THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION HOW SHOULD WE ANALYZE POVERTY 1 What is sociology What are the 3 goals of social science a Sociology study of social life social change and social causes and consequences of human behavior b 3 goals i Explain why something happens why are you poor ii Make generalizations poor due to lack of job oppotunities iii Analyze patterns to predict and resolve the future if poverty continues other social problems will arise so let s fix the problem 2 What role does common sense play in the execution of social science research What is the significance of scientific evidence a Social scientists may base assumptions on common sense but must gather info and analyze evidence in scientific way b Without scientific evidence you cannot be sure on assumptions made from common sense that might have bias in it Everyone has their own definition of what things are just a part of common sense to them 3 What is the sociological imagination Understand how to apply the sociological imagination to any human behavior particularly on issues of poverty and affluence a Sociological imagination our personal experiences are linked to the world around us b A GROWING GAP WHY FOCUS ON INEQUALITY BETWEEN POOR AND AFFLUENT FAMILIES DEFINING GAPS HOW CAN WE MEASURE POVERTY AND AFFLUENCE 1 Know the main ideas and conclusions of the stories presented in Seccombe Chapter 1 a Dee Clare intimate partner violence low paying job sector nonstandard work b Kate Tony breadwinner homemaker model lack of reliable transportation lack of c Robert Maria breadwinner homemaker mode economic recession health care lack schedules lack of affordable child care affordable child care single parenting of affordable child care 2 What is poverty How is absolute poverty different from relative poverty Be ready to give examples of each type a Poverty inability to sustain an adequate standard of living i Absolute poverty inability to meet all basic needs food shelter clothing Relative poverty subjective measurement used to compare groups of ii people poverty in U S vs Asia 3 How is poverty measured What are the concerns around these measurements a Federal poverty line threshold determine who is in absolute poverty b Federal poverty guideline determine eligibility for federal welfare benefits food stamp head start section 8 housing i Not accurate way of measuring poverty and welfare eligibility ii Not accurate count of poor people 4 Does the U S have an accurate count of the number of poor people Why or why not a Does not have accurate count because many people who comes out of poverty still feel like they are in poverty Being a few dollars over FPL causes them to lose many welfare benefits and trying to gain those benefits from pocket often put them back in poverty 5 How long does poverty tend to last What can explain this trend a Tends to last one year or less b 6 What is the poverty rate in the U S over time How do poverty rates differ by age What are the poverty trends by region in the U S What can explain all of these patterns a Poverty rate 13 2 over time 20 25 million late 50 s early 60 s then within 10 15 million range until 2008 Mild peaks every time there s a recession b Poverty rate by age i Under 18 have 19 0 poverty rate highest 18 64 have 11 7 poverty rate ii 65 and older have 9 7 poverty rate lowest iii c Poverty by region i Northeast has least 7 8 11 1 ii North has average 11 4 13 6 iii South has most 14 2 21 8 7 What are the individual and structural causes of poverty d a Individual 8 What are the general demographics of poor people in the U S What role do their demographic characteristics play in their life outcomes a Undereducated southern states rural countryside urban city residents single mothers children 18 teenage pregnancies non marital births poor families native American African American Hispanic 9 What is the feminization of poverty What are its implications a The idea that poverty comes to females b c they typically do not get paid as much as men i Women are typically paid less because of ex homemaker cannot give much b c have family to look after less flexible hours b Feminism fighting functionalism patriarchal structure of society has adverse consequences on women Inequality is b c men women have diff biological functions 10 How are the working poor near poor and severely poor similar or different from one a More are near poor than are severely poor b Near Poor America s missing class those a little above the federal poverty guideline annual income 20 000 40 000 get brought down with taxes expenses c Severely Poor 54 million Americans near poor 37 million Americans in poverty d Working Poor white collar jobs health clinics schools have few savings live in suburbs cities close to crime don t have adequate health care have children going to underperforming public schools and therefore may may not dabble in college 11 What is the difference between income and wealth What is the income inequality pattern in another the U S a b Income money received on regular basis for work through investments Wealth abundance of valuable possessions money 12 What is social class How do Karl Marx and Max Weber differ in their definitions of social class behavior a Social Class social theory facts are related to one another in the context of human b Karl Marx human exploitation believed capitalism destroys society c Max Webber protestant work ethic hard work financial gain personal solution i Religion was key to affluence those who have wealth will have a spot in ii Roman Catholic countries give away donate charity wealth will have heaven a spot in heaven 13 What are the 6 rungs of the social class ladder Know each rung in great detail a Capitalist b Upper middle c Lower middle i prestigious university investors heirs top executives 1 000 000 1 i college uni postgrad study professionals upper managers 125 000 15 i HS college apprentice semiprofessionals lower managers craftspeople foremen 60 000 34 d Working 35 000 30 e Working poor f Underclass i HS factory worker clerical worker low paid retail sales craftspeople i some HS laborers service workers low paid salespeople 17 000 16 i some HS unemployed part time on welfare 10 000 4 14 What is social mobility What factors are linked to social mobility What is the likelihood of experiencing social mobility in the U S social class system a Social mobility movement of individuals groups in social standing position b Factors education gender race parental status