Sociology Experiment Notes

Social Class, Inequality, & Poverty

Social class

group of individuals who share a similar socio-economic position based on income, wealth, education, and occupation

stratification

a system that puts categories of people into a hierarchy

income

amount of money an individual earns from employment or investments

wealth

total amount of money that you have, or would have if you sold off all your assets

capitalists

commonly known as the 1%; class that makes money from things they own such as businesses, real estate, stocks, and bonds

upper-middle class

well-educated individuals who typically have jobs as business managers, doctors, lawyers, accountants, and some small business owners

working rich

a subgroup of the upper-middle class that relies on their salaries, rather than inherited wealth, for their class position

middle class

likely to have a high school diploma as well as some college experience; typically work as teachers, nurses, master craftspeople (plumbers, electricians, carpenters), and lower-level managers

working class

have probably only completed high school or a trade school’ typically work as office support (secretaries and administrative assistants), retail sales workers, factory workers, and low-paid craftspeople

working poor

typically employed in insecure and low-wage jobs such as janitorial and cleaning staff, manual labor, landscaping, restaurant support (including fast food, wait staff, line cooks), and other service industries

underclass

work part-time, unemployed, or have inconsistent and unreliable work opportunities; often rely on public assistance to meet basic needs for food, shelter, and clothing

social mobility

movement from an ascribed social class position to a new achieved social class position

upward mobility

movement from a lower social class position to a higher one

downwar mobility

movement from a higher social class position to a lower one

cumulative advantages

advantages that are built up over generations and contribute to social class inequality

racial wealth gap

drastic and growing difference in wealth accumulation between Black and White individuals

meritocracy

belief that personal responsibility and individual efforts are the sole determinants of success

GINI index

statistical measure used to compare inequality across countries

absolute poverty

poverty measure that considers the basic necessities of life such as food, shelter, and clothing; those without these necessities are considered poor

relative poverty

poverty measure that takes into account the relative economic status of people in a society by looking at how income is distributed

poverty threshold

establishes minimum income level required to obtain the necessities of life

high-poverty neighborhoods

census tracks where at least 40% of the population is poor

working poor

people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force but whose incomes still fell below the official poverty level

homeless

person who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence

point-in-time counts

1 night estimates of sheltered and unsheltered homeless populations; occur during the last week of January each year

chronically homeless individual

person with a disability who has been continuously homeless for 1 year or more or has experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the last 3 years where the combined length of homelessness in those occasions is at least 12 months

sheltered homeless

people staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, or safe havens

unsheltered homeless

people whose primary nighttime residence is a public or private not designated for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation (for example, the streets, vehicles, or parks)