Chapter 11 Notes - Instructor: Richard Wiley Jr. PDF

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Instructor: Richard Wiley Jr....

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Chapter 11 Notes: Social Stratification What is Social Stratification? 11.1 Identify four principles that underlie social stratification. Social Stratification ● is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences ● is found in all societies but varies according to what is unequal and how unequal it is ● carries over from one generation to the next ● is supported by a system of cultural beliefs that defines certain kinds of inequality as just ● takes two general forms: caste systems and class systems

Key Terms 11.1 Social mobility- a change in position within the social hierarchy Social stratification- system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy Social mobility- a change in position within the social hierarchy

Caste and Class Systems 11.2 Apply the concepts of caste, class , and meritocracy to societies around the world. Caste Systems ● are based on birth (ascription) and permit little or social mobility

● shape a person’s entire life, including occupation and marriage ● are common in traditional, agrarian societies An Illustration: India Although the caste system is formally outlawed in India, it is still observed in rural areas, where agriculture demands a lifetime of hard work and discipline. ● In traditional villages, caste determines the work people perform and whom they may marry. ● Powerful cultural beliefs make observing caste rules a moral duty. Class Systems ● are based on both birth (ascription) and meritocracy (individual achievement) ● permit some social mobility based on individual achievement ● are common in modern industrial and postindustrial societies ● Status consistency in class systems is low because of increased social mobility Caste and Class: The United Kingdom ● In the Middle Ages, England had a castelike aristocracy, including the leading clery and a hereditary nobility. The vast majority of people were commoners. ● Today’s British class system mixes caste and meritocracy, producing a highly stratified society with some social mobility. Caste and Class: Japan ● In the Middle Ages, Japan had a rigid caste system in which an imperial family ruled over nobles and commoners.

● Today’s Japanese class system still places great importance on family background and traditional gender roles. Classless Societies? The Former Soviet Union ● Although the Russian Revolution in 1917 attempted to abolish social classes, the new Soviet Union was still stratified based on unequal job categories and the concentration of power in the new political elite. Economic development created types of jobs, which resulted in structural social mobility. ● Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the forces of structural social mobility have turned downward and the gap between rich and poor has increased. China: Emerging Social Classes ● Economic reforms introduced after the Communist revolution in 1949 - including state control of factories and productive property - greatly reduced economic inequality, although social differences remained. ● In the last thirty years, China’s government has loosened control of the economy, causing the emergence of a new class of business owners and increase in economic inequality. Key Terms 11.2 Caste system- social stratification based on ascription, or birth Class system- social stratification based on both birth and individual achievement Meritocracy- social stratification based on personal merit Status consistency- the degree of uniformity in a person’s social standing across various dimensions of social inequality Structural social mobility- a shift in the social position of large numbers of people due more to changes in society itself than to individual efforts

Ideology: Supporting Stratification 11.3 Explain how cultural beliefs justify social inequality. ● Cultural beliefs justify patterns of social inequality. ● Ideology reflects both a society’s economic system and its level of technology. Key Terms 11.3 Ideology- cultural beliefs that justify particular social arrangements, including patterns of inequality

Theories of Social Inequality 11.4 Apply sociology’s major theories to the topic of social inequality. Structural-functional theory points to ways social stratification helps society operate. ● The Davis-Moore thesis states that social stratification is universal because of its functional consequences. ● In case systems, people are rewarded for performing the duties of their position at birth. ● In class systems, unequal rewards attract the ablest people to the most important jobs and encourage effort. Social-conflict theory claims that stratification divides societies in classes, benefitting some categories of people at the expense of others and causing social conflict. ● Karl Marx claimed that capitalism places economic production under the ownership of capitalists, who exploit the proletarians who sell their labor for wages. ● Max Weber identified three distinct dimensions of social stratification: economic class, social status or prestige, and power. Conflict exists between people at

various positions on a multidimensional hierarchy of socioeconomic status (SES). ● Symbolic-interaction theory, a micro-level analysis, explains that we size up people by looking for clues to their social standing. ● Conspicuous consumption refers to buying and displaying products that make a statement about social class. ● People’s attitudes about social inequality reflect not just facts but also politics and values concerning how a society should be organized. Key Terms 10.4 Davis-Moore thesis- the functional analysis claiming that social stratification has beneficial consequences for the operation of society Blue-collar occupations- lower-prestige jobs that involve mostly manual labor White-collar occupations- higher-prestige jobs that involve mostly mental activity Socioeconomic status (SES)- a composite ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality Conspicuous consumption- buying and using products because of the statement they make about social position

Social Stratification and Technology: A Global Perspective 11.5 Analyze the link between a society’s technology and its social stratification. ● Gerhard Lenski identifies five types of societies defined by their productive technology: hunting and gathering, horticultural and pastoral, agrarian, industrial, and postindustrial societies. ● Lenski explains that advancing technology initially increases social stratification, which is most intense in agrarian societies.

● Industrialization reverses the trend, reducing social stratification. ● In postindustrial societies, social stratification again increases....