Sociology Exam 3 - Ch 7, 9, 10 TERMS & MORE

(T/F) Individuals over age 65 have the highest rate of poverty.

False

(T/F) Compared with industrialized countries, the United States has the highest rate of childhood poverty.

True

(T/F) In the United States a family of four is considered to be "poor" if the household earns less than $40,000.

False

(T/F) Since the 1970s, the gap between the rich & the poor in the United States has decreased significantly.

False

Social stratification

the hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on their control over basic resources.

Slavery

an extreme form of stratification in which some people are owned or controlled by others for the purpose of economic or sexual exploitation.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

prohibits slavery in all forms

In 2000 Congress passed

Trafficking Victims Protection Act

A caste system

a closed system of social inequality in which people's status is permanently determined at birth based on their parents' ascribed characteristics.

Ex of a caste system

Associated with Hinduism in rural India

The class system

a type of open stratification based on the ownership & control of resources & on the type of work that people do; mobility is possible

Social mobility

the movement of individuals or groups from one level in a stratification system to another.

Intergenerational mobility

the social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.

Intragenerational mobility

the social movement of individuals within their own lifetime.

Marx

Capitalist class & working class; alienation, class conflict

The capitalist class (bourgeoisie)

consists of those who own the means of production.

The working class (proletariat)

consists of those who must sell their labor to earn money.

Alienation

a feeling of powerlessness & estrangement from other people & from oneself.

Class conflict

the struggle between the capitalist class & the working class.

Weber

Wealth, prestige, power, & socioeconomic status

Wealth

the value of all of a person's or family's economic assets, including income, personal property, & income-producing property. [WHAT ONE OWNS]

Prestige

the respect or regard that a person or status position is given by others.

Power

the ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.

Socioeconomic status (SES)

refers to a combined measure of income, occupation, housing & education.

U.S. Class Structure

Upper class, upper-middle class, middle class, working class, working poor class, underclass

The Upper (Capitalist) Class

1%

The Upper-Middle Class

14%

The Middle Class

30%

The Working Class

30%

The Working Poor

20%

The Underclass

5%

The Marxian Model of the U.S. Class Structure

The Capitalist Class & The Working Class

Wright's Class Structure

o The Capitalist Class
o The Managerial Class
o The Small-Business Class
o The Working Class

Income

the economic gain derived from wages, salaries, income transfers, & ownership of property.

Life chances

refers to the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, & health care.

Consequences of inequality

- Physical health, mental health, & nutrition
- Housing
- Education

Conflict theorists

see schools as agents of the capitalist class system that perpetuate social inequality: Upper-class students are educated in well-appointed environments such as the one shown here, whereas children of the poor tend to go to antiquated schools with limited facilities.

The official poverty line

based on what the federal government considers to be the minimum amount of money required for living at a subsistence level; for U.S. - 1/3 of income spent on food

Relative poverty

exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living.

Absolute poverty

exists when people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life.

What does the World Health Organization (WHO) consider to be extreme poverty?

$1.90/Day

What does the World Health Organization (WHO) consider to be moderate poverty?

$3.10/Day

Who are the poor?

o Age - 1/5 of those 18 & under
o Gender - feminization of poverty
o Race/ethnicity (over-represented)
o Economic & structural sources of poverty

Functionalist perspectives of social inequality

The Davis-Moore thesis & meritocracy

The Davis-Moore thesis

argues that inequality is inevitable & necessary.

Meritocracy

a hierarchy in which all positions are rewarded based on people's ability.

According to the functionalist perspective,

people such as Harvard Law School graduates attain high positions in society because they are the most qualified & they work the hardest.

Conflict perspective of social inequality

a. People with economic & political power are able to shape & distribute the rewards & opportunities in society for their own benefit.
b. Those in power use ideology to maintain their favored positions at the expense of others.
c. False consciousness

Symbolic Interactionist perspectives

a. According to Goffman, deference is a type of ceremonial activity that functions as a symbolic means whereby appreciation is regularly conveyed to a recipient.
b. Conspicuous consumption

Functionalist

Some degree of social inequality is necessary for the smooth functioning of society (in order to fill the most important positions) & thus is inevitable.

Conflict

Powerful individuals & groups use ideology to maintain their favored positions in society at the expense of others.

Symbolic Interactionist

The beliefs & actions of people reflect their class location in society.

ARKIDS first

o Insurance for children
o Applied sociology
o AR 1st state to adopt insurance for children
o Developmental program (saved taxpayers money, was expanded)

Arkansas single parent scholarship fund

o Grass roots movement
o Privately funded
o Combats feminization of poverty
o AR 1st state to have statewide support system for education as means of mobility

Core nations

wealthy nations, (U.S., Japan, England, Germany)

Periphery

poor nations, natural resources (Ethiopia, Haiti, Afghanistan)

Semi-periphery

developing nations (Brazil, China, Mexico)

Dependency theory (like conflict)

o Core nations exploit periphery
- Ex. profits from gold & diamond mines go primarily to corporations based in wealthy nations

Modernization theory (like functionalist)

o Poor nations benefit from development
- Especially if they embrace modernization (abandon old traditions, promote literacy & other modern institutions)

Globalization

worldwide integration of economies, cultures, policies

Multinational corporations

commercial organizations headquartered in 1 country, but do business globally (Ex. Wal-Mart, Tyson, Nike)

Of top 100 economies,

about ½ are nations, ½ multi-nationals

Those that are poor typically have fewer life chances, which means they also have fewer opportunities to obtain:

money, medical care, & property

About 2/3rds of all adults living in poverty are:

women

People who are wealthy & well educated & who have high-paying jobs are much more likely to be healthy than are poor people.

True

As people's economic status increases,

so does their health status.

A race

a category of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior, on the basis of physical characteristics such as skin color, or other subjectively selected attributes.

Race is a --- constructed reality.

socially

Social Construction of Race

Society labels those differences people consider important, while ignoring other characteristics

An ethnic group

a collection of people distinguished primarily on the basis of cultural or nationality characteristics.

Ethnic groups may share

o Unique cultural traits
o A sense of community
o A feeling of ethnocentrism
o Ascribed membership from birth
o Territoriality

New York City's --- is an ethnic enclave where people participate in social interaction with other individuals in their ethnic group & feel a sense of shared identity. Ethnic enclaves provide economic & psychological support for recent immigrants as well as for those who were born in the United States.

Chinatown

A dominant group

a racial or ethnic group that has the greatest power & resources in a society.

A subordinate group

one whose members, because of physical or cultural characteristics, are disadvantaged & subjected to unequal treatment & discrimination by the dominant group.

Prejudice

a negative attitude based on faulty generalizations about members of specific racial, ethnic, or other groups.

Stereotypes

overgeneralizations about the characteristics of members of particular categories.

Racism

a set of attitudes, beliefs, & practices that is used to justify the inferior treatment of a racial or ethnic group.

According to the frustration-aggression hypothesis,

members of white supremacy groups such as the Ku Klux Klan often use members of subordinate racial & ethnic groups as scapegoats for societal problems over which they have no control.

Frustration-aggression hypothesis

states that people who are frustrated in their efforts to achieve highly desired goals will respond to a pattern of aggression toward others.

A scapegoat

a person or group that is incapable of offering resistance to the hostility or aggression of others.

An authoritarian personality

characterized by excessive conformity, submissiveness to authority, intolerance, insecurity, a high level of superstition, & rigid, stereotypic thinking.

Discrimination

involves actions or practices of dominant-group members that have a harmful effect on members of a subordinate group.

Genocide

the deliberate, systematic killing of an entire people or nation.

Individual discrimination

consists of one-on-one acts by members of the dominant group that harm members of the subordinate group or their property.

Institutional discrimination

consists of the day-to-day practices of organizations *institutions that have a harmful effect on members of subordinate groups.

Feagin's Four Major Types of Discrimination

1. Isolate discrimination
2. Small-group discrimination
3. Direct institutional discrimination
4. Indirect institutional discrimination

Institutional discrimination is not legal, but still prevalent

loans, jobs, sentencing, profiling

Symbolic interactionists

believe that intergroup contact can reduce stereotyping & prejudice if group members have equal status, pursue the same goals & cooperate to achieve them, & receive positive feedback when they interact with one another in positive ways.

Symbolic interactionists - Race

claim that intergroup contact may either intensify or reduce racial & ethnic stereotyping & prejudice.

(Symbolic interactionist) Contact hypothesis - prejudice is reduced with interaction when:

1. Equal status
2. Shared goals
3. Cooperate to achieve goals
4. Receive positive feedback during interactions

Functionalist perspective - Race

Assimilation, ethnic pluralism, & segregation

Assimilation

the process by which members of subordinate groups become absorbed into the dominant culture; cultural, structural, biological, & psychological

Cultural assimilation

(acculturation) "Anglo Conformity" in U.S.

Structural assimilation

integration

Biological assimilation

(amalgamation)
· Ex. Mexicans - white ethnics

Psychological assimilation

individual

Ethnic pluralism

the coexistence of a variety of distinct racial & ethnic groups within one society.
o Rare

Segregation

the spatial & social separation of categories of people.
o De facto - common in U.S.
o De jure

Conflict Perspective - Race

The caste perspective views racial and ethnic inequality as a permanent feature of U.S. society.
o The class perspective emphasizes the role of the capitalism class in racial exploitation.
Internal colonialism, Split labor market, & Gendered racism

Internal colonialism

occurs when members of a racial or ethnic group are conquered or colonized and forcibly placed under the economic and political control of the dominant group.