C HAPTER 7 W HAT IS S OCIAL S TRATIFICATION ? Social stratification: a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. Stratification is a trait of society. It persists over generations. It is universal, but variable. It involves not just inequality, but beliefs.

C ASTE AND C LASS S YSTEMS A caste system: social stratification based on ascription or birth. Birth alone determines one’s destiny. There is little opportunity for social mobility. A class system : social stratification based on both birth and individual achievement. Even blood relatives may have different social standings. Meritocracy: based on personal merit.

E CONOMIC I NEQUALITY IN S ELECTED C OUNTRIES

T HE F UNCTIONS OF S OCIAL S TRATIFICATION Social inequality plays a vital role. The Davis-Moore Thesis: Stratification has beneficial consequences for the operation of a society. Certain jobs can be performed by almost anyone. Other jobs demand the scarce talents of people with extensive training. The greater importance of a position, the more rewards attached to it.

S TRATIFICATION AND C ONFLICT Stratification provides some people with advantages over others. Karl Marx explained you can either own property, or work for others. Capitalism makes class conflict inevitable. In time, oppression and misery should drive the working majority to overthrow capitalism.

S TRATIFICATION AND C ONFLICT Max Weber agreed that stratification causes social conflict. He argued that it involves three dimensions of inequality: 1. Class position. 2. Status. 3. Power. Socioeconomic status (SES): a composite ranking based on various dimensions of inequality.

S TRATIFICATION AND T ECHNOLOGY With simple technology, survival depends on sharing what group members have. As technological advances creates surplus, inequality increases. Industrialization turns the tide, lessening inequality. The Kuznet’s Curve: Shows high-income nations that have passed through the industrial era have less economic inequality.

S OCIAL S TRATIFICATION AND T ECHNOLOGICAL D EVELOPMENT : T HE K UZNETS C URVE

I NEQUALITY IN THE U NITED S TATES Society is highly stratified. The rich have more money, more education, better health, and consume more goods and services than the poor. Income: wages or salary from work and earnings from investments.

W EALTH, P OWER, AND P RESTIGE Wealth: the total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts. Wealth is distributed less equally than income. Work provides income and prestige. We evaluate each other according to the kind of work we do. Occupational rankings are much the same in all industrial societies.

S OCIAL C LASS IN THE U NITED S TATES Families in the upper class earn at least $160,000 annually and may earn ten times that much. Less than 1% of the population are in the upper-upper class. The majority of the population are in the middle class. 1/3 of the population reside in the working class. The remaining 20% of the population are in the lower class.

T HE D IFFERENCE C LASS M AKES Health is closely related to social standing. Children born into poor families are 3 times more likely to die from disease, neglect, accidents, or violence during the first year of life. Affluent people have a strong sense of family history, and are more tolerant of controversial behavior.

S OCIAL M OBILITY A CHANGE IN POSITION WITHIN THE SOCIAL HIERARCHY. Intra-generational social mobility: a change in social position occurring during a person’s lifetime (promotion on the job) Inter-generational social mobility: upward or downward social mobility in relation to their parents (promotion of family members social class).

T HE D IFFERENCE C LASS M AKES More privileged people support the Republican party, and people with fewer advantages favor the Democrats. Most lower-class families are somewhat larger than middle-class families. Class also shapes our world of relationships.

P OVERTY IN THE U NITED S TATES Relative poverty : the deprivation of some people in relation to those who have more. Absolute poverty : a deprivation of resources that is life threatening. In 2003, the government counted 35.9 million people as poor in this country.

E XPLAINING P OVERTY One View: Blame the poor The poor are mostly responsibility for their own poverty. Anyone who is poor either cannot or will not work. Counterpoint: Blame Society: Society is primarily responsibility for poverty. The loss of jobs in the inner cities is the primary cause.

H OMELESSNESS More than 10 million people are homeless in the United States. Most homeless people report they do not work. 1/3 of the homeless are substance abusers. 1/4 are mentally ill. Most live in urban areas.