Sociology exam 3

deviance

a violation of social norms

crime

a violation of society’s formal laws

stigma

a negative label that devalues a person and changes her or his self-concept and social identity

victimization survey

interviews people about being crime victims

hate crime

a criminal act motivated by hostility toward a particular race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or disability

white-collar crime

illegal activities committed by high-status people in the course of their occupations

corporate crimes

(also called organizational crimes) illegal acts committed by executives to benefit themselves and their companies

cybercrime

(also called computer crime) illegal activities that are conducted online

organized crime

activities of individuals and groups that supply illegal goods and services for profit

victimless crimes

acts that violate laws but those involved don’t consider themselves victims

anomie

the condition in which people are unsure how to behave because of absent, conflicting, or confusing social norms

strain theory

posits that people may engage in deviant behavior when they experience a conflict between goals and the means available to obtain the goals

patriarchy

a hierarchical system in which cultural, political, and economic structures are controlled by men

rape culture

an environment in which sexual violence is prevalent, pervasive, and perpetuated by the media and popular culture

differential association theory

asserts that people learn deviance through interaction, especially with significant others

labeling theory

posits that society’s reaction to behavior is a major factor in defining oneself or others as deviant

primary deviance

the initial act of breaking a rule

secondary deviance

rule-breaking behavior that people adopt in response to others’ reactions

medicalization of deviance

diagnosing and treating a violation of social norms as a medical disorder

social control

the techniques and strategies that regulate people’s behavior in society

control theory

proposes that deviant behavior decreases when people have strong social bonds with others

criminal justice system

government agencies that are charged with enforcing laws, judging offenders, and changing criminal behavior

crime control model

proposes that crime rates increase when offenders don’t fear apprehension or punishment

social stratification

a society’s ranking of people based on their access to valued resources such as wealth, power, and prestige

slavery system

people own others as property and have almost total control over their lives

caste system

people’s positions are ascribed at birth and largely fixed

class system

people’s positions are based on both birth and achievement

social class

people who have a similar standing or rank in a society based on wealth, education, power, prestige, and other valued resources

wealth

economic assets that a person or family owns

income

the money a person receives, usually through wages or salaries, but can also include other earnings

prestige

respect, recognition, or regard attached to social positions

power

the ability to influence or control the behavior of others despite opposition

socioeconomic status (SES)

an overall ranking of a person’s position in society based on income, education, and occupation

working poor

people who work at least 27 weeks a year but whose wages fall below the official poverty level

underclass

people who are persistently poor and seldom employed, residentially segregated, and relatively isolated from the rest of the population

life chances

the extent to which people have positive experiences and can secure the good things in life because they have economic resources

absolute poverty

not having enough money to afford the basic necessities of life

relative poverty

not having enough money to maintain an average standard of living

poverty line

the minimal income level that the federal government considers necessary for basic subsistence (also called the poverty threshold)

feminization of poverty

the disproportionate number of the poor who are women

social mobility

movement from one social class to another

intragenerational mobility

movement up or down a social class over one’s lifetime

intergenerational mobility

movement up or down a social class over two or more generations

global stratification

worldwide inequality patterns that result from differences in wealth, power, and prestige

infant mortality rate

the number of babies under age 1 who die per 1,000 live births in a given year

Davis-Moore thesis

the functionalist view that social stratification benefits a society

meritocracy

a belief that social stratification is based on people’s accomplishments

bourgeoisie

those who own and control capital and the means of production

proletariat

workers who sell their labor for wages

corporate welfare

subsidies, tax breaks, and assistance that the government has created for businesses

sex

the biological characteristics with which we are born

gender

learned attitudes and behaviors that characterize women and men

intersexuals

people whose medical classification at birth isn’t clearly either male or female

sexual identity

an awareness of ourselves as male or female and how we express our sexual values, attitudes, and feelings

sexual orientation

a preference for sexual partners of the same sex, of the opposite sex, of both sexes, or neither sex

homosexuals

those who are sexually attracted to people of the same sex

heterosexuals

those who are sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex

bisexuals

those who are sexually attracted to both sexes

asexuals

those who lack any interest in or desire for sex

gender identity

a perception of oneself as either masculine or feminine

transgender

an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and behavior differ from the sex to which they were assigned at birth

gender expression

the way a person communicates gender identity to others through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice, or body characteristics

gender roles

the characteristics, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that society expects of females and males

gender stereotypes

expectations about how people will look, act, think, and feel based on their sex

sexism

an attitude or behavior that discriminates against one sex, usually females, based on the assumed superiority of the other sex

heterosexism

belief that heterosexuality is the only legitimate sexual orientation

homophobia

a fear and hatred of lesbians and gays

gender stratification

people’s unequal access to wealth, power, status, prestige, and other valued resources because of their sex

occupational sex segregation

(sometimes called occupational gender segregation) the process of channeling women and men into different types of jobs

gender pay gap

the overall income difference between women and men in the workplace (also called the wage gap, pay gap, and gender wage gap)

sexual harassment

any unwanted sexual advance, request for sexual favors, or other conduct of a sexual nature that makes a person uncomfortable and interferes with her or his work

sexual script

specifies the formal and informal norms for acceptable or unacceptable sexual behavior

sexual double standard

a code that permits greater sexual freedom for men than women

abortion

the expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus

same-sex marriage

(also called gay marriage) a legally recognized marriage between two people of the same biological sex and/or gender identity