InQuizitive: Chapter 7 - Social Class: The Structure of Inequality

What term describes the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy?

Social stratification

In terms of annual income for a family of four, what is the poverty line in the United States, as defined by the Department of Health and Human Services (2023)?

$30,000

Which of the following terms have been used to describe the racial hierarchy in Brazil?

racial democracy, polite racism

Why does the ideology of the American Dream resonate with most Americans?

- Americans tend to believe that unequal opportunities restrict meritocracy.

- We tend to think of rags-to-riches stories, such as Oprah Winfrey's, as the rule rather than the exception.

Which of the following are considered occupations of the working poor?

fast-food worker

janitor

housekeeper

NOT: long-term unemployed, artist

Identify the example of the homework gap.

When schools shifted online rapidly during the pandemic, many students had no way to access online lessons.

How much social mobility is there in the modern United States compared to fifty years ago?

Mobility is about the same in the United States now as it was fifty years ago.

Label the level of education for each class in the Typical Education column.

Upper class: some prestigious university degrees

Upper-middle: college & university degrees, some grad

Middle: two & four college degrees

Working: high school degrees

Working poor: some high school

Underclass: some high school

Place each example in the social class category it fits.

Upper: A sports celebrity earns $2 million a year.

Upper - middle: A financial funds manager earns $150,000 a year

Middle: A highly skilled and experienced plumber earns $70,000 a year

Working middle: An administrative assistant at a small business earns $40,000 a year

working poor: A migrant worker moves around the country to harvest various crops, earning $25,000 a year.

underclass: A single mother works sporadically at a fast food restaurant, earning $15,000 a year.

A - approach suggests that social inequality is a necessary part of society. A - approach suggests that the poor and rich have different interests and may find themselves at odds as they attempt to secure and protect these interests. A - approach suggests that we develop everyday class consciousness as a way to distinguish the status of others.

1. structural functionalism

2. conflict theory

3. symbolic interactionism

Place each occupation in the correct row of the social prestige scale.

waiter: 28

farmer: 40

actor: 58

electrical engineer: 64

dentist: 72

physician: 86

Match each basic principle of social stratification to the appropriate example.

Gender is the most important characteristic of stratification in more traditional societies. - Different societies use different criteria for ranking their members.

Mark Zuckerberg is likely to pass down his wealth to his children. - Social stratification persists over generations.

Barack Obama was able to become president of the United States despite African Americans generally holding a lower status than whites in the United States. - Social stratification is a characteristic of a society, not of individual differences.

The American achievement ideology suggests that people who are not successful did not work hard enough. - Social stratification is maintained through beliefs that are widely shared by members of society.

Part of the controversy over FIFA holding the 2022 World Cup in - revolved around the involvement of - in preparations for the event.

1. Qatar

2. migrant labor

Identify the characteristics of a geographic area that is associated with high levels of social mobility.

Associated with High Social Mobility:

- less income inequality

- less residential segregation

- better schools

- greater social capital

- greater family stability

Identify each statement as expressing an individualistic explanation of poverty, or a structural explanation.

Individualistic:

- People get stuck in poverty because they tend to accept their fate rather than trying to improve their lot.

- Poor people often live by immediate gratification, which makes it hard for them to save or rely on long-term plans.

Structural:

- Society provides a scaffolding that slots people into higher and lower categories in the economy.

- Hierarchical social structures do not provide enough opportunities for people to avoid poverty, or to get out of it.

Identify the types of slavery occurring in the world today.

Slavery Occurring Today:

- sex slavery

- human trafficking

- serfdom

- bonded labor

Match each aspect of social mobility to the correct example.

A retail store cashier gets a job as a manager.

= vertical social mobility

A fast food worker gets a new job as a grocery store cashier.

= horizontal social mobility

Identify the true and false statements about the trends of college participation by income level from 1970 to 2019.

True:

The college participation gap between low- and high-income high school grads narrowed from 1970 to 2020.

A larger percentage of all high school graduates, regardless of income, has been participating in college over time.

Approximately the same percentage of middle-income high school grads participated in college in 2019 as in 2020.

False: The college participation gap between low- and high-income high school grads widened from 1970 to 2020

Socioeconomic status is based on a collection of complex variables. Many ultra-wealthy individuals inherited their wealth. Many low-income individuals did not complete high school. Mother Teresa, also known as Saint Teresa, was a highly influential person who had no personal wealth. Bill Gates and Richard Branson are successful in corporate life, but dropped out of college.

-had no personal wealth

-dropped out of college

Researchers at the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University have conducted the largest-ever ongoing study of the experiences of college students with food and housing insecurity.

Identify the groups that face higher levels of food and housing insecurity.

higher:

LGBTQ students, compared to heterosexual students

community college students, compared to university students

women, compared to men

Match each country to the correct aspects of history, economics, and stratification. There may be more than one match for each country.

Enslaved people were trafficked to this country through the mid-1800s. - Brazil

The top tax rate in this country is 60 percent. - Sweden

Religion is a primary factor for maintaining social and economic positions in this country. - Iran

This country was transformed from a constitutional monarchy to a theocracy in 1979. - Iran

Intermarriage has eliminated clearly defined racial groups, but skin color still largely defines an individual's place in society in this country. - Brazil

A great number of social services are provided by the government in this country. - Sweden

Max Weber suggests that wealth, power, and prestige must all be attained to reach upper-class status and any individual aspect of social class cannot be converted into another.

False