SOC 111 Week 7/ Chapters 7 & 14

SOC 111: Foundations in Sociology

  • Week 7 (Nov 4): Topic: "Social (In)equality; Crime, Law, and Regulation"

Society and Control of Behavior

  • Understanding society as an "unfair game".

  • The control of social behavior through law enforcement.

Social Inequality

Definitions

  • Social inequality: disparity in access to valued resources based on attributes like gender, age, or class.

Characteristics

  • Results from collective decisions influenced by dominant ideologies.

  • Ranking of individuals or groups affects access to resources like healthcare or education.

Social Stratification

Concepts

  • Hierarchical ranking of people in society.

    • Social class: group-oriented shared economic position.

    • Social status: individual-oriented position within the hierarchy.

Features

  • Redistributive mechanisms exist in all societies, ensuring stability over time despite limited mobility.

  • Societal perception of fairness in allocation of wealth and prestige.

Class Inequality and Classism

Classism Definition

  • Ideological support for discrimination based on economic status.

  • Assumes equal starting chances (e.g., notion of the "American Dream").

Impacts

  • Classism legitimizes economic inequality and fosters individual blame for poverty.

Closed vs. Open Social Systems

Closed Systems

  • Class affiliation ascribed at birth, with little room for mobility (e.g., caste systems).

Open Systems

  • Achieved classes that allow social mobility based on effort and merit.

  • Canadian class structure with measurable intergenerational income elasticity.

Components of Inequality

Property Indicators

  • Divided into income (annual earnings) and wealth (accumulated assets).

Occupational Prestige

  • Influence of societal values on income derived from various occupations.

Factors Influencing Social Inequality in Canada

Colonization

  • Historical policies impacting Indigenous Peoples leads to economic instability and social barriers.

Geographic Location

  • Poverty levels vary across regions, with higher rates in Nunavut and Manitoba.

Gender

  • Feminization of poverty highlights women's increased susceptibility to low income and ongoing wage disparities.

Age and Family Structure

  • Poverty affects children and single-parent families disproportionately.

Visible Minority Status

  • Wage gaps for racialized groups persist despite credentials.

Education

  • Education access linked to social mobility; significant income variations observed based on educational attainment.

Disability

  • Higher poverty rates among individuals with disabilities, exacerbating justice-related challenges.

Global Inequality

Examination Techniques

  • Kuznets curve and Gini index assess social mobility and inequality.

Global Gini Index

  • Reflects distribution of wealth; lower scores indicate greater equality.

Criminology

Definition

  • Scientific study of crime—causation, prevention, and rehabilitation.

Areas of Focus

  • Law development, causes of crime, societal responses, and crime prevention strategies.

Crime and Deviance

Relationship

  • All crimes are deviant, but not all deviant acts are criminal. Definitions shift over time.

Deviance Definition

  • Socially unacceptable acts defined by societal reactions.

Theories of Crime

Demonic Perspective

  • Early theories linked crime to supernatural forces; led to harsh punishments.

Classical School

  • Emphasizes rational choice and free-will in crime prevention.

Positivist School

  • Views crime as influenced by biological and environmental factors; nature vs. nurture debates.

Sociological Approaches to Crime

The Chicago School

  • Focus on neighborhood context influencing criminality rather than individual pathology.

Strain Theories

  • Criminal behavior rooted in societal pressures to achieve culturally endorsed goals through lawful means.

Social Control Theories

  • Adherence to societal rules reinforced by social bonds.

Summary of Key Concepts

Social Inequality

  • Operates through closed or open systems affecting mobility and social opportunities.

Crime and Regulation

  • Sociology has shaped criminology with significant theories that explore social contexts impacting criminality and deviance.