Social Class, Poverty & Inequality

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to social class, poverty, and inequality, helping students understand critical concepts in the study of sociology.

Social Inequality

A disparity in income, wealth, power, prestige, and other valued resources.

Social Stratification

The systematic ranking of different groups of people in a hierarchy of inequality.

Meritocracy

A society where personal success is based on talent and individual effort.

Achieved Status

A social position linked to the acquisition of socially valued credentials or skills.

Ascribed Status

A social position linked to characteristics that cannot be altered (like race or gender).

Caste Society

A system where social levels are closed, and individuals remain at the social level of their birth throughout life.

Class Society

A society where social mobility allows individuals to change their socioeconomic position.

Income

The amount of money a person or household earns in a certain period of time.

Absolute Poverty

A lack of major resources so severe that it is life-threatening.

Relative Poverty

A lack of the basic resources needed to maintain a standard of living considered acceptable in a particular society.

Social Mobility

Movement in the stratification hierarchy.

Intragenerational Mobility

The extent to which an individual experiences upward or downward mobility within their own lifetime.

Intergenerational Mobility

The degree to which one is better or worse off than one's parents.

Power Elite

A term coined by C. Wright Mills, referring to the executive branch, military, and corporate elites that share a common background and worldview.

Functionalist Perspective

A view that sees inequality as a necessary component of a functional society, maintaining order and fulfilling roles.

Conflict Perspective

A view that sees inequality as a result of power struggles between different social classes.

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

A perspective that examines how individuals and groups create, maintain, and change social meanings and hierarchies through interactions.

Wealth

The value of everything a person owns, minus the value of everything owed.

Poverty Line

A measure of scarcity determined by calculating the cost of a minimal food budget and multiplying it by three.

Food Deserts

Areas where residents have limited access to affordable and nutritious food.