SOC 210: Chapter 7 - Stratification and Social Class

social stratification

the division of society into hierarchal groups

generalized, persists over generations, criteria of rank, maintained through ideal culture

four aspects of social stratification

social inequality

unequal distribution along stratification

slavery

social stratification based on the ownership of people

caste system

closed system social stratification based on ascribed status

social class

social stratification based on wealth/property, power, and prestige

intersectionality

social inequalities impact each other

upper class

self-sustaining wealthy elite

upper-middle class

social class consisting of highly-educated professionals and financial stability

middle class

broad social class of white collar workers

working class

class of lower-level professional jobs

working poor

class of poorly educated workers who live near the poverty line

underclass

the poorest class, experience homelessness and/or underemployment

status inconsistency

individual living with aspects from multiple social classes

social reproduction

class status generally passed down from one generation to the next through culture capital (or lack of)

culture capital

everyday things that help us gain advantage in society

class conciousness

awareness of one’s own and others SES in everyday

homogamy

the tendency to marry someone similar

heterogamy

the tendency to marry someone different

hypergamy

marrying “up”, more common for women

hypogamy

marrying “down”, more common for men

social mobility

movement within or between classes

closed system

a class system that doesn’t allow movement

open system

a class system that allows movement between classes

intergenerational mobility

social mobility that occurs between generations

intragenerational mobility

social mobility that occurs within one’s lifetime

horizontal mobility

moving around within class boundaries

vertical social mobility

moving between social classes

structural mobility

changes in the social status of lots of people due to structural changes in society

relative depravation

doing worse that other people in society

absolute depravation

not being able to meet one’s own needs

federal poverty line

official federal guidelines for who is in poverty

just-world hypothesis

false belief that the world follows an order, so personal problems are the result of one’s own character flaws

residential segregation

causes “invisible poverty” by physically separating the residences of people in poverty from the rest of the population

political disenfranchisement

creates “invisible poverty” by limiting political expression of people in poverty

digital divide

creates “invisible poverty” through unequal access to technology

meritocracy

a system in which rewards are distributed purely based on personal merit