McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 1 The Sociological Perspective SOCIAL INEQUALITY part McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 3

chapter McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. CHAPTER OUTLINE Stratification in the World System Stratification within Nations: A Comparative PerspectiveStratification within Nations: A Comparative Perspective Stratification in Mexico: A Case Study Social Policy and Social Inequality Worldwide: Universal Human RightsSocial Policy and Social Inequality Worldwide: Universal Human Rights 10 SOCIAL INEQUALITY WORLDWIDE

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 3 Stratification in the World System █Colonialism, Neocolonialism, and World Systems Analysis –Colonialism Colonialism is the maintenance of political, social, economic, and cultural domination over a people by a foreign power for an extended period of time. –Neocolonialism Neocolonialism is the continued dependence on more industrialized nations for managerial and technical expertise by former colonies.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 4 Stratification in the World System █Colonialism, Neocolonialism, and World Systems Analysis –Wallerstein’s World Systems Analysis This analysis holds the view that the global economic system is divided between nations that control wealth and those from which resources are taken. This analysis describes the unequal economic and political relationships in which certain industrialized nations dominate the core of the system.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 5 Stratification in the World System █ Figure 10.3: World Systems Analysis at the Beginning of the 21st Century

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 Stratification in the World System Source: Student Atlas of World Politics, 5th Edition, by John L. Allen,©2002 █ Africa: Colonialism to Independence,

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 7 Stratification in the World System Source: Student Atlas of World Politics, 5th Edition, by John L. Allen,©2002 █ Africa: Colonialism to Independence,

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 8 Stratification in the World System Source: Student Atlas of World Politics, 5th Edition, by John L. Allen,©2002 █ Africa: Colonialism to Independence,

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9 Stratification in the World System Source: Student Atlas of World Politics, 5th Edition, by John L. Allen,©2002 █ Africa: Colonialism to Independence,

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 Stratification in the World System █Globalization –Globalization: The worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and the exchange of ideas. –International financial organizations have emerged as major players in the global economy. –Embedded in the concept of globalization is the notion of the cultural domination of periphery nations by the core nations.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 11 Stratification in the World System █Multinational Corporations –Multinationals are commercial organizations that are headquartered in one country but do business throughout the world.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 12 Stratification in the World System █Multinational Corporations –Functionalist View: The combination of skilled technology and management provided by multinationals and the relatively cheap labor available in developing nations is ideal for a global enterprise. –Multinationals can take maximum advantage of technology while reducing costs and boosting profits.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 13 Stratification in the World System █Multinational Corporations –Conflict View: Multinationals exploit local workers to maximize profits. –The pool of cheap labor in the developing world prompts multinationals to move factories out of core countries. –Workers in the United States and other core countries are beginning to recognize that their own interests are served by helping to organize workers in developing nations.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 14 Stratification in the World System █ Figure 10.1: The Sweat Behind the Shirt Source: Gordon and Knickerbocker 2001:14. (Continued)

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 15 Stratification in the World System █ Figure 10.1: The Sweat Behind the Shirt Source: Gordon and Knickerbocker 2001:14.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 16 Stratification in the World System █Modernization –Modernization is the far-reaching process by which peripheral nations move from traditional institutions to those characteristic of more developed nations.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 17 Stratification in the World System █ Table 10.1: Multinational Corporations Compared to Nations 1. Wal-Mart (USA) $246,525 Switzerland $239, General Motors (USA) 186,763 Austria 189, ExxonMobil (USA) 182,466 Venezuela + Pakistan 182, Royal Dutch/Shell Group (Netherlands/Britain) 179,431 Egypt plus Philippines 173, BP–British Petroleum (Britain) 178,721 Saudi Arabia 173, Ford Motor (USA) 163,871 Norway 161, DaimlerChrysler (Germany) 141,421 Colombia plus Peru 134, Toyota Motor (Japan) 131,754 South Africa 125, General Electric (USA) 131,698 Finland 121, Citigroup (USA) 100,789 Ireland 93, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (Japan) 89,644 Malaysia 89,700 RevenuesComparableGross Domestic Corporation($ millions)Nation(s)Product ($ millions) Source: For corporation data, Fortune 2002; for GDP data, United Nations Development Programme 2002:

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 18 Stratification in the World System █Modernization –Many sociologists are quick to note that terms such as modernization and even development contain an ethnocentric bias. –According to modernization theory, development in peripheral countries will be assisted by the innovations transferred from the industrialized world.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 19 Stratification in the World System █ Figure 10.4: Distribution of Income in Nine Nations Source: World Bank 2003b:64-66.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 20 Stratification within Nations: A Comparative Perspective █Distribution of Wealth and Income –In at least 18 nations around the world, the most affluent 10 percent of the population receives at least 40 percent of all income. –Women in developing countries find life especially difficult.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 21 Stratification within Nations: A Comparative Perspective █Prestige –A society also stratifies itself by its rankings of prestigious occupations.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 22 Stratification within Nations: A Comparative Perspective █Social Mobility –Patterns of intergenerational mobility in industrialized nations: There are substantial similarities in the ways that parent’s positions in stratification systems are transmitted to their children As in the U.S., mobility opportunities in other nations have been influenced by structural factors, such as labor market changes that lead to the rise or decline or an occupational group. Immigration continues to be a significant factor shaping a society’s level of intergenerational mobility.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 23 Stratification within Nations: A Comparative Perspective Source: Student Atlas of World Politics, 5th Edition, by John L. Allen,©2002 █ Gross National Income in $US Billions

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 24 Stratification within Nations: A Comparative Perspective Source: Student Atlas of World Politics, 5th Edition, by John L. Allen,©2002 █ Gross National Income Per Capita

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 25 Stratification within Nations: A Comparative Perspective Source: Student Atlas of World Politics, 5th Edition, by John L. Allen,©2002 █ International Flows of Capital

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 26 Stratification within Nations: A Comparative Perspective █Social Mobility –Patterns of intergenerational mobility in developing nations: Macro-level social and economic changes often overshadow micro-level movement from one occupation to another. When migrants find that they are unable to move upward within the conventional economy, informal or underground economies become more attractive.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 27 Stratification within Nations: A Comparative Perspective █Social Mobility –Gender Differences and Mobility As a country develops and modernizes, women’s vital role in food production deteriorates, jeopardizing both their autonomy and their material well-being. The movement of families to the cities weakens women’s ties to relatives who can provide food, financial assistance, and social support.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 28 Stratification in Japan: A Case Study █In Japan, social rankings are widely reported and accepted. █Despite established ranks in society, Japan has one of the lowest level of income inequality in major industrial societies. The fact that Japan is rather homogeneous may contribute to this low level of inequality. █Gender discrimination is the most pervasive form of inequality in Japan today, although social and political change is slowly advancing a more equitable Japanese society.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 29 Stratification in Mexico: A Case Study █While Mexico is unquestionably a poor country, the gap between its richest and poorest citizens is one of the widest in the world. █The subordinate status of Mexico’s Indians is but one reflection of the nation’s color hierarchy, which links social class to the appearance of racial purity. █Growing recognition of the borderlands reflects the increasingly close and complex relationship between Mexico and the United States..

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 30 Social Policy and Social Inequality Worldwide █Universal Human Rights –The Issue Human rights refers to universal moral rights belonging to all people because they are human. The most important elaboration of human rights appears in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 31 Social Policy and Social Inequality Worldwide █Universal Human Rights –The Setting The United Nations can condemn countries and adopt resolutions expressing concern over nations whose practices violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United States used the Declaration to promote democracy abroad.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 32 Social Policy and Social Inequality Worldwide █Universal Human Rights –Sociological Insights Cultural relativism encourages understanding and respecting the distinctive norms, values, and customs of each culture. In some countries, conflicts arise between human rights standards and local social practices that rest on alternative views of human dignity. Continued...

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 33 Social Policy and Social Inequality Worldwide █Universal Human Rights –Sociological Insights Policymakers frequently look at human rights from an economic perspective. Functionalists would point out how much more quickly we become embroiled in “human rights” concerns when oil is at stake. The intersection of economics and human rights issues has led to the creation of a Human Rights Index (HRI). It measures human rights violations in a country against its level of economic development.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 34 Social Policy and Social Inequality Worldwide █ Figure 10.6: Human Rights Index Source: Haub 2003; The Observer (London) 1999.

McGraw-Hill © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 35 Social Policy and Social Inequality Worldwide █Universal Human Rights –Policy Initiatives Many national policymakers hesitate to interfere in worldwide human rights issues, especially if they conflict with what are regarded as more pressing national concerns. Most initiatives come from international bodies, such as the United Nations. Universal human rights remain an ideal and not a reality.