Chapter 8 Class and Stratification in the United States

Chapter Outline  What is Social Stratification?  Global Systems of Stratification  Classical Perspectives on Social Class  Contemporary Sociological Models of the U.S. Class Structure  Inequality in the United States  Poverty in the United States  Sociological Explanations of Social Inequality in the United States  U.S. Stratification in the Future

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon “A hierarchy of relative privilege based on power, property, and prestige.” Large social groups – control over basic resources What is Social Stratification?

Three Major systems of social stratification  Slavery  Caste  Class

Global Systems Of Stratification  Stratification systems are classified as open or closed.  Open system: Boundaries between levels in hierarchies are flexible and positions are influenced by achieved statuses. Class  Closed system: Boundaries between levels in hierarchies are rigid, and positions are set by ascribed status. – Caste practice endogamy  No system is completely open or closed.

Caste System: India  Brahman  Kshatriya  Vaishya  Shudra  Dalit (untouchables)  Priests and teachers  Rulers and soliders  Merchants/traders  Peasants/laborers  Outcastes

Slavery Today:  Enslavement for work and sex is a problem in Africa, Asia, and South America  Human Trafficking

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon  Wealth, Power, Prestige  Distinction Between Wealth and Income  Distribution of Wealth, Property, and Income What is Social Class?

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon  Karl Marx: The Means of Production(Capitalists vs. Proletariat  Max Weber: Property(Wealth), Prestige, and Power Determinants of Social Class

Marx’s View of Stratification

Marxian Criteria for Class Structure 1. Ownership of the means of production. 2. Employing others. 3. Supervising others on the job. 4. Being employed by someone else.

Comparison of Marx’s and Wright’s Models of Class Structure

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon Updating Marx  Capitalists  Petty Bourgeoisie  Managers  Workers Wright’s Model

Marxian Model of the Class Structure  Capitalist Class - those who have inherited fortunes, own corporations, are corporate executives who control company investments.  Managerial Class - upper-level managers and lower-level managers who may have control over employment practices.

Marxian Model of the Class Structure  Small-Business Class - small business owners, craftspeople, and professionals who hire a few employees and do their own work.  Working Class - blue-collar workers and white-collar workers who do not own the means of production.

Weber’s Dimensions  Wealth - the value of all of a person’s or family’s economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property.  Prestige - the respect or regard with which a person or status position is regarded by others.  Power - the ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.

Wright: Criteria for Placement in the Class Structure 1.Ownership of the means of production. 2.Purchase of the labor of others (employing others). 3.Control of the labor of others (supervising others on the job). 4.Sale of one’s own labor (being employed by someone else).

Weber’s Multidimensional Approach to Social Stratification

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon  Ordinarily Wealth, Power, and Prestige are Similar  When they Don’t Match Status Inconsistency

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Weberian Model for Social Class – 3 criteria  Education  Occupation of family head  Family income

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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon Updating Weber  Capitalist Class  The Upper Middle Class  The Lower Middle Class  The Working Class  The Working Poor  The Underclass Sociological Models of Social Class

Stratification Based on Education, Occupation and Income

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon  The Fords - Capitalist Class  Ford Executives - Lower Capitalist Class  Owner Ford Dealership - Upper Middle  Ford Salesperson - Lower Middle Class  Ford Mechanics - Working Class  Ford Detailer - Working Poor  Car Lot Cleaner - Underclass Social Class in the Auto Industry - Ford

Weberian Model of the Class Structure  Upper Class - comprised of people who own substantial income-producing assets.  Upper-Middle Class - based on university degrees, authority on the job, and high income.  Middle Class - a minimum of a high school diploma or a community college degree.

Weberian Model of the Class Structure  Working Class - semiskilled workers, in routine, mechanized jobs, and workers in pink collar occupations.  Working Poor - live just above to just below the poverty line.  Underclass - people who are poor, seldom employed, and caught in long- term deprivation.

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Social Mobility  The movement of individuals or groups from one level in a stratification system to another.  Intergenerational mobility is the social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.  Intragenerational mobility is the social movement of individuals within their own lifetime.

Sociological Explanations of Social Inequality in the U.S. Functionalist Social inequality is necessary for the functioning of society. Conflict Powerful individuals and groups maintain their position in society at the expense of others. Symbolic Interactionist Beliefs and actions reflect people’s class in society.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon Davis and Moore’s Explanation  Society Must Make Sure all Positions are Filled  Some Positions are More Important than Others Why is Social Stratification Universal? Functionalist View

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon  To Motivate Qualified People, They Must Be Rewarded Why is Social Stratification Universal? Functionalist View Davis and Moore’s Explanation  More Important Positions Filled by More Qualified People

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon Tumin’s Critique of Davis and Moore  How do We Know Positions Most Important?  Stratification Should = Meritocracy  It Ought to Benefit Everyone Why is Social Stratification Universal? Functionalist View

Meritocracy  A hierarchy in which all positions are rewarded based on people’s ability and credentials.  To advance meritocracy, industrial societies expand equality of opportunity  Pure meritocracy, social position would depend entirely on a person’s ability and effort.

Conflict perspective  Economic/political power – shape and distribute the rewards, privileges and opportunities for their own benefit.  Core values, laws, norms support inequality – legalized segregation  Profits reinvested for the enrichment of the wealthy

Symbolic interactionists  Focus on microlevel – social interaction of people from different social classes  Activities, items  Social groups  Deference of household workers and their employers

Income and Wealth  Income - wages, salaries, government aid, and property  Wealth - value of economic assets, including income and property.  Socioeconomic status (SES) refers to a combined measure that attempts to classify individuals, families, or households in terms of factors such as income, occupation, and education to determine class location.

Distribution of Pretax Income in the United States

Life Chances and the consequences of Inequality  The extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, shelter, clothing, education and health care. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon

Population without Health Insurance: U.S.

Defining Poverty  Sociologists distinguish between absolute and relative poverty.  Absolute poverty exists when people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life.  Relative poverty exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living.

% Distribution of Poverty in the U.S. Education All RacesWhite African AmericanHispanic No diploma High School Graduate Some college College degree (or more)

% Distribution of Poverty in the U.S. AgeAllWhite African AmericanHispanic Under – and above

Feminization of Poverty  The trend in which women are disproportionately represented among individuals living in poverty.  Women single heads of households bear the major economic and emotional burdens of raising children but earn between 70 and 80 cents for every dollar a male worker earns.

Job Deskilling  Reduction in the proficiency needed to perform a job that leads to a reduction in wages.  The shift from manufacturing to service occupations resulted in the loss of higher- paying positions and their replacement with lower-paying, less secure positions that do not offer the wages, job stability, or advancement potential of the disappearing manufacturing jobs.

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