Sociology Exam 2

F 26

Define stratification

A way to understand how society is organized

What is social stratification?  

Society’s categorization of its people into groups based on socioeconomic factors (wealth, race, gender, etc.)

What are some principles of social stratification?

Universal but variable, property of society not individuals, reproduced generation to generation

Define social mobility

Changes in position within the social hierarchy 

Define vertical social mobility

Rise or fall from one position in the hierarchy to the other

Define horizontal social mobility

Changing positions but not changing standing in social hierarchy 

Define Structural mobility

Larger societal changes cause more movement between jobs

What makes systems of social stratifcation work?

beliefs

Define inequality

Unequal distributions of resources and opportunities

Define income inequality

Salaries

What is wealth inequality?

A persons net worth

Define social inequality

Social positions or statuses

How would sociologists classify stratification systems?

Either open or closed

Characteristics of closed stratification systems

Extremely rigid, little social mobility, and based on ascribed status

Characteristics of open stratification systems

More social mobility (can go up or down), based off achieved status, caste —> estate —> class

What is status consistency?

A situation where a person’s social position has both positive and negative influences on their social status

Define functionalism

All of society’s organs are necessary to keep the social organism alive and healthy

What is the principle for conflict theory and stratification?

Stratification reflects the view of the dominant group, resources not equally distributed

What is the principle for symbolic interactionism and stratification?

Affects people’s beliefs, lifestyle, daily interaction, and conceptions of themselves

How is America stratified?

Economic inequality is the extent of the economic difference between the rich and the poor

How is social class defined?

By society through the kinds of opportunities a person’s class gives them

Define relative poverty

Being at the bottom of your class— relative notion to each of the classes (typically working class)

Define absolute poverty

Can only buy the things you need to survive

What is inter-generational mobility?

Between parents and children— do you make more money than your parents + do more with it than they could?

What is intra-generational mobility?

Mobility over the course of a lifetime— are you making enough to move from one strata to another?

How does gender reflect stratification?

Creates differences along lines of values, expectations, success, etc.

Define sexual scripts

Determine the appropriate and inappropriate ways of acting, thinking and feeling in regard to all things gender and sexuality

What is sexual asymmetry?

Introducing power and social status

How does stratification produce gender inequality?

From politics to family to work, everything is connected via stratification

What does gender refer to?

Socially constructed roles, identities, and expectations

How is social behavior dicated?

By the mind, human relationships, civilization, and what has historically come to be accepted as good or bad

Define gender stratification

Unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege across genders

How is gender enforced?

Through socialization

What is race?

A socially constructed category, used to categorize people who share biological traits that society thinks is important

Define ethnicites

Socially constructed categories based on cultural traits that a society finds important, rather than strictly biological traits

What are race and ethnicity commonly used for?

For society to organize people and distribute power

Define racism

Beliefs, thoughts, and actions based on the belief that one race is innately superior to another race  

Define discrimination

Unequal treatment of different groups of people  

Define institutional discrimination

Biases built into institutions 

What does equity inequality capture?

The historical disadvantage of minority groups and the way those disadvantages accrue over time  

What are racial disparities?

Black women being 3x more likely to die from pregnancy-related cause than white women.

What factors contribute to racial disparities?

Multiple, such as variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias