Chapter 9 Social Stratification Social stratification a society s categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic tiers based on factors like wealth income race education and power Created and supported by society as a whole Wealth the net value of money and assets a person has Income a person s wages or investment dividends Systems of stratification Closed system little change in position people can t shift levels no relations between levels Open system based on achievement allow movement and interaction between layers and classes Caste system closed born into standing and remain there forever cultural values Class system based on social factors and individual achievement open Class a set of people who shares similar status with regard to factors like wealth income education and occupation Exogamous marriage unions of spouses from different social categories Endogamous union marrying a partner from the same social background Meritocracy merit determines social standing an ideal Status consistency describe the consistency or lack or an individual s rank across these factors closed systems correlate with high consistency Primogeniture a law stating that all property would be inherited by the firstborn son Standard of living the level of wealth available to a certain socioeconomic class in order to acquire the material necessities and comforts to maintain its lifestyle Based on factors like income class poverty rates Closely related to quality of life Upper class money provides power shape the identity of the nation shape attitudes and values old money inherited new money earned Middle class broken into upper and lower groups upper degrees like business law and medicine lower degrees from 2 year community colleges comfort is key Lower class aka working class divided into the working class working poor and the underclass jobs require little skill Social mobility the ability to change positions within a social stratification system Upward mobility an increase in social class Downward mobility lowering of one s class Intergenerational mobility a difference in social class between different generations of a family Ex parents different than children Intragenerational mobility difference in social class between different members of the same generation Ex siblings different than each other Structural mobility happens when societal changes enable a whole group of people to move up or down the social class ladder Class traits aka class markers typical behaviors customs and norms that define each class Indicate the level of exposure a person has to a wide range of cultures Indicate the amount of resources a person has to spend on items like hobbies vacations and leisure activities Global stratification compares the wealth economic stability status and power of countries across the world analyze economic comparisons between nations and compares quality of life a person can have Models of global stratification All models rank countries according to their relative economic status or gross national product First second and third world countries First and second world described industrialized nation third world are referred to as undeveloped More developed high wealth vs less developed less wealth Defines countries based on GDP avg national wealth per person calculated by totaling the income of all citizens or the value of all goods and services produced in the country during the year Also compares the standard of living Middle income nations rep the global average Functionalism Conflict theory Davis Moore thesis the greater the functional importance of a social role the greater must be the reward Social stratification rep the inherently unequal value of different work rewarding more important work with higher levels of income and power encourages people to work harder Social stratification benefits only some people Strained working relationship between employers and workers still exists Symbolic Interactionism People live and work with others like themselves People s appearance reflects their social standing Conspicuous consumption buying certain products to make a social statement about status Social stratification structurand have quite devastating coned inequality between groups May be based on economics gender race religion age and others 3 key aspects class status and power Attributes trait of society open closed persists over generations move within hierarchy universal belief systems in society usually try to justify Why focus on it It shapes all of our lives in fundamental ways our choices and decisions our optimism can motivate or demoralize can create societal crises and conflicts can drive social change Social class occupation education income home wealth Functionalist societal sifting and sorting occurs based on system needs individuals are ranked according to ability and merit and placed into appropriate positions rewards are based on amount of work and effort put in and the societal importance of the position if we view the social world through functionalist lenses stratification seems okay Conflict theory system is not purly merit based inequalities in where we start from and institutional access and treatment along the way has serious consequences for one s life chances those in power often shape the reward structure and rules to their own benefit stratification only benefits sine at the cost of others Global inequality involves the concentration of resources in certain nations significantly affecting the opportunities of people in poorer and less powerful countries Chap ter 10 Glob al Ineq ualit y Functionalist macro analytical view focuses on the way that all aspects of society are integral to the continued health and viability of the whole Why do we have inequality and what does it serve Conflict Theory focuses on the creation and reproduction of inequality Address the systematic inequality created when core nations exploit the resources of other nations Symbolic Interaction day to day impact understanding what someone living in a core nation defines as poverty vs what a poor person defines as poverty Global stratification refers to unequal distribution among nations Two dimensions gaps between nations and gaps within nations Global Classification Cold War Terminology developed during Cold War era 1945 1980 Classify nations into first second or third world countries based on economic development and standards of living First world U S and Japan second world China