can improve their global economic standing by industrialization of infrastructure and a shift in global attitudes towards work

racial profiling

the use by law enforcement of race alone to determine whether to stop and detain someone

ethnicity

shared culture, which may include heritage, language, religion, and more

race

a grouping of humankind based on shared physical or social qualities that can vary from one society to another

social construction of race

the school of thought that race is not biologically identifiable

dominant group

a group of people who have more power in a society than any of the subordinate groups

minority group

any group of people who are singled out from the others for differential and unequal treatment

subordinate group

a group of people who have less power than the dominant group

scapegoat theory

a theory that suggests that the dominant group will displace its unfocused aggression onto a subordinate group

stereotypes

oversimplified ideas about groups of people

prejudice

biased thought based on flawed assumptions about a group of people

racism

a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices that are used to justify the belief that one racial category is somehow superior or inferior to others

institutional racism

racism embedded in social institutions

discrimination

prejudiced action against a group of people

racial steering

the act of real estate agents directing prospective homeowners toward or away from certain neighborhoods based on their race

redlining

the practice of routinely refusing mortgages for households and business located in predominately minority communities

assimilation

the process by which a minority individual or group takes on the characteristics of the dominant culture

de jure segregation

segregation that is enforced by law

de facto segregation

segregation that occurs without laws but because of other factors

gender

a term that refers to social or cultural distinctions of behaviors that are considered male or female

sex

a term that denotes the presence of physical or physiological differences between males and females

sexual orientation

a person’s physical, mental, emotional, and sexual attraction to a particular sex

gender role

society’s concept of how men and women should behave

gender identity

a person’s deeply held internal perception of his or her gender

transgender

an adjective that describes individuals who identify with the behaviors and characteristics that are other than their biological sex

doing gender

the performance of tasks based upon the gender assigned to us by society and, in turn, ourselves

example of gender socialization

riding a motorcycle as a masculine activity