Sociology: Chapter 8

Social Stratification

Caste System

* A system of social stratification in which resources and rewards are distributed on the basis of ascribed status
* The most closed system, based on parents statuses
* Example: India’s 5-caste system- Brahmas, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Sudras, and Harijans

Class System

* System of social stratification in which distribution of scarce resources and rewards is determined on the basis of achieved statuses

Exogamy

* Marriage outside of one’s own social category

Life Expectancy

* The average number of years a person born in a particular year can be expected to live
* The leading causes of this lower life expectancy are inadequate nutrition and minimized access to quality medical care. 
* Additionally, the environment that poor Americans work and live in has negative effects on health. 
* The jobs that the working poor are employed in expose them to considerable health and safety risk

Objective Method

* A technique used to rank individuals according to social class in which sociologist define social class in terms of factors such as income, occupation, and education
* The statistical basis of this method makes it the most reliable because of its objectivity, but it is not flawless. 

“Old Money”

* Refers to the families that have been wealthy for generations
* Most of their wealth comes from inheritance
* Family name and the accomplishments of previous generations are as important as the size of the family’s fortune
* Most of these individuals are born into an atmosphere of power and wealth 

Power

* The ability to control the behavior of others, with or without their consent
* People with wealth hold the most of this

Vertical Mobility

* A type of social mobility in which an individual moves from ONE SOCIAL CLASS TO ANOTHER
* Two types: intragenerational mobility and intergenerational mobility. 

Welfare Class

* People who choose to live off the government subsidy systems rather than working

Working Poor

* These people work for the lowest-paying jobs (typically seasonal. which means they work 1/4 to 1/2 of the year)
* They do not make '“living wage” and depend on federal-support programs
* Most are high school dropouts and believe their situation is permanent
* About 22% of the population falls into this category

Medicaid

* The state and federally funded health insurance program for low-income individuals

Poor Schools

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Transfer Payments

* Method used by the government to attempt to reduce social inequality by redistributing money among various segments of society
* These groups include those who are poor, unemployed, elderly, or disabled. 

Supplemental Security Income

* Known as the SSI
* Provides income support for people 65 and older
* Also for blind and disabled adults and children
* One of the major transfer payments

Life Chances

* The likelihood that individuals have of sharing in the opportunities and benefits of society
* They include things such as health, length of life, housing, and quality/level of education. 

Social Classes in U.S.

* upper class
* upper middle class
* lower middle class
* working class
* working poor
* underclass. 

U.S. Standard of Living vs. World

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Reputational Method

* A technique used to rank individuals according to social class in which individuals in the community rank other community members based on what they know of their characters and lifestyle
* Useful when polling smaller, more close-knit communities where most people know each other well. 

Structural Causes for Upward Mobility

* Advances in technology
* Increase in white-collar workers (changes in merchandising patterns)
* Increase in general education
* More common

Social Class

* A grouping of people with similar levels of wealth, power, and prestige

Lower Middle Class

* Makes up about 30% of the population
* Jobs include nursing, middle management, owners of small businesses and sales positions
* Most members of this class hold white-collar jobs
* equires less education and the people live comfortably but work hard to keep what they have

Intergenerational Mobility

* A form of vertical mobility in which social status differs between GENERATIONS in the SAME FAMILY

Horizontal Mobility

* A type of social mobility in which an individual moves WITHIN a social class
* Example: This could include an accountant moving from one company to another because he feels the new company can offer him more options for promotion down the line. 

Synthesis of Functional and Conflict Theories

* develop when one group rises to the top and fights to keep its position.

Open Stratification System

* an individual can move vertically through society based on his efforts to do so. 
* The level of “openness” varies from society to society. 

Conflict Perspective of Stratification

* would apply best to more complex societies in which people struggle every day to gain control of wealth and power. 

Percentage of Wealth Held by 1%

* Roughly 1% falls into the “**upper class**”
* The richest 1% of the population controls nearly one-half of the country’s wealth
* The top 1% earned roughly 22% of the national income

Socioeconomic Status

* A rating that combines social factors such as level of education, occupational prestige, and place of residence with the economic factor of income in order to determine an individual’s relative position in a stratification system

Prestige

* The respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy an individual receive from members of society
* Generally based on the characteristics a society considers important-- occupation, education, family background, or area of residence

Poverty Rate by Gender

* 57% are women
* 43% are men

Endogamy

* Marriage within one’s own social category
* Most caste system societies practice this

Working Class

* 30% of the population identifies with this group of the population
* The jobs require manual labor like factory workers, tradespeople (Blue-collar)
* Some jobs pay more than jobs held by members of lower middle class but hold less prestige
* Medical bills or loss of job could force members into one of the lower classes

Functionalist Perspective of Stratification

* works for simple systems such as hunter/gatherers because it states that the stratification system works because the members of society accept it, and hunter/gatherer societies’ survival depends totally on cooperation. 

“New Money”

* Generally acquired their wealth through their own efforts rather than through inheritance
* Less prestigious status than “old money” 

Social Stratification

* The process of dividing societies into categories, ranks, or classes based on certain characteristics
* Division based on individual characteristics and abilities lead to social inequality

Social Inequality

* The unequal sharing of scarce resources and social rewards
* Depends on the degree to which that society’s stratification system is open or closed

Bourgeoisie

* Owners of the means of production in a capitalist society

Proletariat

* Workers who sell their labor in exchange for wages in a capitalist society

Wealth

* A combination of an individual’s assets-the value of everything the person owns-and income-the money earned through salaries and investments
* It is concentrated overwhelmingly in the hands of a considerable minority.

Subjective Method

* A technique used to rank individuals according to social class in which the individual themselves are asked to determine their own social rank
* If only given the choices of upper, middle, and lower classes, when this method is employed, research has indicated that people won’t place themselves in the upper or lower class very often

Intragenerational Mobility

* A form of vertical mobility in which social status changes during ONE INDIVIDUAL’S life

Poverty

* The standard of living that is below the minimum level considered adequate by society
* Differ from society to society
* The U.S. Census Bureau defines poverty in terms of the minimum level of income needed by a family to survive

Poverty Level

* The minimum annual income needed by a family to survive as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau
* spending for the basic necessities, which include food, clothing, housing, and “a little bit more” (other personal expenses) raise that level of this