o Most common in agricultural societies plantation crops had to be cared Slavery Systems of Stratification Major stratification systems 3 9 15 Groups divided by o Property o Power o Prestige o Slavery o Caste o Class Origins for o Usual causes Debt Crime War Conditions Today o Not always permanent or inheritable o Rare cases wealthy and or slave owning slaves o Some analysts slavery racism o Still exists Caste Characteristics o Lifelong status determined by birth o Endogamy people in one class would marry people in their same class o Limited contact between castes o Ascribed status because born into it India s religious castes o Untouchables contaminate other castes o 1949 abolished but still part of everyday life U S racial caste system o Replaced slavery o All whites had higher status than all blacks o Intermarriage was illegal o Separate facilities o In a way still exists New law to ban untouchable toilet cleaners Class o More open than slavery or caste o Determinants Money Material possessions o Born into parent s status o Social mobility Marx s view o Bourgeoisie and proletariat Other groups lack class consciousness o Revolution hindered by false class consciousness Weber s view o Property wealth Ownership and or control of means of production Ability to control others even over their objections o Power o Prestige Admiration figure 7 2 connections property can lead to power prestige can lead to property if you have enough property or wealth you can invest in a company for example if you were in a Wheaties commercial you wouldn t make much But when Bruce Jenner is in it he s going to make more because he is more well known Davis and Moore o Motivating qualified people 3 11 15 Functionalist view Society must fill its positions Some positions are more important than others Higher positions greater rewards motivate more qualified Tumin people o Critique of Davis and Moore Positions based on many factors besides merit How do we know higher positions with grater rewards are more Stratification dysfunctional for many important Critiques make functionalism irrelevant Mosca Conflict perspective o Societies require organizations and inequalities of power o Human nature self centered o Powerful seize grater rewards Current applications o Power relations between and within nations o Conflicts beyond capitalists vs workers Lenski s synthesis Functionalism o Groups without surplus Conflict theorists o Groups with surplus Winning group elite Ascribed status matters Personal merit doesn t matter Ex born into royal family first son becomes king How do elites maintain stratification Medieval Europe o Elites nobility and church o Social control ideas coercion o Divine right of kings Modern Great Britain o Class system upper middle lower o Characterized by language and education o Elite kids attend private boarding schools Former soviet union o Communist party membership determined stratification o Communism goal never reached o Socialism reached but failed Applying global stratification foxconn an exclusive inside look Stratification 3 13 15 o Us vs china China doesn t have middle class A lot of competition for work Unintended consequences workers have a lot of stress many committed suicide 3 worlds of global stratification Most industrialized MI o Capitalistic o Poor live better and longer than average least industrialized citizen o Ex U S Australia Japan o Most citizens lower income and living standards than MI many illiterate Industrializing and poor o Not many opportunities o Ex China Soviet Union Least Industrialized LI o Struggle to survive small farms and villages o Most of world s population growth These countries don t have much access to birth control o Ex India Afghanistan Congo How did nations become stratified Colonialism o 1st industrialized nations Invaded weaker nations labor and natural resources Established economic colonies benefitted mother country Ex The English coming here a colonizing World system theory o Core semi periphery periphery ext area Globalized capitalism Interconnected production and trade involves all of today s societies Similar to colonialism nations who industrialize first benefit the most Different from colonialism all countries benefit to some degree Culture of poverty o Least industrialized nations Intergenerational poverty Poor farmers edge of starvation Fatalism which one sociologists prefer Neocolonialism o International markets Maintaining global stratification Nations LIN Trapped LIN in circle of debt Multinational corporations o Maintain dominance of MIN International business MIN always primary beneficiaries o Unintended consequences Most industrialized Nations MIN control Least Industrialized Moving factories to LIN provides local elites opportunities to launch their own factories Nations compete with older capitalist countries Technology and global domination Multinational corporations invest in latest technology Countries export cheap manufactured goods o Use capital to adopt high technology Global domination could shift from west to east 3 16 15 What s social class No clear cut definition Conflict theorists Owners of means of production Everyone else There s no in between Weber o Property o Power o Prestige Material possessions wealth property debt Wealth net worth o Ex home cars bank account stocks business Property Wealth vs income Income flow of money salary inheritance both usually go together exceptions wealthy but little income farming dependent on weather high income little wealth make a lot of money but have a lot of debt or make a lot of money but keep buying things don t need Distribution of income Since 1970 increasing income inequality Today top 20 earn half of U S income Bottom 20 earn 3 4 Huge income gap CEO and average worker Wealth gap people have vastly different lifestyles wealth gap vs income gap if you re wealthy but lose job you have something to fall back on Power Getting your way despite resistance Mills o Power elite makes big decisions Domhoff o Power elite approves all major government decisions Prestige occupations Most prestigious o More pay o More education o More abstract thought o More autonomy freedom and flexibility Least prestigious o Less pay o Less education o More physical labor o Closer supervision All falls down kanye west 3 18 15 o social class upper class because of material possessions o not too wealthy because of overdue bills spending money you don t have o social symbols such as materialistic