Chapter 8

Nanda & Warms A social hierarchy resulting from the relatively permanent unequal distribution of goods and services in society.

Functionalist Theory of Stratification – Stratification is universal – Question- Would you go to school for years to be a doctor if you could get the same benefits being a fast food worker? – Society must distribute positions among its members – People with certain skills and abilities should get certain jobs – Rewards (i.e. money and status) based on the importance of the position – Relative scarcity of qualified personnel

Unequal rewards not the only way to motivate Personal pleasure, value orientations Status and money can be inherited No explanation for wide disparity between rich and poor

Human beings are prone to conflict over scarce resources Stratification is the result of this struggle for scarce resources Once the powerful have resources, they maintain social control to reduce conflict. Karl Marx- Social Class Bourgeosie (factory owner) and Proletariat (factory worker) Max Weber- Caste, Status, Religion, Gender

Conflict theorists sometimes ignore the social mechanisms that promote solidarity across class, racial, ethnic, and caste lines. This solidarity can sometime bring about change. E.g.- shooting deaths of teenagers, state of the economy, gay marriage.

Wealth- material assets Prestige- status, respect, often linked with occupation. Power- ability to influence others to do one’s will Interconnected but not always. Example- El Chapo

Social Class A group of people with relatively similar access to wealth, prestige, and power. Upper Upper Class – 1% - earning millions to billions Lower Upper Class- 2%- earning millions Upper Middle Class- 14% - $ 76,000 or more per annum Lower Middle Class- 26% - $46,000- $75,000 per annum Working Class (Blue collar)- 30%- $19,000- $45,000 Lower Class- Working poor (13%- $ 9000-$18,000) and Under Class (14%- under $9000)

Top 1%- inherited “Old” money Membership might be based on blood Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Hiltons etc. Next 2%- more achievement based; earned “Nouveau Riche” Might be richer than top 1% but lack the “blue blood”

Upper Middle Class Typically earn enough to save AND live well Probably college educated Health insurance Lower Middle Class May earn about the national average

May have some college or no college Below average income May have unstable unemployment Underemployment May depend on public assistance May not participate in political process Do not earn enough to rise above poverty line Do not believe they can earn enough

Absolute Poverty The absence of enough money to get the one or more of the basic necessities of life. Examples: shelter, water, sanitation, food Relative Poverty “Refers to a standard which is defined in terms of the society in which an individual lives and which therefore differs between countries and over time.” (The Poverty Site, n.d.) Example: Relative poverty not the same in U.S. and India

1$11,770 ($32 per day) 1 $876 ($2.40 per day) 2$15,930 3$20,090 4$24,250 5$28,410 6$32,570 7$36,730 8$40,890

Social class- groups of people with relatively similar amounts of wealth, prestige, and power. There are possibilities for movement between the classes This movement is called social mobility.

Social Scientists use the terms open stratification system and closed stratification system to indicate the degree of mobility in a society. Types of Social Mobility Horizontal- movement from one social position to another of a similar rank. Ex. Pilot to police officer. Vertical- movement from one social position to another of a different rank. Ex. Airline pilot becomes bank teller -> downward Bank teller becomes CEO-> upward

Intergenerational- change in social position of children relative to their parents. Plumber->President of the United States President of the United States->Plumber Intragenerational- change in social position within a person’s adult life. Teacher’s aide->school teacher->Superintendent of school district Accounting firm CEO-> Taxicab driver

Ascribed status is the social position into which a person is born (sex, race, kinship group). Closed Stratification System. Achieved status is the social position that a person chooses or achieves (spouse, parent, professor, artist). Open Stratification System.

“The American Dream” is based on the democratic principle of equality and opportunity for all. Achieving the Dream is correlated with race, ethnicity, gender, and class.

Ascribed Achieved You decide…

System of stratification based on birth (ascribed status) Movement from one caste to another is not possible. Castes are hereditary, endogamous, ranked in relation to one another and usually associated with a traditional occupation.

The Castes Brahmins Kshatriyas Vaisyas Shudras Dalits

Four caste categories, and one lower group: 1.Brahmins are priests and scholars. 2.Kshatriyas are the ruling and warrior caste. 3.Vaisyas are merchants. 4.Shudras are menial workers and artisans. 5.Dalits are “untouchables.”

Caste ranking appears to be less sharply defined within the higher caste categories. Caste is less relevant for occupations. Differences in caste are referred to as cultural differences rather than as a hierarchy based on spiritual purity.

Race is a culturally-constructed category based on perceived physical differences. Based on perceived hereditary differences Not a natural category, but a social and cultural fact Used to justify differential treatment and discrimination Affects the lives of both racial majorities and minorities

Highly correlated with industrial pollution and natural disasters (such as Hurricane Katrina) Affects jobs and educational opportunities, access to fair credit, salary levels, social mobility, home ownership, mortgage rates, use of public space, etc.

Brazil is promoted politically as a “racial democracy;” the concept and classification of race is more flexible than in the U.S. and is applied inconsistently. In contemporary Brazil, some 45 percent of the population claims descent from African origins.

The binary form of race and racial classification in the U.S. grew out of the historical roots of slavery. In the United States, race, class, and ethnicity interact in complex ways to produce a culturally unique social stratification system.

Classification system based on national origin Until the mid-20 th century, it was based upon the ideology of assimilation (melting pot). Immigrants should abandon their cultural distinctiveness and become mainstream Americans. After civil rights era of 1960s, ideology shifted to multiculturalism (pluralism- salad bowl). Cultural diversity is a positive value that makes an important contribution to contemporary society.