Soc 100 1st Edition Lecture 11 Outline of Last Lecture II. Crimea. Hate crimesb. Crimes against womenCrime Reduction Outline of Current Lecture III. StratificationIV. InequalityV. Forms of StratificationCurrent Lecture(This is not on Exam 1; Exam 1 is Chapters 1-6)StratificationWhat is stratification?- Refers to systematic inequalities between groups of people that arise as intended or unintended consequences of social processes and relationshipViews of inequality- Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that private property creates social inequality and that this inequality ultimately leads to social conflict- Ferguson and Millar agreed with Rousseau, but they also argues that this is good because it means that some people are getting ahead and creating assets(a form of wealth that can be stored for the future)- Thomas Malthuso Viewed inequality favorably, but only as a means for controlling population growth.o Increase in wealth, would increase birth population, bring mass starvationStandards of equality- Ontological equality is the notion that everyone is created equal in the eyes of God- Equality of opportunityThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.o Inequality is acceptable so long as everyone has the same opportunities for advancement and is judged by the same standards- Equality of conditiono Idea that everyone should have an equal starting point from which to pursue his or her goals- Equality of outcomeo Everyone in a society should end up with the same “rewards” regardless of starting point, opportunities, or contributions Commonly associated with communism ideologyForms of stratification- Estate system= politically based system of stratification characterized by limited social mobilityo South during Civil War- Caste system= based on hereditary notions of religious and theological purity and generally offers no prospects for social mobilityo Who you marry, who you socialize with, all based on who you were born toStratifications systems- Class system= is an economically based system with somewhat loose social mobility - Ascription-based= where you rank depends upon what you were born witho Caste-system- Achievement-based= one in which your rank is based on your accomplishmentso Most believe U.S is in this systemApartheid- Caste system base don race in South Africa from 1948-1992- Consigned the large black majority to menial jobs- Prevented interracial marriage- Erected separate public facilities for members of the two raceForms of Stratification- Marx felt that society was divided into two classes- the proletariat, or working class, and the bourgeoisie, or employing classo Working class would revolt and take over- Erik Olin Wright, developed the concept of contradictory class locations, which is the idea that people can occupy locations in the class structure that fall between the two “pure” classes defined by Marx- It can be difficult to define class because class means different things to different people and because people don’t always fit neatly into just one category- Max weber’s concept of class is based on grouping people according to the value of theirproperty or labor in the commercial marketplace- The elite-mass dichotomy system is a system that has a governing elite- a few leaders who broadly hold the power of societyHow is America stratified today?- Socioeconomic status refers to an individual’s position in a stratified social order- The income gap between the high-income and low-income individuals has increased dramatically over the last 30 years- Poverty has an official, government definition, but there are also less official categories, such as the working poor and the nonworking poor (sometimes called the underclass)Death and taxes- When you die, and leave your estate to heir, if your estate is large enough, federal government can tax it before passing if offo Needs to be worth more than $5.5 milliono 95% of estates would not be touched by this tax- It goes to the heart of the questions about how to promote business growth, how wealth should be distributed, how to encourage meritocracy, and how to build a more equitable societyBenefits of wealth- Well-being- Lower stress levels- Better health- Political influence- Longer