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 classo Impact on wealth, income, education, lifestyleo Terms of access to material or symbolic rewards- Structured inequalities = social inequalities from patterns in the social structureSYSTEMS 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 LifestyleTheories of Stratification in Modern Societies- Marx: means of production and analysis of classo Means of production  means whereby the production of material goods is carried on in a societyo Capitalists  ppl who own companies, land or stocks to generate economic returnso Surplus value  value of a worker’s labor power, source of profit- Weber: Class and Statiso Division derive from economic differences that have nothing to do w propertyo Status = differences between groups in the social honor or prestigeo Pariah groups  groups that suffer from negative status discrimination, looked down upon- Davis and Moore: The Functions of Stratificationo 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 Locationso 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 powero 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 Styleso parenting styles are associate w class positionsResearch on Social Stratification Today- UPPER CLASSo More affluent members of societyo $180,800 + (5% of American households)- MIDDLE CLASSo Working in white-collar and lower managerial occupations- WORKING CLASSo 20% of all householdso broadly composed of people working in blue-collar or manual occupations- LOWER CLASSo Comprised of those who work part time or not at allo Typically lower than $17,000 a year- THE “UNDERCLASS”o Bottom of class system, normally ethnic minority backgroundsSocial 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 societyPoverty 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 anygiven 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 themabove the poverty lineIs 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 marketFLASHCARDSAscription – placement of social status based upon characteristicsKuznets curve – inequality increases during early stages of democracy, then declines and then settles outSocial closure – practices where groups separate themselves from other groupsStructural mobility – based upon jobsSurplus value – values of workers labor