Chapter 8 Part II Stratification and Social Mobility in the US 4 5 of country s wealth Over 50 of all property One third 46 3 of country s income 4 2 of country s income Distribution of Wealth Richest 20 of US families Wealthiest 5 very rich Richer still 1 of families Distribution of Income Top 20 of population Bottom 20 Distribution of Power C W Mills the power elite 1 Business officials 2 Government officials 3 Military Officials W Domhoff the ruling class upper class Distribution of Prestige Occupational prestige o Supreme Court Judge 85 82 o College president 82 o Physician 22 o Janitor Absolute poverty Relative poverty Poverty judged as being disadvantaged in comparison to the nation as a whole Feminization of poverty the inability to afford minimal standards of food clothing shelter Floating standard by which people at the bottom of a society are o Since WWII increasing proportion of poor in US have been women o Underclass long term poor who lack training and skills Poverty Line o Food cost x3 Who are the poor o Geography the south o Rural America rural poor o Education o Race ethnicity o Gender Race Ethnicity o White o Asian Americans o African Americans o Latino o Native Americans have the highest level of poverty in the US 11 of white Americans are poor 13 26 26 Education o 2 out of 100 with college degree are poor o 1 out of 5 high school drop out Why is there poverty in the first place o 2 opposing explanations 1 Blame the poor a Oscar Lewis 1961 culture of poverty 2 Blame society a W J Wilson society is primarily responsible for poverty 3 Third view a Individualistic explanations i Low educational aspirations ii Out of wedlock births iii Frivolous spending b Structural explanations i Lack of unskilled jobs ii Low pay Who benefits from the existence of the poor o Gans poverty and the poor satisfy positive functions for many non poor groups Society s dirty work performed at low cost Creates jobs that serve the poor Uphold conventional social norms Guarantees higher status of more affluent Absorb costs of social change Rethinking Welfare in North America and Europe o Understanding the issue 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act passed in the U S Ended long standing federal guarantee of assistance to every poor family that meets eligibility requirements Other countries vary widely in commitment to social service programs Movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society s Social Mobility Social mobility stratification system to another Types of Social Mobility Horizontal mobility Movement within same range of prestige Ex Plumber to becoming a carpenter Vertical mobility Plumber to becoming a lawyer doctor to becoming a lab technician Intergenerational mobility Intragenerational mobility Going back to school to better yourself even though you may already have a job Changes in children s position relative to their parents Social position changes within person s adult life Ex Movement from one position to another of a different rank Ex o Vertical intergenerational and intergenerational mobilities can all be moving up or down in the social ladder Mobility Patterns in the U S Blau and Duncan 1967 1 There is a great deal of mobility 2 Upward mobility is more prevalent than downward mobility most of it being structurally induced 3 Upward mobility is of the short range variety Mobility Patterns in Cross Cultural Comparison Similar mobility patterns with one exception there is more mobility from the working class to the professional elite in the U S
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