Chapter 5 - Social Stratification - SOC 1000

32 question-and-answer flashcards covering definitions, statistics, risk factors, theories, and consequences related to social stratification in Canada.

What is social inequality?

An unequal distribution of resources within a society.

Define social stratification.

Socially sanctioned patterns of inequality that hierarchically rank groups of people.

Which two broad types of stratification systems exist?

Closed systems (e.g., slavery, caste) and open systems (e.g., Canada’s class system).

What distinguishes a closed stratification system from an open one?

Closed systems allow little or no social mobility, while open systems permit movement between classes.

What is social mobility?

Movement of individuals or groups within or between social classes.

Differentiate vertical and horizontal mobility.

Vertical mobility is movement between classes; horizontal mobility is movement within the same class.

What is the difference between intragenerational and intergenerational mobility?

Intragenerational mobility occurs within an individual’s lifetime; intergenerational mobility compares parents’ and children’s social positions.

Name four forces that enable or constrain social mobility.

Family background, social definitions of ascribed traits, structural factors, and unforeseen events.

List the main components of financial wealth.

Income, real estate, savings, stocks, bonds, and other investments.

What is median income?

The midpoint income where half of households earn more and half earn less.

What does net worth represent?

Total assets minus total liabilities.

How much of Canada’s wealth is held by the higher class (top deciles)?

About 57.6 % of total wealth.

What annual income defines Canada’s higher class in this lecture?

Earning more than $100,000 per year.

Approximate population share of Canada’s middle class (all three middle-class groups combined).

About 40 % of the population.

Give the income range associated with the Canadian middle class according to the notes.

Roughly $44,400 – $82,400 per year.

What percentage of Canadians belong to the lower class (lowest quintiles)?

About 30 % of the population.

What is Canada’s Official Poverty Line based on?

The Market Basket Measure (MBM).

Using MBM, what poverty threshold was given for a family of four?

$37,542 per year.

What does LICO stand for, and what does it measure?

Low-Income Cut-Off; it identifies incomes that spend a disproportionately high share on essentials such as food, clothing, and shelter.

According to 2020 LICO, what is the annual threshold for a single person (one-year measure)?

$25,920.

Which groups have the highest risk of poverty in Canada (name two)?

Singles aged 45–64 and lone-parent families (also high: recent immigrants, Indigenous peoples off-reserve, persons with disabilities).

State one myth about people living in poverty discussed in the lecture.

Myth: People live in poverty because they do not want to work.

Give one factual rebuttal to the myth that people in poverty are unwilling to work.

Many are working poor or unable to work due to disability or lack of child-care.

List three major consequences of social inequality highlighted in the lecture.

Educational disadvantages, poorer health, and hardships such as homelessness and food insecurity.

What central question surrounds poverty-reduction strategies?

How do we pay for these strategies?

Summarize the functionalist view of stratification.

Stratification is beneficial, creates a meritocracy, and the poor perform functions that benefit others.

Summarize the conflict (Marxist) view of stratification.

Stratification is a by-product of capitalism where private property and surplus create alienation; workers’ realization of alienation could lead to revolution.

Define alienation in Marxist theory.

The detachment between workers and the products or process of their labour under capitalism.

Who proposed the intermediate view of stratification and what is its key idea?

Gerhard Lenski; rewards are distributed based on both functional needs and power.

Explain the phrase “shrinking middle class.”

The middle class is decreasing in size due to changes in the labour market structure.

Why can high median incomes still coincide with high inequality (give a Canadian example)?

Resource-rich regions like Alberta have high median incomes but also large income gaps between rich and poor.

What overall type of stratification system characterizes Canada?

An open, class-based system that allows social mobility.