Chapter 9- Stratification PDF

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Intro to Sociology chapter 9 notes...

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Detailed Chapter Outline I. What Is Social Stratification? . A. There are four basic principles of stratification: 1. Social stratification is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences. 2. Social stratification persists over generations. . 3. Social stratification is universal but variable. 4.

Social stratification involves not just inequality but beliefs.

II. Caste and Class Systems A. A caste system is social stratification based on ascription or birth. 1. Characteristics a. Caste systems are typical of agrarian societies b. Closed system- allows little change in social position c. It determines your life B. In a class system, social stratification is based on both birth and individual achievement. 1. Meritocracy – social stratification based on personal merit (knowledge, abilities, & effort) 2. Social mobility – change in position within the social hierarchy (upward/downward) 3. Status consistency – degree of uniformity in a person’s social standing across various dimensions of social inequality

C.

4.

Class consciousness – self-understanding of members of a social class

5.

False Consciousness – distorted understanding of one’s class identity and interest

Classless societies

III. Explaining Stratification: Structural-Functional Theory

A. The Davis–Moore thesis is the assertion that social stratification has beneficial consequences for the operations of a society. The greater the functional importance of a position, the more rewards a society attaches to it. Promotes productivity and efficiency. “Unequal rewards benefit society as a whole”

IV. Social-Conflict Theories A. Karl Marx: Class and conflict. 1. Marx saw classes as defined by people’s relationship to the means of production. People either own productive property or sell their labor to others. Capitalists: people who own and operate factories and other businesses in pursuit of profits. Proletarians: people who sell their labor for wages. 2.Max Weber identified three distinct dimensions of stratification: class, status, and power. 1. Class: economic inequality 2. Status: social prestige. Socioeconomic status: composite ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality 3. Power V. Symbolic-Interaction Theory 1. Sociologists use the term conspicuous consumption to refer to buying and using products because of the “statement” they make about social position. VI. Social Stratification and Technology: Hunting-and-gathering societies: produce only what is necessary for day-to-day living Technology advances create a surplus, but social inequality increases. Kuznets Curve: technological advances first increase but then moderate the intensity of social stratification; greater inequality is functional for agrarian societies, but industrial societies benefit from a more equal system. VII. Inequality and Social Class in the United States A. U.S. society is highly stratified, but many people underestimate the extent of structured inequality in U.S. society for the following reasons: B. Income: earnings from work or investments; median family income is 75,938 C. Wealth: total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts D. Power: families that control most of the country’s wealth also have the ability to shape the agenda of the entire society

E. Occupational prestige: high-prestige occupations go to privileged categories of people: highest ranked occupations are dominated by men; lowest-prestige jobs are mostly performed by people of color F. Schooling: people who attend college typically come from families with aboveaverage income and wealth; where people attend school reflects their social background; schooling affects occupation and income G. Ancestry: nothing affects social standing more than birth into a particular family and will affect future schooling, occupation, and income H. Race/Ethnicity: white people have a higher overall occupational standing than African Americans and also receive more schooling; racial difference in income can result from the large proportion of single-parent families among African Americans; people of English ancestry have the most wealth and power in U.S. society I. Gender: women have less income, wealth, and occupational prestige than men; single-parent families headed by a woman are more than twice as likely to be poor as those headed by a man VIII. Social Classes in the United States See list under tab Social Classes in Blackboard IX. The Difference Class Makes A. Health: children born into poor families are twice as likely to die from disease, neglect, accidents, or violence during their first year of life as children born into privileged families; adults with above-average income are almost twice as likely as low-income people to describe their health as excellent B. Values and Attitudes. C. Politics: high-incomes lean Republican & low-incomes lean Democratic; economic vs. social issues; more income = more politically involved . D. Family and gender: working-class encourage norms, boundaries, and respect; highclass tend to be more flexible and reasoning X. Social Mobility A. Intragenerational social mobility – change in social position occurring during a person’s lifetime B. intergenerational social mobility – upward or downward social mobility of children in relation to their parents

C. Myth versus reality. 1. Five general conclusions about social mobility in the United States: a. social mobility over the past century has been fairly high b. within a single generation, social mobility is usually small c. the long-term trend in social mobility has been upward d. since the 1970s, social mobility has been uneven e. the recent trend in social mobility has been downward . XI. Poverty and the Trend toward Increasing Inequality in the United States A. Relative poverty refers to the lack of resources of some people in relation to those who have more. B. Absolute poverty is a lack of resources that is life-threatening. C. The extent of U.S. Poverty: 13.5% of the U.S. population is poor...