Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Sociology 9th Edition Chapter 7: Social Stratification Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program

What is Social Stratification? “A system in which groups of people are divided into layers according to their relative power, property and prestige.” Introduction to Social Stratification Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Three Main Types of Social Stratification Slavery – Causes and Conditions varied around the world Caste – was India’s main system of formal stratification until 1948, boundaries are rigid Class – The U.S. system of stratification, boundaries are fluid Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slavery Today This little girl in India must work as an indentured servant/bonded laborer to pay off her parents’ loan. Do you consider this practice to be a form of slavery? If so, who should we blame for this practice? Her parents? Indian officials? Her employer? Ourselves? James M. Henslin

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Caste Many of us are familiar with the caste system in India Do you believe that we still have a racial caste system in the United States today? James M. Henslin

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Marx and Weber Social Class Marx – Social Class is divided into the bourgeoisie (those who control the means of production) and the proletariats (those who are exploited by the bourgeoisie) Weber-Social Class is defined as people who share similar levels of wealth, power, and prestige Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Weber’s Three Components of Social Class Source: By the author.

Marx and Weber How do Marx and Weber each distinguish which social class individuals belong within? Would your description of your family’s social class change depending on whether you used Marx’s or Weber’s definition?

Class Social Mobility What social groups of people (in terms of social class, race/ethnicity, sex, etc.) do you think are most easily able to move up in social class? Why? Who do you think is most likely to move down in social class? Why?

The Functionalist Perspective on Social Stratification Davis and Moore: All positions must be filled Some positions are more important than others The more important positions must be filled by the more qualified people Greater rewards need to be offered in order to entice qualified people Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Why is Social Stratification Universal? Tumin’s Critique of Davis and Moore How do we know the positions most rewarded are most important? Society should be a meritocracy, it’s not. If stratification is functional, it should benefit everyone. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Davis and Moore Who would Davis and Moore argue is more important for society- a first grade teacher or a sociology professor? Why? How would Tumin respond to that same query? Which do you think is most functionally important for society?

The Conflict Perspective on Global Stratification Gaetano Mosca argued that every society will be controlled by power. In his book, The Ruling Class, he states this is so because: No society can exist unless it is organized. This requires leadership of some sort in order to coordinate people’s action and get society’s work done. Leadership requires inequalities of power. By definition, some people take leadership positions, while others follow. Human nature is self-centered. Therefore, people in power will use their positions to seize greater rewards for themselves. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Distribution of Resources Which of these theories best allows the elites to rationalize why they deserve to have more than everyone else?

How do Elites maintain stratification? Controlling Information – the elite manipulate the media by selectively releasing information and by withholding information Controlling ideas – Divine Right of Kings New technology – the elite can use new technology to keep the masses in check Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Global Stratification: Three Worlds First World - Industrialized Capitalist Nations Second World – Industrializing Nations Third World –Least Industrialized Nations Figure 7.3 Global Stratification: Income1 of the World’s Nations Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Figure 7.3 (continued) Global Stratification: Income1 of the World’s Nations 1Income is a country’s purchasing power parity based on a country’s Gross Domestic Product, where the value of a country’s goods and services are valued at prices prevailing in the United States. Totals vary from year to year and should be considered as approximations. 2Botswana’s income is based largely on its diamond mines. 3Iraq’s oil wealth has been disrupted by war. Source: By the author. Based on CIA World Factbook 2010. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Global Superclass The richest 1000 people in the world have more wealth than the 2.5 billion poorest people in the world. Figure 7.1 The Distribution of the Earth’s Wealth

Global Stratification and the Status of Females What types of things do you think we could do to help increase the social status of women worldwide? James M. Henslin

EXAMPLE: How would some Brazilians view children who live in slums (favelas?) How does this differ from how some Americans view children who live in U.S. inner-city public housing? Brazilian Children in Favela

How did the world’s nations become stratified? Colonialism – countries that industrialized first were able to conquer weaker nations World System Theory – Industrialization led to 4 groups of nations: core nations, semiperiphery, periphery, and external area Culture of Poverty – a way of life that perpetuates poverty from one generation to the next Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

How do elites maintain stratification? Controlling people’s: Ideas Speech and information Technology Based on this information, how could the rest of population take back control from the elites?

Maintaining Global Stratification Neocolonialism: Most Industrialized Nations selling the Least Industrialized Nations goods on credit turns them into eternal debtors Multinational Corporations: companies that operate across many national boundaries exploit the Least Industrialized Nations Technology and Global Domination: The Most Industrialized Nations can invest huge sums into the latest technology Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Maintaining Global Stratification Neocolonialism Multinational Corporations Technology and Global Domination Some countries choose to block access to the internet (or access to certain websites) from their populations. How might this lead to lower social class among people who live in countries where the internet is censored?