SOC 111: Chapter 9

absolute poverty

deprivation so severe that it puts day-to-day survival in jeopardy.

caste system

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

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

class traits

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

closed system

a system of stratification that accommodates little change in social position.

conspicuous consumption

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

Davis-Moore thesis

a thesis that argues some social stratification is a social necessity and is functional

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

global stratification

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

ideology

the cultural belief system that justifies a society’s system of stratification

income

the money a person earns from work or investments

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.

meritocracy

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

open system

a system of stratification, based on achievement, that allows some movement and interaction between layers and classes.

primogeniture

a law stating that all property passes to the firstborn son

relative poverty

is not having the means to live the lifestyle of the average person in your country

social mobility

the ability to change positions within a social stratification system

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.

socioeconomic status (SES)

an individual’s level of wealth, power, and prestige

standard of living

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

status consistency

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

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

wealth

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