Notes 02 12 14 Drinking higher in higher income bracket Low income individuals more susceptible to anti drinking ads Cigarette smoking has opposite trend as drinking Substantially higher if you fall below poverty level Marijuana usage is consistent throughout education and income bracket Inequality Poverty and Wealth Key Terms Social stratification a ranking of people and the rewards they receive based on objective criteria often including wealth power and or prestige Income money received for work or through investments Wealth all of an individuals material possessions including income minus debt Income Distribution Richest 20 of Americans 50 of total income Poorest 20 3 4 of total income Wealth Remember includes income and assets minus debt Top 1 of wealth holders in US have more wealth than bottom 90 Inheritance issues Power Ability to carry out your will and impose it on others Force type of power that occurs when you make someone do something against his her will i e IRS the Draft Persuasive power using direct indirect methods to get what you want Army recruiter telling you if you join you ll get something out of it Prestige Level of esteem associated with one s status and social standing Non monetary benefits people tend to give you more respect with the more prestige you have Examples Physician 86 Lawyer 75 Colleg professor 74 Accountant 65 Police 65 JournalistL 60 Housewife 51 Househusband 36 Bartender 25 CEO President Social Class in the US Upper Class Elite Small in number Significant wealth 1 Old money New money o Athletes entertainers o Don t inherit their wealth o Donald Trump Mark Zuckerberg Steve Jobs Bill Gates Access to certain social circles Upper Middle Class High income not very wealth but do earn a respectable amount of money Well educated Not the super wealthy Have a professional career high status job 100 000 and own property own their own vehicles 15 Middle Class Moderate incomes 40 000 80 000 Lower earning white collar workers i e teachers to well paid blue collar workers Overlap between salary employees High school or college education 34 Working Class High school diploma or less Manual labor or clerical jobs Limited advancement 30 Lower Class In poverty Disproportionately minority o Black Hispanic Living paycheck paycheck About of children in US living in poverty Urban underclass Neighborhoods with o Poverty o Family disruptions Divorce Parent leaving going to jail o Male employment o Lack of individuals in high status occupations Lack of opportunities Don t have the means to get out of poverty Definitions of Poverty Transitional poverty temporary state of poverty that occurs when someone goes without a job for a short period of time Marginal poverty state of poverty that occurs when a person lacks stable employment Residual Poverty chronic and multigenerational poverty Absolute poverty poverty so severe that one lacks resources to survive NOT common in the U S Relative poverty state of poverty that occurs when we compare ourselves to those around us Government definition Theoretical Approaches Functionalism own merit Conflict theory Inequality is necessary for society to function smoothly US as a meritocracy those who get ahead in society do so according to their We need to fill every position in society we need doctors but also cashiers Everyone is competing for limited resources Workers are exploited by owners Those born into high social class can stay there Symbolic interactionism Meaning behind social problems Blaming the victim accusing those who suffer from a social problem for that problem Effects of Social Class Neighborhoods Health Family Education Fewer teen pregnancies in wealthier neighborhoods Wealthy neighborhoods more resources Lower class neighborhood o Low birth rate o Decrease health Social Mobility The ability to change social classes Horizontal moving within the same status category vs vertical moving from one social status to another mobility Intragenerational when an individual changes social standing esp in the workforce vs intergenerational changes that family members make from one social class to the next through generations mobility Structural mobility when social changes affect a large number of people i e the recession left a lot of people without jobs major social change Exchange mobility concept suggesting that within the U S each social class contains a relatively fixed number of people Economy and Work Notes 02 19 14 Forms of Economy Social Institutions organization that provides a framework for individuals to communicate with the larger society i e schools military religion politics Economic systems economies social institution that helps a society organize what it produces distributes and consumes including goods and services Two Main Types o Capitalism economic system in which individual or private corporations can own and operate the production of goods make decisions about the price of goods and distribute them as they deem appropriate o Three Big Points Private ownership your business leads to profit Profit motivation Free market market is working without government motivation control o Socialism economic system by which resources and means of production are owned collectively by the citizens o Democratic socialism what we usually see type of economic system involving a blend of free market capitalism and government regulation of the economy Convergence theory tendency for capitalism and socialism to converge Global Economy Corporation legal entity that has some objective typically to make a profit for its owners Can purchase property acquire debt and participate in legal contracts Transnational corporation operates in at least two countries and have the interests of its company at heart over of the interests of its native land What are demographic characteristics Characteristics of a population that can be expressed statistically Example Nickel Dimed o Race o Religion o Education o Income o Sex o Age o Marital status o Sexual orientation o Whether or not you have children o Disability status o Race white advantage o Religion atheist o Education PhD advantage o Income upper middle class o Sex female disadvantage for her o Age 50s middle age o Marital status married divorced o Sexual orientation straight o Children yes o Disability status no Education Notes 03 05 14 Charter Schools Nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools