SOC Chapter 8: Social Differentiation and Stratification

Inequality

differences between groups in regard to wealth, status, power

Social differentiation

the differences/variations between people based on selected social characteristics (class, gender, race, age)

Power

the ability to control/influence the behavior of others, even without their consent

Social stratification

the ranking of people according to their wealth, power, or prestige

Hunting and gathering societies

small societies that are often nomadic, have no agriculture, live on food that is found

Simple horticultural societies

societies that grow food using very simple tools

Division of labor

the assignment of interrelated specialized tasks within a social system in order to accomplish a goal

Advanced horticultural societies

societies with irrigation systems and other advanced farming practices

Agrarian societies

complex societies with farming, armies, merchants, concentration of wealth in hands of a few people

Industrial societies

societies with great division of labor, highly specialized work, great concentration of wealth

Mechanical solidarity

the idea that people do similar work but are not very dependent on one another

Organic solidarity

the integration of society that results from the division of labor

Open system

a system of stratification in which it is possible to move to a higher or lower position

Closed system

a system of stratification in which there is no movement from one rank to another

Caste system

a system of stratification in which one’s social position is ascribed at birth, one’s value is assessed in terms of religious/traditional beliefs, and in which upward social mobility is impossible

Estate system

a system of stratification in which one’s social position is ascribed by law or through inheritance

Slave system

a system of stratification in which there exists a basic belief in the ownership of humans as labor

Class system

a system of stratification found in industrial societies in which one’s class is determined by one’s wealth and in which vertical social mobility is possible

Social class

a category of people who have approximately the same amount of power and wealth and same life chances to acquire wealth

Life chances

the opportunities a person has to improve their income and lifestyle

Social status

the amount of honor and prestige a person receives from others in the community

Socioeconomic status

an assessment of status that takes into account a person’s income, education, occupation

Poverty

having fewer resources than are required to meet the basic necessities of life

Feminization of poverty

an increase in the proportion of women below the poverty line, particularly female heads of households

Upward mobility

movement in the stratification system to a position of greater wealth, status, power

Downward mobility

a move to a position of lower rank in the stratification system

Intragenerational mobility

a change of social position/rank, up or down, within one’s own lifetime

Intergenerational mobility

a change of social position/rank, up or down, from one generation to the next, such as when children have a higher status than their parents

Split labor market

a labor market in which some jobs afford upward mobility and others do not

Legitimate

to make the power of the dominant group acceptable to the masses so they let the dominant group rule without question

Ideology

a set of ideas about what society is like, how it functions, whether it is good or bad, and how it should be changed

False consciousness

lack of awareness of class differences and acceptance of upper-class rule

Class consciousness

awareness among members of a society that the society is stratified and that they share the same plight