Introduction to Sociology Study Guide Exam 2 Fall 2012 This study guide is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible items on the test It is helpful in identifying key points and terms from the lectures and readings assigned for this exam What is social class Class a group of people who share a roughly similar economic position and lifestyle Being rich or poor shapes a person s life experiences in important ways Defining social class how we rank people What are some significant differences between classes in the U S Upper 368 000 wealth different from income privilege and prestige Usually owners of large corporations Generally family has one income wives don t work Middle 55 000 368 000 secure living on multiple incomes Can afford college Achieved through education and working not through inheritance like upper class People have benefits like healthcare Working 12 000 55 000 household income Provide for minimum needs Less likely to have benefits Lower 55 000 v working poor Periods of unemployment Some on government expenses others homeless Underclass Define status prestige social position A person s income education and occupation correlates to status and social class What is social stratification Stratification is a factor that guides people s interactions in everyday life People tend to interact with others in the same social standing Social stratification is a trait of society not simply a reflection of individual differences How is it functional Inequality creates incentives Functional importance determines rewards Such a system promotes productivity How is it dysfunctional for society Unequal distribution of resources benefits some while harming others What is the Davis Moore Thesis Claims that stratification has beneficial consequences for society as a whole What is meritocracy What is a meritocratic society Meritocracy system where you can earn privilege based on merit Myth you can earn rewards through your own merit Advantages are passed on not about your performance What is cultural capital Consists of various types of knowledge skills and other cultural resources How is cultural capital related to social class Cultural capital interacts with economic capital and with social capital relationships that are potentially economically valuable resulting from membership in a group In White Privilege Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack McIntosh discusses the myth of meritocracy and your text describes meritocracy and cultural capital What is the myth of meritocracy How are rewards earned differently through cultural capital than a meritocratic system Meritocracy is a system in which people are rewarded and are able to advance because of their abilities These ideas suggest that our stratification system is open and fair Many Americans tend to think that people get out of the system what they put into it based on individual merit When reflecting on white privilege McIntosh gives up the myth of meritocracy One s life is not what one makes it many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own Meaning one s success is based more on cultural capital rather than individual merit Cultural capital consists on various types of knowledge skills and other cultural resources Those born into privilege have friends in high places and have full acceptance into the highest social circle giving them a far advantage of success Rewards are earned much differently through cultural capital For example schools are generally organized to value the cultural capital of the higher classes and reward students accordingly What is conspicuous consumption Many people buy and use products because of the statement they make about their social position Lavish spending done to compete for status with others What is social mobility Intergenerational and Intragenerational The ability to move from one social class to another Intergenerational refers to upward or downward social mobility of children in relation to their parents Intragenerational mobility compares how your socio economic status has changed over the course of your lifetime Who are the poor in the US Children are more likely to be poor than people in any other age group and more poor people live in rural or suburban areas than in urban areas In the last half of the 2oth century class and gender intersected in a feminization of poverty Age children Race African Americans and Hispanics Gender women Family patterns single mothers Which families are mostly likely to live in poverty Headed by a single woman What is the feminization of poverty A trend in which women have come to make up an increasingly large share of the poor How many households are headed by single women This trend results largely from the fact that by 2010 just over half of all poor families were headed by a single woman Which age group is most likely to live in poverty One out of five children live in poverty 22 the highest poverty rate Know the differences between absolute and relative poverty Absolute poverty refers to a scarcity of resources so severe that it is life threatening Nearly 20 of the world s population lives on less than a dollar a day one indicator of absolute poverty Relative poverty refers to a lack of the basic resources needed to maintain a standard of living considered acceptable in a particular society Risk factors associated with being in the underclass The members of this group typically live in poverty Being in the underclass affects a person s state of health quality of education type of work they do if any level of political participation and their overall lifestyle What is the relationship between social class and health Compared to the poor wealthier people in the U S eat better enjoy better health care experience less stress reside in safer neighborhoods and live an average of seven years longer The more education and income you have the less likely you are to develop or die from heart disease diabetes strokes and many forms of cancer What are lifechances The likelihood a person has of obtaining valued economic and cultural resources How does social class affect an individual s life chances Such as life expectancy KNOW the infant mortality rate for the poor compared to national average educational inequality etc Access to economic resources and material comfort can determine the quality of life Infant mortality rate doubles for the poor Children from poor families score lower on tests of cognitive skill Poor children often go to
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