CHAPTER 8 STRATIFICATION CLASS AND INEQUALITY Social stratification inequalities among individuals and groups that are determined by attributes such as gender age religious affiliation military rank social class o Impact on wealth income education lifestyle o Terms of access to material or symbolic rewards Structured inequalities social inequalities from patterns in the social structure SYSTEMS OF STRATIFICATION Slavery Caste Indian and Hindu cultures ones social status is held for life Class systems bases on ownership of wealth occupation income and education Class socioeconomic variations between groups of individuals Income wages and salaries earned from paid occupations Wealth all assets individuals own Education Occupation Class and Lifestyle Theories of Stratification in Modern Societies Marx means of production and analysis of class o Means of production means whereby the production of material goods is carried on in a society o Capitalists ppl who own companies land or stocks to generate economic returns o Surplus value value of a worker s labor power source of profit Weber Class and Statis o Division derive from economic differences that have nothing to do w property o Status differences between groups in the social honor or prestige o Pariah groups groups that suffer from negative status discrimination looked down upon Davis and Moore The Functions of Stratification o Beneficial consequences for society Are functional because they ensure that the most qualified people attracted by the rewards bestowed by society fill the roles that are most important to a smoothly functioning society Erik Olin Wright Contradictory Class Locations o Three dimensions of control over economic resources in modern capitalist production Control over investment or money capital control over the physical means of production control over labor power o contradictory class locations can influence some aspects of production but lack control over others share characteristics of both capitalists and working class Annette Laureau Parents Styles o parenting styles are associate w class positions Research on Social Stratification Today UPPER CLASS o More affluent members of society o 180 800 5 of American households MIDDLE CLASS o Working in white collar and lower managerial occupations WORKING CLASS o 20 of all households o broadly composed of people working in blue collar or manual occupations LOWER CLASS o Comprised of those who work part time or not at all o Typically lower than 17 000 a year THE UNDERCLASS o Bottom of class system normally ethnic minority backgrounds Social Mobility Moving Up and Down the Ladder movement of individuals and groups between different class positions as a result of changes in occupation wealth or income intergenerational mobility movement up or down from one generation to another intragenerational mobility movement up or down within course of personal career exchange mobility exchange of positions on socioeconomic scale talented move up untalented move down structural mobility mobility results from changes in number and kinds of jobs available in society Poverty in the United States absolute poverty minimal requirements necessary to sustain a healthy existence relative poverty poverty defined according to living standards of the majority in any given society poverty line official government measure to define those living in poverty in the U S o income 3x cost of nutritionally adequate diet working poor people who work but whose earnings are not enough to bring them above the poverty line Is Inequality Declining or Increasing in the United States Kuznets curve shows inequality increases during the early stages of capitalist development then declines eventually stabilizes at a relatively low level Culture of poverty poverty is not a result of individual inadequacies but instead outcome of larger social and cultural atmosphere Dependency culture individuals who rely on state welfare provision rather than entering labor market FLASHCARDS Ascription placement of social status based upon characteristics Kuznets curve inequality increases during early stages of democracy then declines and then settles out Social closure practices where groups separate themselves from other groups Structural mobility based upon jobs Surplus value values of workers labor power