PSY 1.12 Social Stratification

social stratification is based on social economic status

Ascribed status

attributes you are born with

is involuntary and derives from clearly identifiable characteristics, such as age, gender, and skin color.

Achieved status

acquired through direct, individual efforts. 

social class

category of people with shared socioeconomic characteristics.

The three main social classes are

• upper

• middle

• lower class.

These groups also have similar lifestyles, job opportunities, attitudes, and behaviors.

Prestige

respect and importance tied to specific occupations or associations. 

Power

the capacity to influence people through real or perceived rewards and punishments. It often depends on the unequal distribution of valued resources. Power differentials create social inequality.

anomie

is a state of normlessness. Anomic conditions erode social solidarity by means of excessive individualism, social inequality, and isolation.

social capital

investment people make in their society in return for economic or collective rewards. Social networks, either situational or positional, are one of the most powerful forms of social capital and can be achieved through establishing strong and weak social ties.

meritocracy

a society in which advancement up the social ladder is based on intellectual talent and achievement.

social mobility

one to acquire higher-level employment opportunities by achieving required credentials and experience. Social mobility can either occur in a positive upward direction or a negative downward direction depending on whether one is promoted or demoted in status.

poverty

socioeconomic condition. In the United States, the poverty line is determined by the government’s calculation of the minimum income requirements for families to acquire the minimum necessities of life.

can be absolute or relative

social reproduction

 refers to the passing on of social inequality, especially poverty, from one generation to the next.

absolute poverty

 when people do not have enough resources to acquire basic life necessities, such as shelter, food, clothing, and water.

relative poverty

when one is poor in comparison to a larger population. 

social exclusion

a sense of powerlessness when individuals feel alienated from society.

• may arise from individuals who are poor or disadvantaged from society

spatial inequality

a form of social stratification across territories and their populations, and can occur along residential, environmental, and global lines. 

Urban areas tend to have more diverse economic opportunities and more ability for social mobility than rural areas. Urban areas also tend to have more neighborhoods that are low-income and racially and ethnically underrepresented than do rural areas. 

Formation of higher-income suburbs is a common occurrence, and is due in part to the limited mobility of lower-income groups in urban centers. 

environmental injustice

refers to an uneven distribution of environmental hazards in communities.

Lower-income neighborhoods may lack the social and political power to prevent the placement of environmental hazards in their neighborhoods.

globalization

has led to further inequalities in space, food and water, energy, housing, and education as the production of goods shifts to cheaper and cheaper labor markets. This has led to significant economic hardship in industrializing nations. 

incidence

is calculated as the number of new cases of a disease per population at risk in a given period of time: for example, new cases per 1000 at-risk people per year.

incidence = new cases/ population at risk/ time

prevalence

is calculated as the number of cases of a disease per population in a given period of time: for example, cases per 1000 people per year. 

prevalence = total cases/ total population/ time

morbidity

burden or degree of illness associated with a given disease

mortality

refers to deaths caused by a given disease.

Health

 is dependent on geographic, social, and economic factors. 

second sickness 

refers to an exacerbation of health outcomes caused by social injustice.

intergeneration mobility

refers to changes in social status from parents to children

intragenerational mobility

changes in social status that happen within a person’s lifetime

plutocracy

rule by the upper classes

vertical mobility

movement from one social class to another

upward mobility

positive change in a person’s social status resulting in a higher social status

downward mobility

fall to a lower position,

horizontal mobility

change in occupation/ lifestyle that keeps the individual within the same social class

structural poverty

based on the concept of “holes“ in the structure of society being more responsible for the individual’s cause for poverty

poverty line

derived from the government’s calculation of the minimum income requirement for families to acquire the minimum necessities for life

suburbanisation

people move from rural to urban areas

A term used to describe the growth of areas on the fringes of major cities

urban decay

a previously functional portion of city deteriorates and becomes decrepit over in time

urban renewal

city land is reclaimed and renovated for public or public houses

gentrificaiton

A shift in an urban community toward wealthier residents and/or businesses and increasing property values; often resulting in poorer residents being displaced by wealthier newcomers.

world system theory

categorises countries and emphasises the inequalities of the division of labor at the global level

core nations

focus on higher skills and higher paying production

peripheral nations

provide lower skill production, less developed countries that are economically dependent on core countries.

semi-peripheral nations

midway, these nations work towards becoming core nations

welfare state

a system of government that protects the health and well-being of its citizens

medicare

covers patients over the age of 65

mediaid

covers patients who are in significant financial aid