Social Inequalities Flashcards

Flashcards in the FILL_IN_THE_BLANK style to help you review the lecture notes and prepare for the upcoming exam.

Social exclusion __

refer to a wider set of disadvantages than material poverty and these disadvantages prevent people from fully participating in the life of their society.

Social mobility __

is movement between classes.

Upward social mobility __

involves moving up the social class hierarchy; for example, from the working class to the middle class

downward mobility __

involves moving down the social class hierarchy; for example, from the middle class to the working class

intergenerational mobility __

involves children moving to a different social class from their parents; for example, a child of working-class parents who is successful in education might enter a middle-class profession

intragenerational mobility __

involves an individual changing social classes within their lifetime; for example, someone may start their working life in a working-class job but moves up to become a manager.

The idea of a meritocracy __

is that each individual reaches the level they deserve, based on their talent, ability and effort.

In the caste system __

people inherit their status at birth and cannot change it.

Life chances __

are the opportunities people have to improve their lives.

Child labour __

refer to children working long hours for low pay and usually not going to school at all.

Life expectancy __

is the average number of years a person can expect to live.

Horizontal segregation __

describes how men and women tend to have different types of occupation and work in different employment sectors.

Vertical segregation __

means that, even when they work in the same occupations or workplaces as men, women tend to be concentrated in the lower levels of the hierarchy.

Racial discrimination __

is when someone is disadvantaged because of their perceived ethnic or racial group.

Institutional racism __

refers to racism that is built into the way that an organization or system works, so discrimination is not merely the result of an individual's prejudice or discriminatory actions.

Cultural racism __

refers to prejudice and discrimination based on perceived cultural differences between people of different ethnicities.

Racial prejudice __

refers to beliefs that another racial group is inferior in some way.

Intersectionality __

is the way in which the different characteristics - age, gender, ethnicity and social class - can combine to affect individuals.

Stereotypes __

are representations of groups in popular culture, or views held by individuals, that assume all members of a group have the same characteristics.

Master status __

When a person is labelled, that label may become the main way that others think about them.

Self-fulfilling prophecy __

People who have been labelled may begin to act in certain ways, making the expectations of the label come true.

Exploitation of the proletariat __

The nature of capitalism is that the bourgeoisie exploits the proletariat. They do this by paying workers less than the full value of the work they do. and own what Marxists call the means of production - factories, land, mines, etc.

Ideological control __

Capitalists use propaganda through the ideological state apparatus (see section 2.2), so the workers believe that the system is fair - that the capitalists deserve their wealth and power and that nothing can be done to change the situation anyway.

Poverty trap __

Capitalists use their power to make it difficult to escape from poverty.

Reserve army of labour __

Capitalists can keep wages low, to maximise profits, by having unemployed workers ready to take the jobs of others.

Division of labour __

Gender inequalities start in the home, where there was traditionally a division of labour.

Dual burden __

This refers to people who have to work to earn money to support themselves and their family while at the same time being responsible for all or most of the domestic work in the family home.

Progressive taxation __

means that people who are wealthy or have a high income pay a higher rate of tax on some of their earnings than those who have lower incomes.

A minimum wage __

means that employers are not allowed to pay their workers less than a certain amount per hour.

Equal opportunities legislation __

tries to prevent discrimination against disadvantaged groups and ensure that everyone has the same opportunities.