SOC 210 Ch 9-12 Exam 3 Study Guide

Class

group of people who share a roughly similar economic position and lifestyle

Capital

the money to invest in factories, real estate, and other businesses

Capitalist Class (bourgeoisie)

those who control major capital and own the means of production

Petite Bourgeoisie

small-business owners

Working Class (proletariat)

those who survive on the wages they can

Life Chances

likelihood a person has of obtaining valued economic and cultural resources

Weber defines class as

a group of people who share a common market situation

Davis and Moore

argued that stratification helps ensure “that the most important positions are conscientiously filled by the most qualified person”

3 dimensions of inequality

1. Class

2. Social Status

3. Political Power

3 Key Elements of Stratification Systems

1. Unequal Distribution of Valuable Resources

2. Distinctive Groups That Make Up the Various Strata in Society

3. An Ideology, or a System of Beliefs, That Explains and Justifies the Existence of Inequality

Wealth

value of financial assets

Income

money received from sources

Middle Class

distinctive for its contribution of specialized knowledge and expertise to the economy

Underclass

chronically unemployed people who have no ongoing relationship to the mainstream economy

Class Mobility

ability to move from one social class to another

Structural Mobility

a change in class position that occurs when a shift in available occupations changes the class system as a whole

Individual Mobility

change in a person’s class position that occurs without any change in the larger class structure

Conspicuous Consumption

lavish spending done to compete for status with others

Classism

prejudice, or discrimination based on social class

Absolute Poverty

scarcity of resources so severe that it is life-threatening

Relative Poverty

people do not have the basic resources to maintain a standard of living considered acceptable in their society

Poverty Line

measure of scarcity determined by figuring the cost of a minimal food budget and multiplying it by three

Poverty Rate

percentage of the population that falls below the poverty line

Feminization of Poverty

trend in which women make up an increasingly large share of the poor

Equal Opportunity

all people should have the same chance to achieve success

Meritocracy

notion that people are rewarded and are able to advance because of their abilities

Individualism

system of beliefs that highlights the importance of the single person over any social group

Cultural Capital

consists of various types of knowledge, skills, and other cultural resources

Social Capital

relationships that are potentially economically valuable resulting from membership in a group

Annette Lareau

studies the socialization of children in black and white middle-class and working class families

Progressive Taxation

tax policy in which those with higher incomes pay a higher rate

Regressive Taxation

taxes that disproportionately affect those with lower incomes

Public Assistance

includes either tax credits or actual payments and benefits provided to citizens by the government

Modernization Theory

theory that attributes global inequality to cultural differences among countries

Dependency Theory

theory that attributes global inequality to the exploitation of weaker, poor nations by wealthy, more powerful ones

Colonialism

use of military, political, and economic power by one society to dominate the people of another society, usually for economic benefit

Neocolonialism

system of economic domination of power nations by wealthier ones without the use of formal political control or military occupation

World Systems Analysis

approach that focuses on the interdependence among the countries that make up a single global economic system

Immanuel Wallerstein

sorts countries into one of three groups: Core Nations, Periphery Nations, Semi-Periphery Nations

Core Nations

world’s wealthiest nations

Periphery Nations

world’s poorest and least powerful nations

Semi-Periphery Nations

middle-income nations that are better integrated with the economies of core countries than are the periphery nations

Deindustrialization

process by which investment in the nation’s manufacturing capacity decreased

Pierre Bourdieau

coined the term cultural capital

Ethnicity

shared cultural heritage often deriving from a common ancestry and homeland

Race

category of people widely perceived as sharing socially significant physical characteristics such as skin color

Carolus Linnaeus

invented four subspecies of homosapiens: europeanus, americanus, asiaticus, and africanus

Europeanus

white skinned, creative, and governed by laws

Americanus

copper-skinned, stubborn, easily annoyed, and governed by customs

Asiaticus

sallow-skinned, greedy, and governed by opinions

Africanus

dark-skinned, lazy, negligent, and governed only by impulse

Racism

belief that one race is inherently superior to another

Racial Essentialism

the idea that supposedly natural and immutable differences separate the races

Racial Integrity Act of 1924 in Virginia

mandated that all newborns be classified as either “white” or “colored”

Since 2000

the US Census Bureau has allowed people the option of indicating a mixed racial heritage

Minority Group

collection of people who suffer disadvantages and have less power because of identifiable physical or cultural characteristics

Majority Group

collection of people who enjoy privileges and have more access to power because of identifiable physical and culturable characteristics

Prejudice

to “pre-judge” someone or some group negatively based on inadequate information

Stereotypes

exaggerated, distorted, or untrue generalizations about categories of people that do not acknowledge individual variation

Discrimination

unequal treatment that gives advantages to one group of people over another without justifiable cause

Pluralism

when the distinct ethnic or racial groups coexist on equal terms and have equal social solidarity

Amalgamation

process by which a majority and a minority group blend or mix to form a new group

Assimilation

process by which members of a minority group come to adopt the culture of the majority group

Segregation

keeping distinct social groups physically and socially separate and unequal

Genocide

systematic killing of a group of people based on their race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion

Withdrawal

physically escaping the worst oppression

Passing

blending in with the dominant group

Code-switching

complying with social expectations of the majority in public but not in private

Resistance

actively asserting oneself in defiance of majority discrimination

Transnational migrants

immigrants who retain strong personal, cultural, and economic ties to both their country of birth and their newly adopted home

Institutional Discrimination

unequal treatment that results from the structural organization, policies, and procedures of social institutions such as the government, business, and schools

Split Labor Market Theory

argues that ethnic and racial conflicts often emerge when two racial or ethnic groups compete for the same jobs

Scapegoat

an individual or a group of people falsely blamed for a negative situation

Racialization of the State

implementation of government and private-sector policies that discriminated against minorities and provided whites with numerous advantages

Affirmative Action

policies and programs that aim to avoid discrimination and redress past discrimination through the active recruitment of qualified minorities for jobs, promotions, and educational opportunities

Color-Blind Racism

form of bias in which the promotion of race neutrality helps maintain existing racial and ethnic inequality

Sex

distinction between females and males based on a set of biological attributes including reproductive anatomy, chromosomes, hormone levels, and genetic expression

Gender

socially constructed cultural expectations associated with women and men

Intersex

people born with biological features that do not fit the typical definitions of male or female

Gender Identity

person’s sense of themselves as male, female, or nonbinary

Gender Expression

way a person communicates gender identity to others through behavior, clothing, hairstyle, and other means

Cisgender

a person whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth

Transgender

people whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth

Sexism

ideology that one sex is superior to the other

Gender Role

set of social expectations regarding behavior and attitudes based on a person’ sex

Candace West and Don Zimmerman

argued gender is constantly being created and potentially altered through the process of “doing gender”

“Doing Gender”

created gender through interactions in particular social settings

Gender Stratification

systematic and unequal distribution of power and resources in society between men and women

Patriarchy

social system dominated by men

Matriarchy

social system dominated by women

Equal Pay Act of 1963

illegal for US to pay women less than men in the same job

How much are women paid compared to men?

Regardless of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women are still only paid 84% of what men are paid

Glass Ceiling

often-invisible barrier created by individual and institutional sexism that prevents qualified women from advancing to high levels of leadership and management

Second Shift

phenomenon of employed women still having primary responsibility for housework and child care

Sexual Harassment

unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature

Domestic Violence

“a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner”

Sexuality

a person’ sexual desires, behaviors, and identity

Incest Taboo

norm restricting sexual relations between certain relatives

Sexual Identity

our sense of self as it relates to the type of sexual attraction we have for others

Lesbian

a woman who is primarily attracted to women