Structured Status Inequality SOCIETY CULTURESOCIETY Culture is to society what society is to civilization CIVILIZATION

Structured Status Inequality CULTURE SOCIAL INTERACTIONINSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE Social relations are to culture what institutional structure is to society SOCIETY

The Triangulation Of Culture, Ideology And Power In “ Social Interaction ” IDEOLOGY CULTURE POWER

Society’s Social Stratification System THE INTERACTION BETWEEN CULTURE, POWER AND IDEOLOGY IS THE BASIS FOR “SOCIAL STRATIFICATION” (POSITION, RANK, LAYER, PECKING ORDER ) IN SOCIETY CULTURE == CREATES SOCIAL STRATIFICATION (“JOCKEYING FOR POSITION”) IN AND THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIAL REALITY. POWER == MAINTAINS SOCIAL STRATIFICATION BE ENFORCING AN CONSISTENT GROUP “PECKING ORDER”. IDEOLOGY == CULTURAL BELIEFS THAT SERVE TO JUSTIFY SOCIAL STRATIFICATION.

Society’s Social Stratification System SOCIAL RANKING IN SOCIETY IS AN EXTENSION OF CULTURAL GROUP INTERACTION, EMBEDDED AND ENFORCED BY POWER, AND JUSTIFIED BY IDEOLOGY. CULTURE – [1] IS ESSENTIAL FOR OUR INDIVIDUAL SURVIVAL {CONTRIBUTE TO HUMAN SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL SURVIVAL}; [2] IT PROVIDES THE RULES THAT GUIDE HUMAN BEHAVIOR {NORMS == “NORMATIVE SYSTEMS”} == IT ACCOUNTS FOR PATTERN REGULARITIES OF THOUGHT AND IDEAS {BELIEFS == “BELIEF SYSTEMS”}, [3] PROVIDES A STANDARD FOR RIGHT OR WRONG {VALUES == “VALUE SYSTEMS”} POWER – IS THE ABILITY TO MAKE OTHERS DO WHAT YOU WISH THEM TO DO, WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT == A SYSTEM OF DOMINATION== [1] THROUGH THE EXERCISE OF PHYSICAL COERCION; AND [2] TROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION OF IDEOLOGIES]]] IDEOLOGY – A COMPLEX OF IDEAS THAT ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN, JUSTIFY, LEGITIMIZE, AND PERPETUATE A SPECIFIC SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES == IDEAS AND VALUES THAT REINFORCE THE INTERESTS OF THE DOMINANT GROUP WHILE UNDERMINING THE INTEREST OF SUBORDINATE GROUPS]]]

The Triangulation Of Social Organization, The State And Politics At The “ Institutional Level ” THE STATE SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS POLITICS

Superimposed Grids: When Social Relations Are Institutionalized IDEOLOGY ==  THE STATE CULTURE ==  SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS POWER ===  POLITICAL ECONOMY

The Vertical Mosaic: Society’s System of Graduated Privilege THE INTERACTION BETWEEN SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS, POLITICS AND THE STATE IS THE BASIS FOR THE HIERARCHICAL INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS == CREATE AND CONSTITUTE THE INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY. POLITICS {POLITICAL ECONOMY} == POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS ARE CONCERNED WITH THE EXERCISE OF POWER, AND CONTROL OF THE STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY (THROUGHT THE CONTROL OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES AND THE ECONOMY). STATE == STATE INSTITUTIONS ARE THE MEANS THROUGH WHICH THAT POWER AND CONTROL IS EXERCISED (THROUGH THE FORMAL LAWS, PUBLIC POLICIES, DOMINANT VALUES).

Society’s Social Stratification System “STRATIFICATION” IS THE HIERARCHICAL ARRANGEMENT OF SOCIAL STRATA IN A SOCIETY. EVERY SOCIETY CAN BE DIVIDED INTO LAYERS OR HIERARCHIES THAT CAN BE RANKED ACCORDING TO CERTAIN CRITERIA IN ASCENDING OR DESCENDING ORDER. THIS SUGGESTS THAT INEQUALITY IS NOT RANDOM OR FLEETING, BUT IS PATTERNED AND PREDICTABLE AND TENDS TO CLUSTER AROUND CERTAIN DEVALUED CATEGORIES RELATED TO RACE OR ETHNICITY, CLASS AND GENDER.

Graduated Privilege SOCIAL STRATIFICATION - A HIERARCHY OF POSITIONS THAT HAVE UNEQUAL PROPERTY, POWER AND PRESTIGE (3PS). ALL SOCIOLOGISTS AGREE – THAT SOCIETY IS A STRATIFICATON SYSTEM BASED ON A HIERARCHY OF PROPERTY, POWER AND PRESTIGE THAT IS MANIFESTED IN PATTERNS OF STRUCTURED SOCIAL INEQUALITY. ALL SOCIOLOGIST ALSO AGREE – THAT INEQUALITY IS ABOUT ENTITLEMENTS: THAT IS, WHO GETS WHAT, HOW AND WHY? ALL SOCIOLOGISTS DO NOT AGREE – ABOUT THE STATUS OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY A) SOME SEE SI AS “NATURAL AND INEVITABLE” – NOT ONLY USEFUL BUT NECESSARY FOR ANY SOCIETY; A SYSTEM OF DIFFERENTIAL REWARD IS ONE WAY OF GETTTING INDIVIDUALS TO EXPEND EFFORT, TIME, AND RESOURCES IN ORDER TO PERFORM NECESSARY ROLES IN SOCIETY. B) OTHER SEE SI AS “ARBITRARY AND EXPLOITATIVE” – THE "CONTEST FOR SUCCESS" IS RIGGED; MATERIAL REWARDS AND INCENTIVE ARE NOT INDUCEMENTS TO PERFORM DIFFICULT JOBS, THEY ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY ACQUIRED. TO THINK OTHERWISE IS "FALSE CONSCIOUSNESS" GENERATED BY SPECIAL INTERESTS.

The Two Measurements of Inequality in Contemporary Society MANY SOCIOLOGISTS HAVE COME TO ACKNOWLEDGE TWO MEASUREMENTS OF INEQUALITY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY: (A) INEQUALITY OF CONDITIONS =======>{ECONOMIC PRIVILEGE OR THE MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION OF REWARDS}; AND/OR (B) INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITIES ======> {“LIFE CHANCES” – REFLECTED IN SUCH MEASURES AS THEIR LEVEL OF EDUCATION, HEALTH STATUS, NUTRITION, AND TREATMENT BY THE JUSTICE SYSTEM} THE GROWING SOCIOLOGICAL PREMISE: WHEN WE CONSIDER THE CONCEPT OF INEQUALITY IN TERMS OF THE ACCESS TO REWARDS AND LIFE CHANCES, “STRUTURES OF INEQUALITY” CAN BE VIEWED AS A COMPLEX PICTURE OF – THE LACK OF INSTITUTIONALIZED POWER, DISCRIMINATORY BARRIERS, AND DENIAL OF OPPORTUNITY. SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND INEQUALITY REFERS TO DOMINANT- SUBORDINATE INTERACTION: IN A STRATIFIED SOCIETY, A MINORITY GROUP IS NOT A GROUP THAT IS NUMERICALLY OUTNUMBERED IN SOCIETY. MAJORITY AND MINORITY GROUP RELATIONS ARE BASED ON POWER. THEREFORE, A MINORITY IS ANY GROUP DISADVANTAGED BECAUSE OF A LACK OF ACCESS TO WEALTH, POWER AND PRIVILEGE.

Dominant and Subdominant Interaction SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND INEQUALITY REFERS TO DOMINANT- SUBORDINATE INTERACTION WHAT IS A DOMINANT GROUP? – THE COLLECTIVITY OF PERSONS IN SOCIETY WITH BOTH POWER AND AUTHORITY TO PRESERVE AND PROMOTE THE PREVAILING DISTRIBUTION OF PRIVILEGE IN SOCIETY. THE DOMINANT SECTOR REPRESENTS THAT PART OF SOCIETY WITH THE CAPACITY TO DEFINE ITSELF AND ITS CULTURE AS THE STANDARD OR NORM BY WHICH OTHERS ARE JUDGED AND EVALUATED. [EX: PRACTICES ARE SUPERIOR, NECESSARY, INEVITABLE – JOB INTERVIEW -- BURQUA, BRAIDS?] WHAT IS A SUBDOMINANT GROUP? – ALSO CALLED SUBORDINATE, SUBDOMINANT GROUPS STAND IN AN UNEQUAL RELATION TO DOMINANT GROUPS, ALTHOUGH THIS INEQUALITY MAY BE CONTESTED AND TRANSFORMED. [EX: WOMEN'S GROUPS, CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS, ORGANIZED RESISTANCE]

Majority & Minority Relations IN A STRATIFIED SOCIETY, THE CONCEPT OF A MINORITY AND MAJORITY GROUP DOES NOT REFER TO “NUMBERS” OR “STATISTICAL PROPORTIONS” — BUT RATHER — TO “POWER RELATIONS.” THEREFORE, A MINORITY IS ANY GROUP DISADVANTAGED BECAUSE OF A LACK OF ACCESS TO WEALTH, POWER AND PRIVILEGE. THE CONCEPT OF MINORITY GROUP REFERS TO ANY GROUP — WHETHER BASED ON RACE, ETHNICITY, OR GENDER — THAT IS DISADVANTAGED, UNDERPRIVILEGED, OR EXCLUDED, DISCRIMINATED, OR EXPLOITED [SUBDOMINANT]. IT ALSO DESCRIBES A SOCIALLY DEFINED CATEGORY OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PERCEIVED AS DIFFERENT AND TREATED ACCORDINGLY BY THE [DOMINANT] MAJORITY === AND === WHOSE DISPROPORTIONATE SHARE OF RESOURCES STEMS FROM A LACK OF INSTITUTIONALIZED POWER, DISCRIMINATORY BARRIERS, AND DENIAL OF OPPORTUNITY.

How Do We Rank In Society? SRATIFICATION -- THE HIERARCIAL ARRANGEMENT OF SOCIAL STRATA == EVERY SOCIETY CAN BE DIVIDED INTO LAYERS OR HIERARCHIES THAT CAN BE RANKED ACCORDING TO CERTAIN CRITERIA IN ASCENDING OR DESCENDING ORDER. THIS SUGGESTS THAT INEQUALITY IS NOT RANDOM OR FLEETING, BUT IS PATTERNED AND PREDICTABLE AND TENDS TO CLUSTER AROUND CERTAIN DEVALUED CATEGORIES RELATED TO RACE OR ETHNICITY.

How Are Ranks or Strata Created? SOCIAL BARRIERS AND IMPEDIMENTS CREATE DIFFERENTIAL ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES, RESOURCES AND REWARDS IN SOCIETY. [THEY INHIBIT AND DISADVANTAGE SOME GROUPS WHILE THEY FACILITATE AND ADVANTAGE OTHERS.]

What Is The Result Of Ranking In Canadian Society? STRUCTURED STATUS INEQUALITY: CANADA IS A VERTICALLY STRUCTURED ETHIC AND RACIAL MOSAIC. ETHNIC GROUPS WIELD VARYING DEGREES OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC POWER, STATUS, AND PRESTIGE. SOME GROUPS ARE HEAVILY REPRESENTED IN THE UPPER STRATA OR ELITE, AND OTHER GROUPS HEAVILY REPRESENTED IN THE LOWER STRATA.

How Can We Measure (Tools) Ranks In Society? THE PRIMARY SOCIAL STRATA AND CONFIGUR- ATIONS IN SOCIETY ARE: SOCIAL STRATIFICATION - A HIERARCHY OF POSITIONS THAT HAVE UNEQUAL PROPERTY, POWER AND PRESTIGE (3PS). SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS - ONE'S POSITION IN SOCIETY BASED ON SOME COMBINATION OF EDUCATION, INCOME AND OCCUPATION (EIO) SOCIAL CLASS - ARE BASED ON PROPERTY RELATIONS, AND REFER TO AN INDIVIDUALS RELATIONSHIP TO THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION. (BOURGEOISIE & PROLETARIAT) ETHNO-RACIAL GROUP - ARE COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS BASED ON SHARED CULTURAL AND/OR PHYSICAL TRAITS.

What Are The Major Fault-lines Of Division? INEQUALITIES REFLECT PATTERNS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION BY WHICH SOCIETY IS DIVIDED INTO UNEQUAL "STRATA" ALONG LINES OF CLASS, RACE AND ETHNICITY, GENDER, AGE, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AND DISABILITY.

How Do Most People Identify Themselves In The World? TODAY ETHNO-RACIAL STRATIFICATION IS THE KEY STATUS SYSTEM IN SOCIETY. [MANY SOCIOLOGISTS HAVE NOTED THE "GLOBAL ETHNIC REVIVAL" IN CONTEMPORARY HISTORY].

How Can We Study Social Inequality (Sociologically)? SOCIAL INEQUALITY CAN BE STUDIED AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM ENCOMPASSING THREE DIMENSIONS: (1) OBJECTIVE [STRUCTURAL] CONDITIONS, {POWER, POVERTY, AND WEALTH, OCCUPATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT} (2) IDEOLOGICAL SUPPORTS, {FORMAL LAWS, PUBLIC POLICIES, DOMINATE VALUES, AND SO FORTH} [[[AND (3) SOCIAL REFORMS {E.G. ORGANIZED RESISTANCE, PROTEST GROUPS, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS}.]]]