Chapter 8 Continued Stratification and Social Mobility in the U S 3 31 14 Distribution of Wealth Richest 20 of U S families four fifths of country s wealth Wealthiest 5 very rich over half of all property Richer still 1 of families one third Distribution of Income Top 20 of population 47 3 of country s income Bottom 20 4 2 of country s income Both have inequality but distribution of wealth has even more inequality Distribution of Power power is also not equally distributed C W Mills the power elite powerful bureaucracies 1 Business Officials 2 Government Officials 3 Military Officials W Domhoff the ruling class upper class upper class is over represented Distribution of Prestige 1940s by asking ordinary people Occupational Prestige Supreme Court Judge 85 College President 82 Physician 82 Janitor 22 Poverty Absolute Poverty the inability to afford minimal standards of food clothing shelter lack of basic necessities Relative Poverty floating standard by which people at the bottom of a society are judged as being disadvantaged in comparison to the nation as a whole being poor in a rich country Video Being at the Bottom they want to do the best that they can Tammy s story Relatively poor in southern Ohio Single mother with four kids works at Burger King and walks 10 5 miles to work 2 kids don t like to show their friends their mother or their house Matthew is trying very hard and he wants to go to college and be in a higher class he is embarrassed and wants to make his life better Kids need to respect mother but mother needs to respect kids and encourage them to do well in life Tammy s story updated She has a house now and is still working at Burger King but has a shorter walk to work 20 minutes Oldest Matthew had a daughter and didn t go to college Bo dropped out of high school and had a kid too used to do drugs and he was Tammy had a heart attack and hates her life but she still wants to become a laid off of his job teacher Feminization of Poverty Poverty Line Who are the Poor 28 in poverty Gender Since World War II increasing proportion of poor in U S have been women Underclass long term poor who lack training and skills Rural poverty is high Food cost x3 depended on income and how big the family was Geography the south southwest Rural America rural poor and inner city Education college degree is less likely to be poor Race Ethnicity Native Americans Latinos and African Americans 26 Children under 18 are most likely to be poor 1900s 40 poverty 1960s 20 poverty war against poverty 2007 increase in poverty from 13 to 15 Some parts of America are like a third world country Why is there Poverty in the First Place 2 Opposing Explanations 1 Blame the Poor Oscar Lewis 1961 culture of poverty have own culture where they can t move up Have a particular set of values Lack of ambition and encouragement 2 Blame Society W J Wilson society is primarily responsible for poverty Changing economy No opportunities 3 Third View Combination of the Two Individualistic Explanations Low educational aspirations Out of wedlock births Frivolous spending Structural Explanations Lack of unskilled jobs Low pay Location Who Benefits from the Existence of the Poor Gans poverty and poor satisfy positive functions for many non poor groups Society s dirty work performed at low cost Creates jobs that serve the poor Upholds conventional social norms Guarantees higher status of more affluent Absorb cost of social change Middle class said they have their jobs because of the poor in the war on poverty Poverty dropped 7 after the war Today the poverty rate is 15 Rethinking Welfare in North America and Europe Understand 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 with children Married couples have lower rates of poverty for all races than single mothers Most poor people are only poor for a year or less 59 and only 12 of people in poverty were poor for 5 or more years Social Mobility Social Mobility movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society s stratification system to another Types of Social Mobility Horizontal Mobility movement within same range of prestige and very close range of income same job different company Vertical Mobility movement from one position to another of a different rank Intergenerational Mobility changes in children s position relative to their parents Intragenerational Mobility social position changes within person s adult life same generation following a person s career path First job through retirement Greater in U S than other countries Upward mobility for the most part Mobility Patterns in the U S Blau and Duncan 1967 intergenerational mobility fathers and sons 1 There is a great deal of mobility 2 Upward mobility is more prevalent than downward mobility most of it being structurally induced 3 out of 4 sons 3 Upward mobility is the short range variety working to lower middle class and lower middle class to upper middle class 1960s upward mobility was limited for African Americans Mobility Patterns in Cross Cultural Comparison Similar mobility patterns with one exception there is more mobility from the working class to the professional elite doctor in the U S
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