Chapter 7Questions for you…Chapter OutlineSlide 4How Much Do You Know About Wealth, Poverty, and the American Dream?Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Poverty in AmericaSocial StratificationLife ChancesPolling QuestionSystems of StratificationSlaveryCharacteristics of Slavery in the U.S.Caste SystemThe Class SystemSlide 18Marxian Criteria for Class StructureMarx’s View of StratificationMax Weber: Wealth, Prestige, and PowerSocioeconomic Status (SES)Weberian Model of the Class StructureSlide 24Weber’s Multidimensional Approach to Social StratificationStratificationMiddle Class and the American DreamPink-Collar OccupationsUnderclassWright’s Criteria for Placement in the Class StructureWright’s Four ClassesMedian Income by StateIncome and WealthDistribution of Pretax Income in the United StatesAverage After-Tax Family Income in the United StatesMedian Household Income by Race/Ethnicity in the United States% U.S. Population Without Health InsuranceDefining PovertyOfficial Poverty Line% Distribution of Poverty in the U.S.% Distribution of Poverty in the U.S.Percentage of Persons in Poverty by Age: 1959-2008.Feminization of PovertyJob DeskillingFunctionalist Perspective: Davis-Moore ThesisSlide 46MeritocracySociological Explanations of Social Inequality in the U.S.U.S. Stratification in the FutureQuick QuizAnswer: ASlide 53Answer: CSlide 55Answer: ASlide 57Answer: CSlide 59Slide 60Chapter 7Class and Stratification in the United StatesQuestions for you…How much is “social class” a factor in people’s lives?How many social classes are there in the United States?Is there still a “middle class,” given the economic challenges of today?Can individuals change their social class location?Chapter OutlineWhat Is Social Stratification?Systems of StratificationClassical Perspectives on Social ClassContemporary Sociological Models of the U.S. Class StructureInequality in the United StatesChapter OutlinePoverty in the United StatesSociological Explanations of Social Inequality in the United StatesU.S. Stratification in the FutureHow Much Do You Know About Wealth, Poverty, and the American Dream?True or False? A number of people living below the official poverty line have fulltime jobs.How Much Do You Know About Wealth, Poverty, and the American Dream?True. Many of those who fall below the official poverty line are referred to as the “working poor” because they work full time but earn such low wages that they are still considered to be impoverished.How Much Do You Know About Wealth, Poverty, and the American Dream?True or False?About 5 percent of U.S. residents live in households whose members sometimes do not get enough to eat.How Much Do You Know About Wealth, Poverty, and the American Dream?True. It is estimated that about 5 percent of the U.S. population (1 in 20 people) resides in household units where members do not get enough to eat.Poverty in AmericaPoverty is a standard of living below the minimum needed to for the maintenance of an adequate diet, health care and shelter.Poverty affects approximately 12% of the total American population and millions more worldwide.Social StratificationHierarchy of social groups based on differential control over resources.Sociologists examine social groups that make up the hierarchy in a society, to determine how inequalities persist over time.Life ChancesAccess to resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care.Affluent people have better life chances because they have greater access to:quality educationsafe neighborhoodnutrition and health carepolice protectionPolling QuestionThe poor are poor because the American way of life doesn't give all people an equal chance. A. Strongly agreeB. Agree somewhatC. UnsureD. Disagree somewhatE. Strongly disagreeSystems of StratificationOpen system - boundaries between hierarchies may be influenced by people’s achieved statuses. Closed system - boundaries between hierarchies are rigid, people’s positions are set by ascribed status. No stratification system is completely open or closed.SlaveryFive major examples of slave societies from history:ancient GreeceRoman EmpireUnited StatesCaribbean and Brazil.There are an estimated 27 million people held as slaves worldwide.Characteristics of Slavery in the U.S.1. It was for life and was inherited.2. Slaves were considered property, not human beings.3. Slaves were denied rights.4. Coercion was used to keep slaves “in their place”.Caste SystemStatus is determined at birth based on parents’ ascribed characteristics.Cultural values sustain caste systems and caste systems grow weaker as societies industrialize. Vestiges of caste systems can remain for hundreds of years after they are officially abolished.The Class SystemA type of stratification based on the ownership and control of resources and on the type of work people do. Horizontal mobility occurs when people experience a gain or loss in position and/or income that does not produce a change in their place in the class structure. Vertical mobility is movement up or down the class structure is.Polling QuestionIf you were asked to use one of the following four names for your parents' social class, which would you say they belong in?A. Upper classB. Middle classC. Working classD. Lower classMarxian Criteria for Class Structure1. Ownership of the means of production.2. Employing others.3. Supervising others on the job.4. Being employed by someone else.Marx’s View of StratificationMax Weber: Wealth,Prestige, and PowerWealth is the value of a person’s or family’s economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property.Prestige is the regard with which a person or status position is regarded by others.Power is the ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.Socioeconomic Status (SES)A combined measure that, in order to determine class location, attempts to classify individuals, families, or households in terms of factors such as income, occupation, and education.Weberian Model of the Class StructureUpper Class - comprised of people who own substantial income-producing assets.Upper-Middle Class - based on university degrees, authority on the job, and high income. Middle Class - a minimum of a high school diploma or a community college degree.Weberian Model of
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