Sociology Chapter 8 NotesQuestions- What are systems of stratification?- How do they differ from the American class system?- What are the different classes?- Can people move from one class to another?- What are the different types of poverty?Status- The social honor or prestige given to a particular group by other members of society- Not necessarily corresponding to powerSocial Stratification- How individuals and social groups are divided in society and the inequalities of wealth and power that result- Structured inequalities- Social inequalities that result from patterns in the social structureCharacteristics of stratification systems- Rankings apply o groups of people who share characteristics but don’t necessarily interact or identify with each other- A group’s position in the ranking system affects life experiences and opportunities- The ranking system changes slowlySystems of stratification- Slavery- Castes- ClassSlavery- A form of social stratification in which some people are literally owned by others as their property- Total subjection of individuals to the interests of their owners- Ancient Greece and Egypt, US and the CaribbeanCastes- A social system in which one’s social status is given for life- Social life is segregated- Intimate relationships are restricted to members of one’s own casteClasses- A large group of people who hold similar material prosperity and power- Life chances- A person’s opportunities for achieving economic prosperity- Characteristics- Fluidity- no clear-cut boundaries, no legal or religious rules prohibiting mobility- Position is partially achieved; movement up and down is possible based on individual achievements- Class is economically based- the higher the lass, the more one’s material resources- Large scale and impersonal- inequalities are expressed though different pay, working conditions or other aspects of material life- Class differences based on:- Income- payment, usually derived from wages, salaries, or investments; unequal distribution of income among class groups- Wealth- the assets that an individual owns, such as cash, savings, and checking accounts, and investments in stock, bonds and real estate- Education- college education predicts occupation, income and wealth later in life; racial differences persist- Occupation- affected by education, affects income and wealth- American society is extremely stratifiedThe Upper Class in the US- Broadly composed of the more affluent members of society, especially those who have inheritedwealth, own businesses and hold large numbers of stocks (shares)- Very small- 10% of the population- Old money, actors, athletes- 300,000+The Middle Class in the US- Composed broadly of those working in white-collar and lower managerial occupations- Occupational prestige, income, and wealth spilt middle class into upper middle and lower middleclassesUpper Middle Class- Professionals- Small business owners- 120,000-300,000- 20% of the populationLower Middle Class- Teachers, nurses, civil servants- 48,000-120,000- 20% of the populationWorking Class- Broadly composed of people working in blue-collar, or manual, occupations- Factory workers, restaurant workers, clerical work- 30,000-48,000- 20% of the populationLower Class- Composed of people who work part time or not at all and whose annual household income is typically about 17,000- > 30,000- Semi-skilled labor- No promotions- Rent- 15% of the populationUnder Class- Individuals at the bottom of the class system, normally composed of people from ethnic minoritybackgrounds- “new urban poor”- High poverty neighborhoods- Unskilled- Unemployed- Welfare- 15% of the populationClass and Inheritance- What is an inheritance?- Any contribution that your parents can and will give you- Life insurance- Monetary gifts- Time/Labor- Does an inheritance only take place after death?- NO- Who and what- One in four whites will receive an inheritance averaging 145000- One in twenty blacks averaging 42000- Black baby boomers will inherit $.13 for every $1.00 white baby boomers will inherit- Family assistance- Whites- 2824- Blacks- 805Benefits of Inheritance- Childhood quality of life- Education- Entertainment- Travel- Camps/private lessons- Cultural capital- Knowing how to function in society- Etiquette, vocabulary, demeanorMeritocracy- Status and position based on individual merit- Meritocracy and inheritance- Earned, deserved, gift- Hard to combine- Difficult to delineate- AdvantagesSocial mobility- Vertical mobility- movement up or down- Horizontal mobility- movement in your class- Intragenerational mobility- movement during one’s lifetime- Intergenerational mobility- movement from one generation to another- Exchange mobility- the exchange of positions on the socioeconomic scale such that talented people move up the economic hierarchy while the less talented move down- Structural mobility- mobility resulting from changed in the number and kinds of jobs available in a societyPoverty- Transitional: unemployed- Marginal: lacks stable employment- Residual: chronic, multigenerational- Absolute: severe, lacks resources to survive- Relative: compared to those around us- Poverty line- Working poor- People who work, but whose earnings are not enough to lift them above the poverty line- Feminization of poverty- An increase in the proportion of the poor who are female- Growing numbers of women who are single mothers, divorced or separated- Children in poverty- Related to economic conditions and government spendingWhat are the different explanations of poverty?- Cultural/behavioral- The poor are poor due to lack of willingness to seize opportunities- Poor don’t work hard enough- Welfare system and dependency effect- Culture of poverty- Poor are socialized to learn values, beliefs and lifestyles that are incompatible with upward mobility in the class system- Dependency culture- Culture of individuals who rely on government welfare subsidies rather than working for pay- Structural/Economic- Unfair economic opportunities and educational systems, political power, discrimination- William Julius Wilson- Changes in labor market, lack of jobscriminal activity, selective out-migration- Social structure- Inequities are built into