Chapter 8 Stratification and Social Mobility in United States Systems of stratification social inequality situation where members of society have different amounts of wealth prestige or power social stratification structurally patterned and intergenerationally patterned and intergenerationally transmitted inequality Max Weber social class multidimensional approach to social class o 2 systems 1 open stratification 2 closed stratification o 3 dimensional class wealth status prestige party power Distribution of Wealth richest 20 of US families o ths of countries wealth wealthiest 5 very rich o own over half of all property richer still 1 o of all property Distribution of Income top 20 of population o 47 3 of country s income bottom 20 of population o 4 2 of country s income Distribution of Power C W Mills the power elite 1 business officials 2 government officials 3 military officials W Domhoff ruling class upper class Distribution of prestige occupational prestige supreme court judge 85 college president 82 o o o physician 82 janitor 22 o very consistent Poverty absolute poverty relative poverty o o o o o feminization of poverty underclass poverty line food cost x3 who are the poor the inability to afford minimal standards of food clothing and shelter floating standard by which people at the bottom of a society are judged as being disadvantaged in comparison to the nation as a whole since WWII women and children are more likely to be in poverty long term poor who lack training and skills o geographically the south rural america rural poor o o education o o gender race ethnicity Why is there poverty 2 opposing views o blame the poor o blame society o third view oscar lewis 1961 culture of poverty W J Wilson society is primarily responsible for poverty individualistic explanations low educational aspirations out of wedlock births frivolous spending structural explanations lack of unskilled jobs Who benefits from the poor Herbert Gans poverty and the poor satisfy positive functions for many non poor society s dirty work performed at a low cost creates jobs that serve poor groups o o o upholds conventional social norms o guarantees higher status of more affluent o absorb cost of social change Rethinking Welfare 1996 personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act passed in US ended long standing federal guarantee of assistance to every poor family that meets requirements other counties widely vary in commitment to social service programs definition movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society s stratification system to another Social Mobility Types of Social Mobility horizontal movement within some range of prestige vertical movement from one position to another rank intergenerational changes in children s position relative to their parent intergenerational social position changes within person s adult life Mobility Patterns in the US Blau and Duncan 1967 o great deal of mobility o upward mobility is more prevalent than downward mobility most of it being structurally induced o upward mobility is of the short range variety o most important channel education patterns in cross cultural comparison o similar mobility patterns with one exception more mobility from working to professional elite in US
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