Module 26: Systems of Stratification Sociology in Modules Richard T. Schaefer 3rd edition

Source: Houston Chronicle, April 22, 2016

Rich and poor neighborhoods of Houston Source: 1.www.keywood-suggestion.com; 2.www.lanabird.com

Systems of Stratification Social inequality: situation in which members of society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power Stratification: structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in a society Income: salaries and wages Wealth: inclusive term encompassing all a person’s material assets

Figure 26-1: The 50 States: Contrasts in Income and Poverty Levels 8

Systems of Stratification Four general systems of stratification—slavery, castes, estates, and social classes—as ideal types useful for purposes of analysis Ascribed status: social position assigned to person by society without regard for the person’s unique talents or characteristics Achieved status: social position that a person attains largely through his or her own efforts

Universal Declaration of Human Rights prohibits slavery in all forms More people enslaved today than in world history Developing countries – Bonded labors Europe and US – guest workers

Four Forms of Stratification Slavery: individuals owned by other people, who treat them as property In Ancient Greece, slavery was practiced, but it was flexible In the US and Latin America – Ascribed status

Canada Has A Migrant Worker Mistreatment Problem Posted: 04/18/2016 2014 Human Rights Watch report: "Domestic migrant workers, almost all women, are especially vulnerable. In addition to the problems the general migrant worker population face, they are also subject to verbal, physical, and in some cases, sexual abuse. Some are not allowed to speak to strangers or are locked up in the homes where they work. Many do not receive a day off. They are not afforded any protection under Qatari labour law."

Maids in Asia and the Middle East Threatened, assaulted, trapped: Asia's treatment of domestic workers laid bare Victims of Human Trafficking – estimates (600,000 – 800,000) http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/27/asia/asia-abused-maids/

Table 26-1: Human Trafficking Report 14

Caste System – Ascribed Status

Caste-like systems

Estates – Feudal Societies Estate system, or feudalism: peasants worked land leased to them in exchange for military protection and other services

Social Classes Class system: social ranking based primarily on economic position in which achieved characteristics can influence social mobility Unlike caste system, class system is more flexible Class standing heavily dependent on family and ascribed factors Race, ethnicity

Social Classes Rossides (1997) uses five-class model to describe U.S. class system: Upper class Upper-middle class Lower-middle class Working class Lower class

Social Classes Upper and Lower Classes Middle Class Upper class: 1% to 2% of U.S. Very wealthy Lower class: 20% to 25% of U.S. Lacks wealth and income and politically weak Middle Class Upper-middle class: 10% to 15% of U.S.; includes professionals Lower-middle class: 30% to 35%; includes less affluent professionals

Social Classes Factors contributing to shrinking size of middle class: Disappearing opportunities for those with little education Global competition and advances in technology Growing dependence on temporary workforce Rise of new growth industries and nonunion workplaces

Social Classes Working Class 40 to 45% of U.S. population People who hold regular manual or blue-collar jobs Some may have income above those of the lower- middle class

Social Classes Occupy Wall Street Class Warfare Occupy Wall Street Political leaders began to speak of class conflict Gulf between rich and everyone else in U.S. grew over last 50 years Rich just as likely as poor to say class conflict exists

Divided We Stand – Why Inequality keeps Rising The United States has the fourth-highest inequality level in the OECD, after Chile, Mexico and Turkey (2012) The main reason for widening inequality in the US is the widening wage gap. Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Report on global inequality(2012)

Conflict theory Conflict theory provides a powerful lens through which to view inequality. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Karl Marx’s View of Class Differentiation How economic activity is organized is a key to understanding inequality Social relations depend on who controls the primary mode of production Capitalism: means of production held largely in private hands, and main incentive for economic activity is accumulation of profits Bourgeoisie: capitalist class; own the means of production Proletariat: working class

Marx – Conflict theory Marx considers human history as a series of struggles between classes Exploitation of workers – to allow greater profits for the owners of means of production The clash between the owners and the workers and revolutionary change was inevitable

Karl Marx’s View of Class Differentiation Class consciousness: subjective awareness of common vested interests and the need for collective political action to bring about change False consciousness: attitude held by members of class that does not accurately reflect their objective position

Max Weber’s View of Stratification No single characteristic totally defines a person’s position within the stratification system Class: group of people who have similar level of wealth and income Status group: people who have the same prestige or lifestyle Power: ability to exercise one’s will over others

Interactionist Perspective Interactionists interested in importance of social class in shaping a person’s lifestyle Veblen: top of the social hierarchy typically convert part of their wealth into conspicuous consumption—purchasing goods not to survive but to flaunt superior wealth and social standing

Is Stratification Universal? All societies maintain some form of social inequality among their members Functionalist Perspective Social inequality necessary so people will be motivated to fill functionally important positions Does not explain the wide disparity between rich and poor

Is Stratification Universal? Conflict Perspective Human beings prone to conflict over scarce resources such as wealth, status, and power Stratification major source of societal tension Leads to instability and social change Dominant ideology: set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps to maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests

Module 27: Stratification by Social Class Sociology in Modules Richard T. Schaefer 3rd edition

Stratification by Social Class Sociologists generally rely on the objective method to determine a person’s class position – Occupation, Education, Income and place of residence Prestige: respect and admiration an occupation holds in society Esteem: reputation a specific person has earned within an occupation

Table 27-1: Prestige Rankings of Occupations 36

Objective Method of Measuring Social Class Gender and Occupational Prestige Past studies of social class tended to neglect occupations and incomes of women as determinants of social rank Multiple Measures Socioeconomic status (SES): measure of social class based on income, education, and occupation

Income and Wealth Income in U.S. distributed unevenly Modest redistribution of income past 80 years Redistribution has not always been to the benefit of poor or middle class Past 30 years of tax policies tended to accentuate trend toward income inequality Wealth in U.S. much more unevenly distributed than income White households now have 18 times the median wealth of Latino households and 20 times that of Blacks

Paul Samuelson’s description of Income Inequality “If we made an income pyramid out of building blocks, with each layer portraying $500 of income, the peak would be far higher than Mount Everest, but most people would be within a few feet of the ground” Income data: US Median income in 2012- $51,000 Breaking income by quintiles (fifths)

Figure 27.1: Mean Household Income by Quintile 40

Who are at the peak? 15,000 households (0.01 of taxpayers) – make 11 million/year They control 6% of the nations total income The rise of finance: The wealthiest 0.01 percent include many folks from the world of finance - hedge-fund billionaires in a variety of areas. The richer you are, the more likely your riches come from stocks, not salary," (Derek Thompson of the Atlantic) - The very wealthy aren't so much well-paid as well-optioned According to the Internal Revenue Service, the wealthiest 400 people derived half their income from capital gains.

Figure 27-2: Distribution of Wealth in the United States 42

Module 28: Poverty and Social Mobility Sociology in Modules Richard T. Schaefer 3rd edition

Figure 28-1: Poverty in Selected Countries 45

Poverty and Social Mobility Studying Poverty Absolute poverty: minimum level of subsistence that no family should live below Relative poverty: floating standard by which people at the bottom of a society are judged as being disadvantaged in comparison to the nation as a whole

Persons in family/household Poverty guideline HHS Poverty Guidelines for 2016 See also the Federal Register notice of the 2016 poverty guidelines, published January 25, 2016 2016 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR THE 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Persons in family/household Poverty guideline 1 $11,880 2 16,020 3 20,160 4 24,300 5 28,440 6 32,580 7 36,730 8 40,890

Studying Poverty – 15% US population (47 million ) Who Are the Poor? Many poor adults do work outside the home (but minimum wage) Majority live outside of urban slums Feminization of Poverty Since World War II, increasing proportion of poor in U.S. have been women The Underclass Long-term poor who lack training and skills

Table 28-1: Who Are the Poor in the United States? 49

The underclass Urban poor – living in big cities Long-term poor – limited skills and training Residence in extremely impoverished areas Greater exposure to crime and health risks 38% Black, 30% Hispanic, 26% white non-Hispanic Not a static class – there is some mobility Black and Hispanics more likely to be persistently poor.

Explaining Poverty Gans (1995) : poverty and the poor satisfy positive functions for many non-poor groups – various segments of the society benefit from the existence of the poor Society’s dirty work performed at low cost – construction workers Creates jobs that serve the poor - Caseworker Upholds conventional social norms – hard work pays Guarantees higher status of more affluent Poor absorb costs of social change – deinstitutionalization of mental health.

Life Chances Max Weber saw class closely related to people’s life chances Life chances: opportunities to provide material goods, positive living conditions, and favorable life experience 133,000 – deaths attributed to poverty and another 119,000 to income inequality Wealth, status: provide additional ways of coping with problems and disappointments Economic story of the Titanic – 62% first class passengers survived What about Hurricane Katrina

Social Mobility Social mobility: movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society’s stratification system to another

Open versus Closed Stratification Systems Open system: position of each individual influenced by the person’s achieved status Closed system: allows little or no possibility of moving up Slavery and caste systems

Types of Social Mobility Horizontal mobility: movement within same range of prestige Vertical mobility: movement from one position to another of a different rank Intergenerational mobility: changes in children’s position relative to their parents Intragenerational mobility: social position changes within person’s adult life

Social Mobility in the United States Occupational Mobility – 60-70% sons employed in higher ranked occupations than fathers. However, mobility is in small measures The Impact of Education – poor children with college education still find it hard to reach the top – “Cultural Capital” The Impact of Race and Ethnicity – class system is much rigid for African Americans. Greater downward mobility The Impact of Gender – gender roles