Social Stratification and Social Class Chapter 7: Social Stratification and Social Class

What to Expect in This Chapter... What is Social Stratification? Social Mobility Stratification Systems Dimensions of Stratification Theories of Stratification Social Class in the United States Poverty in the United States Consequences of Social Stratification

What is Social Stratification? Social stratification is “...the division of society into levels, steps or positions” Stratification is, in essence, the structured inequality of entire categories of people Stratification is different than mere inequality, which refers to the uneven distribution of opportunities and rewards to individuals and groups. When these inequalities becomes structured into society and passed on from generation to generation, we have social stratification

Social Mobility Social mobility refers to the movement of persons or groups from one social stratum to another Social mobility is more possible in open societies which provide greater opportunities for mobility, than in closed societies which fixes one’s position at birth Sociologists distinguish between several types of mobility

Types of Social Mobility Direction of Movement Across Up or Down Horizontal Mobility Vertical Mobility Time Frame for Mobility Single Generation Two or More Generations Intra-generational Mobility Inter-generational Mobility

Factors Affecting Social Mobility Sociologists have identified several structural-level factors which impact the likelihood of social mobility Economic Conditions Number of people in the workforce Values and educational level

Types of Stratification Systems Caste systems are very rigid, closed systems of stratification based on ascribed characteristics such as skin color or family identity Estate systems are also closed systems based largely on inheritance Class systems are open systems that permit meaningful social mobility

Dimensions of Social Stratification Wealth—the economic assets of an individual, including income, monetary assets and other holdings Power—the ability to attain goals and maintain influence over others, even in the absence of their consent Prestige—the approval and respect received from other members of society

Prestige Rankings of Various Occupations Score Physician 86 College Professor 78 Lawyer 72 High School Teacher 66 Sociologist 65 Police Officer 60 Social Worker 52 Carpenter 43 Sales Clerk 29 Garbage Collector 13 Click Image to go to Occupational Outlook Handbook

Theories of Stratification: Functionalist Theory You will remember that functionalist theory understands society as a “system” or “organism” As functionalists, Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore contended that stratification was a necessity for society because: Society has numerous positions that must be fulfilled if it is to function properly Some positions, however are more important for the maintenance of society (e.g., physicians) Finally, some positions require special talents that are not generally prevalent in the population Hence, functionally important positions and/or positions requiring rare talent are rewarded most highly

Criticisms of Functional Theory Ex Post Facto Judgment of Functional Importance of Positions Critics question the functional importance of certain highly rewarded positions such as actors and sports figures, in contrast to positions such as school teachers or social workers The Stratification System itself Inhibits Talent and Abilities Many barriers are placed in the way of individuals from lower classes to keep them from competing effectively

Theories of Stratification: Marxist Conflict Theory Suggests that social stratification is determined by the the relations of production bourgeoisie--capitalists who own the means of production proletariat--wage laborers who sell their labor to bourgeoisie Interests of these two classes are intrinsically opposed Power of the capitalists allows them to impose their will and realize their interests According to Marx, the proletariat will eventually develop a class consciousness, and ultimately overthrow the capitalists

Comparing Functional and Conflict Theories Functional Theory Conflict Theory Stratification is universal, necessary and inevitable Stratification is universal, but not necessary or inevitable The social system shapes the stratification system The stratification system shapes the social system Stratification arises from societal need for integration and coordination Stratification arises from group competition and conflict Stratification facilitates the optimal functioning of society Stratification impedes the optimal functioning of society Stratification is an expression of commonly shared social values Stratification is an expression of the values of powerful groups Power is distributed legitimately in society Power is distributed illegitimately in society Tasks and rewards are allocated equitably Tasks and rewards are not allocated equitably The economic dimension is subordinate to other dimensions of society The economic dimension is paramount in society Stratification systems generally change through evolution Stratification systems change through revolution

Social Class in the United States Sociologists are not agreed as to how social classes should be distinguished Most commonly, 5 classes are identified: Upper Class Upper-Middle Class Lower Middle Class Working Class Lower Class Each of these classes represent differences in both income and lifestyle characteristics

Occupational and Educational Correlates of Social Class Upper Class Corporate Ownership; Upper-Echelon Politics; Honorofic positions Liberal Arts education at elite schools Upper-Middle Class Professional and technical fields; managers; proprieters College and graduate school training Lower-Middle Class Clerical and sales; small business owners; semi-professionals High School; some college Working Class Skilled and semiskilled manual labor; crafts; foremen Some or all of high school Lower Class Unskilled labor; service work; farm labor; private household work

Income Distribution Across the Social Classes Percentage of All Income Quintile Average Income Percentage of All Income Wealthiest 5% $142,021 + 21.5% Wealthiest Quintile (20%) $79,372 + 49.4% Fourth Quintile $50,520 - $79,374 23.2% Third Quintile $32,000 - $50,519 14.9% Second Quintile $17,196 – 31,999 8.9% Poorest Quintile Less than $17,196 3.6%

Visit PovertyNet Online Approximately 12 million people officially live in poverty As explained on the following several slides: Poverty does not affect all segments of the population equally There is disagreement among social scientists about how to measure poverty, and hence disagreement about how much poverty exists in the United States Visit PovertyNet Online

Poverty’s Biggest Victims: Ethnicity

Poverty’s Biggest Victims: Gender Female headed families are greatly overrepresented among those in poverty Female householders without husbands had average annual income of $23,732 in 1999 Male householders without wives had average annual income of $37,396 in 1999 This phenomenon has come to be called “the feminization of poverty”

How Do We Count the Poor? The official “poverty index” was developed by the Social Security Administration in 1964 It was based on earlier studies that found that families of 3 or more people typically spent about 1/3 of their budget on food The poverty index is thus based on the annual cost of a frugal but adequate diet x 3 The threshold of poverty will thus depend on the number of individuals living in a household

Threshold of Poverty, 1999 Size of Household Poverty Threshold 1 person (under 65) 1 person (over 65) $8,501 $7,990 2 people (under 65) 2 people (over 65) $11,214 $10,075 3 people $13,290 4 people $17,029 5 people $20,127 6 people $22,727 7 people $25,912 8 people $28,967 9 people $34,417

Myths About the Poor Myth #1: People are poor because they are lazy Fact: About half of the poor are not of working age; most of those of working age are either working or looking for work Myth #2: Most poor people are African-American and most African-Americans are poor Fact: Most poor people are white; about 28% of African-Americans are poor Myth #3: Most of the poor are single mothers with children Fact: Female-headed families with children represent about 44% of the poor Myth #4: Most people in poverty live in the inner city Fact: Less than 22% of the poor live in central cities Myth #5: Welfare programs are straining federal budgets Fact: Only about 14% of the federal budget went to welfare programs in 1996, compared to 43% that went to other social assistance programs such as social security and Medicare

Consequences of Social Stratification Longevity Health and Illness Childbearing and Childrearing Crime and Criminal Justice Contacts