Social Stratification & Social Inequality

Social Differentiation Different treatment of people based on status, roles, social characteristics Social Inequality People have unequal access to wealth, power, and prestige Social Stratification Form of inequality in which people are systematically ranked based on their access to scarce but valued resources Transmitted generation to generation

Systems of Stratification O Closed vs. open systems O Whether social mobility is possible or not O Slavery O free people and property of others O Caste System O Rank is hereditary and permanent, marriage between different members is not allowed

Systems of Stratification O Estates O Social hierarchy based on power and land ownership by religious and political elites O Social classes O Achieved status (gained by ability and merit) are the principal means of ranking

Determining Social Class Ranking O Wealth O a person’s or family’s total economic assets O Power O Ability to realize one’s will, even against resistance and the opposition of others O Personal v. social power

Determining Social Class Ranking O Prestige O The respect and admiration people attach to various social positions O Socioeconomic status O Combines income, occupational prestige, education and neighborhood

American Social Classes O The Upper Class “The Rich” O Around 1% of the population O ~$500,000 or more per year O Same schools, camps, colleges O Old Money, New Money, gov’t officials, celbrities O Old Money O New Money O Gov’t officials, celebrities O “Rich” vs. “super- rich”

American Social Classes O Upper Middle Class O ~15% of population O ~$100,000 or more per year O Professionals, good occupational prestige O Elite is some small towns

American Social Classes O Lower-Middle Class O 30-40% of population O ~$40,000 to $75,000 per year O Emulate the upper middle class but lack resources to reach it

American Social Classes O Working Class O $16,000-$30,000 per year O Few job benefits, dangerous work, long hours, O threat of falling into poverty

American Social Classes O Lower Class O ~16-20% O $0 - 23,050 for family of four ($11,000 for 1 person) O Many have jobs (sometimes) O Homeless, welfare- only is only around 1- 2%

Poverty in America Media Images and Reality

What is poverty? O Absolute poverty: when people fall below a minimum subsistence level and are unable to function as members of society O Relative poverty: a lack of resources relative to others and the overall standards of a society O U.S. poverty line is based on cost of living and family size—the absolute measure

Who is America’s Poor? According to 2012 Census Bureau Report O The bottom 10 percent of earners made the same amount of money in 2011 as they did in 1994 O Women continued to earn 77 percent of what men earned O 27.6 percent of Black Americans were in poverty O 25.3 percent of Hispanic Americans were in poverty O 9.8 percent of White Americans were in poverty O More than one-fifth of those under 18 were in poverty

Types of Poverty O Situational poverty: is generally caused by a sudden crisis or loss and is often temporary. O environmental disasters, divorce, or severe health problems O Generational poverty: occurs in families where at least two generations have been born into poverty. O Families living in this type of poverty are not equipped with the tools to move out of their situations.

Homelessness O Economic and political factors are largely responsible O Closing of mental institutions O Turndown in manufacturing, jobs

Culture of Poverty O Culture of poverty: a set of norms, beliefs, values and attitudes that trap a small number of the urban poor in a permanent cycle of poverty O Oscar Lewis, sociologist O Many sociologists point out that poor do respond to opportunities O Also consider skills learned which could apply to legitimate jobs

The Pruitt-Igoe Myth As you watch answer the following questions: 1. What factors led to the development of the Pruitt-Igoe project? 2. What types of families originally lived there? 3. Why factors led to its failure?

Global Stratification

O Global stratification system: where nations are ranked in hierarchy on the basis of their access to the world’s wealth, power and prestige O Measured using Human Development Index (HDI)

High-Income Nations O Advanced industrial economies and high living standards O Developed nation O Only about 20% of population live in high- income nations, but use 75% of resources

Middle-Income Nations O Nations that are newly industrialized and have moderate wealth and living standards O High income elite, but many people have access to basics

Low-Income Nations O Nations that are poor, agrarian, and benefit least from their participation in the global economy O Average incomes around $400 O Used to benefit rich countries more than themselves

Modernization Theory O Global development is a process in which advanced industrial nations and technology help poor nations advance Old Modernization Theories: O Climate, resources O Political corruption O Traditional customs O Culture of poverty Singapore bucks the these ideas

Singapore O Largely authoritarian rule for more than 40 years O Still kept traditional customs O Went from agrarian to high-tech O However, still had some outside help from wealthy nations

Conflict Approaches to Global Inequality O Colonialism & Imperialism: more powerful nations dominate and exploit weaker ones in trade and other relations

Conflict Approaches to Global Inequality O Dependency Theory: rich industrialized nations keep poor nations from advancing through dependency relationships O Trade O Industrial O Investment

Trade Dependency O Continuation of Colonialism O Purchasing raw materials at lowest possible prices O MFN treaties not extended to poor nations O High tariffs cost poor countries $700 billion a year (UN)

Industrial Dependency O Corporations take advantage of cheap labor, access to local markets, tax advantages, and avoid environmental regulations

Investment Dependency O World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) give liberal loans, then draconian austerity measures to recoup loans— preventing growth

World System Theory O Maintains that all nations are part of a worldwide division of labor O Core, semiperiphery, periphery nations O Depending on what they have to offer, they get more or less