ch7 sociology

what are the three major systems of stratification?

slavery, caste and social class

social inequity

the unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society

underclass

the poorest group, comprising the homeless and chronically unemployed who may depend on public or private assistant

caste system

a form of social stratification in which status is determined by ones family history and background and cannot be changed

horizontal social mobility

the movement of individuals or groups within a particular social class, most often a result of changing occupations

social class

a system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power and prestige

working poor

poorly educated manual and service workers who may work full time but remain near or below the poverty line

middle class

social class composed primarily of white collar workers w a broad range of education and incomes

intergenerational moility

movement between social classes that occurs from one generation to the next

prestige

the social honor people are given because of their membership in well regarded social groups

social mobility

the movement of individuals or groups within the hierarchical system of social classes

closed system

a social system w very little opportunity to move from one class to another

vertical social mobility

the movement between different class statuses, often called either upward mobility or downward mobility

open system

a social system w ample opportunities to move from one class to another

slavery

the most extreme form of social stratification, based on the ownership of people

wealth

a measure of net worth that includes income, property and other assets

intragenerational mobility

movement between social classes that occurs during the course of an individuals lifetime

concept of intergenerational mobility

the movement that occurs from one generation to the next, when a child eventually moves to a different social class than he/she parents

concept of intragenerational mobility

measure between the social class of a person is born into and the social class they achieve during their lifetime

concept of horizontal social mobility

changing of jobs within a social class; a therapists who switches jobs so they can teach colleges experiences

concept of vertical social mobility

movement up or down the social ladder; therapist marries the president of a large corporation the therapist would experience upward mobility

concept of redlining

refuse a loan or insurance to someone bc where they live is deemed to be a poor financial risk

concept of intersectionality

identifies how different categories of inequality (race, class, gender, ect) intersect to shape the lives of individuals and groups

concept of the culture of poverty

entrenched attitudes that can develop among poor communities and lead the poor to accept their fate rather than attempt to improve their lot

concept of political disenfranchisement

people living in poverty may also remain invisible to the larger society bc of their lack of political power

as the data provided in 2017, what percentage of americans were to be considered living in poverty? approximately how many live in poverty now"?

12\.3% in 2017; 39.7 million

what is occupational prestige and what are the top three most prestigious occupations in the us? (183)

social honor people are given bc of their membership in well regarded groups (jobs); physician, lawyer, professor

what social class do most americans believe they are part of?

middle class

why is a caste system considered to be a closed system?

based on heredity so no chance of moving up or down

how much would the minimum wage be in the us to constitute a living wage?

15 or 16.54

what is structural mobility and provide several examples where this concept is applied to in american history?

changes in the social status of large numbers of people as a result of structural changes in society; great depression precipitated by the stock market crash: large numbers of people in upper and middle class found themselves among the poor

what is the average earning range and basic characteristics of each social class in the us?

underclass: $15000, some high school, seldom employed or unemployed, part time labor, rely on private or public assistance; working poor: $25000, some high school, low and unskilled workers, lower paid manual and service jobs, seasonal jobs; working class (lower middle class): $40000, high school degree, semi skilled labor, service, manual and clerical jobs; middle class: $70000, two adn four year college degree, semi professionals, lower level managers, white collar and highly skilled blue collar; upper middle class: $150000, college and uni degrees, some graduate degrees, professionals and managers; upper class: $2 million, some prestigious uni degrees, investors, heirs, executives, media/sports personals

what is the poverty line us, as defined by the department of health and human services?

federal index that defines “official“ poverty in the us based on household income, annually updated

what is the name of the stratification system that dominated europe for centuries but was breaking down by the 1800s?

feudal system

what term describes the unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society?

social inequality

how much, if it all, has social mobility changed in the us in the last fifty years?

not changed much at all