sociology

Racial/Ethnic Relations

Define Race and Ethnicity

• Race: Socially constructed categories based on perceived physical traits (e.g., skin color).
  
  

• Ethnicity: Cultural traits like language, religion, and ancestry.
  
  

What is a Racial or Ethnic Minority?

• A group disproportionately concentrated in lower social ranks.
  
  

• They may be the numerical majority, but still lack equal representation in positions of power.
  
  

Distinguish Between Prejudice and Discrimination

• Prejudice: Rigid and unfair generalization (belief or attitude) about a category of people.
  
  

• Discrimination: Unequal treatment of various categories of people.
  
  

What is Institutional Discrimination?

• Bias is built into the operation of society’s institutions.
  
  

Example of Institutional Discrimination

• Police brutality
  
  

• ICE/immigration enforcement uses race to target and arrest people based on leadership direction
  
  

What is Critical Race Theory?

• Argues that race and racism are embedded in U.S. society.
  
  

• Shapes housing, jobs, incarceration, wealth, and health.
  
  

• Views race as a social construct; Black Americans are most heavily racialized (white privilege).
  
  

Statistics Indicating Continued U.S. Racial Disparities

• Race strongly affects hiring.
  
  

• A criminal record cuts the number of callbacks for White applicants in half.
  
  

• Black applicants with no record get far fewer callbacks than White applicants.
  
  

• A White applicant with a record is about as likely to get a callback as a Black applicant without one.
  
  

Sex and Gender

Distinguish Between Sex and Gender

• Sex: Biological traits distinguishing males from females (typically reproductive organs).
  
  

• Gender: Cultural meanings and expectations; rigidity varies across cultures.
  
  

Statistics on Gender Inequality

• Women earn ~80 cents for every $1 that men earn (less for minority women).
  
  

• Women make up:
  
  

  • ~10% of Fortune 500 CEOs
    
    

  • 26% of the Senate
    
    

  • 125 women in the House
    
    

  • 4 U.S. delegates
    
    

• Women and children have higher poverty rates.
  
  

Functionalist vs. Conflict Perspectives on Gendered Division of Labor

• Functionalist: Gender roles support social stability and family survival.
  
  

• Conflict: Gender roles maintain male dominance and inequality (patriarchy).
  
  

Promising Trends

• More women in school & the workforce.
  
  

• Increasing numbers of women in leadership.
  
  

• Gender norms are becoming more flexible.
  
  

LGBT Identity Trend

• More people are openly identifying as LGBT than ever before.
  
  

• Greater legal protection and social visibility.
  
  

Institutions: Politics and the Family

Define Institutions

• Major spheres of social life or societal subsystems are organized to meet human needs.
  
  

Politics as a Social Institution

How Are Politics a Social Institution?/ What Needs Should Be Met by Political Institutions?

• Because it meets the needs of the people, it needs to figure out how to obtain those goals. 

• Politics distributes power, sets collective goals, and makes decisions to achieve them.
  
  
  

How Do Structural Functionalists View American Politics?

• Pluralist Model:
  
  

  • The political system is just and legitimate.
    
    

  • Many groups compete in the political arena.
    
    

  • Competition balances power and prevents domination.
    
    

How Do Conflict Theorists View American Politics?

• Political and economic power reinforce each other.
  
  

• A small, influential group holds most influence, and their interests are rarely challenged.
  
  

Recent Trend Regarding U.S. Political Institutions

• The Democracy Index has fallen below an 8, meaning the U.S. is now classified as a flawed democracy.
  
  

Family as a Social Institution

What Is the Family?

• A group of two or more people related by blood, marriage, adoption, or mutual commitment who care for one another.

• Nuclear- married hetero couple with children living in a separate dwelling, Extended- parents, children, and other relatives living in the same dwelling, and Single-Parent- increased due to the economy, and absent parents ( fathers)
  
  

What Needs Are Met Through the Family?

• Primary socialization

• Cultural intelligence

• Emotional support\

• Economic Needs
  
  

Structural Functionalist View of the Family

• Family is a cultural universal
  
  

• Necessary for socializing children into cultural traditions
  
  

• Meets economic and emotional needs
  
  

• Essential for identity formation
  
  

Conflict Theorist View of the Family

• Families contribute to and perpetuate inequality:
  
  

  • Intergenerational wealth
    
    

  • Patriarchy creates dependency for women and children.
    
    

  • Power hierarchies create internal conflict, adults m then f, children m then f
    
    

Recent Trends Regarding Families in the U.S.

• Marriage rates: Declining; many couples are DINKs (Double Income, No Kids).
  
  

• Birth rates: Historically low, but increased by 1% in the past year.
  
  

• Single-parent families:
  
  

  • The U.S. has the highest rate of children living in single-parent households 23%
    
    

  • These households are most likely to experience poverty.