THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY CHAPTER 9 Social Stratification Section 1: Systems of Stratification Section 2: The American Class System Section 3: Poverty

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Objectives:  Identify the characteristics of caste systems and class systems.  Contrast the major theories of social stratification. Section 1: Systems of Stratification

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  division of society into categories, ranks, or classes  Ascribed  Achieved  Talent and effort Social Stratification Section 1: Systems of Stratification

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Social Inequality  The unequal sharing of scarce resources and rewards  Result of stratification

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Stratification can be Open or Closed  Open-ability to move up/down  Closed-movement between status levels is impossible

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Caste System  Scarce resources and social rewards are distributed on the basis of ascribed statuses  Ascribed/Closed  Exogamy- marriage outside one’s social category (can’t have it-where would the kids fall?)  Endogamy- marriage within one’s social category

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY India’s Caste System 1950s-new constitution outlawed discrimination against Harijans and laws to break down Caste system-most successful in urban areas Harijans- untouchables, most undesirable jobs

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Class System  Open and mobile (up or down)  Distribution of resources and rewards is determined by achieved status

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Karl Marx on social stratification  Society is divided between those who own the means of production and those who only have their labor  Bourgeoisie- owners of the means of production/capitalists  Proletariat- those who sell their labor in exchange for wages  Property- only determining factor in social status

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Max Weber on social stratification  Class consists of property, prestige, and power  Prestige and power affect social standing  Can still have lots of prestige even if family fortune has been diminished  Those who make $$ illegally have lots but lack prestige

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  social class – grouping of people with similar levels of wealth, power, and prestige Dimensions of Social Stratification Section 1: Systems of Stratification

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Wealth  assets-value of everything you own  Income-expected earnings  Richest 1% controls more than 1/3 of U.S. wealth

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  the ability to control the behavior of others, with or without their consent  based on force, possession of special skills, knowledge, social status, personal characteristics, custom/tradition Power

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Prestige  respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy an individual receives from other members of society  based on income, occupation, education, family, residences, possessions, club memberships  chart page 209

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY SocioEconomic Status SES  respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy an individual receives from other members of society  based on income, occupation, education, family, residences, possessions, club memberships  chart page 209

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Major Theories of Social Stratification  Functionalist Theorists  Stratification is needed to help society function smoothly be ensuring that specific roles are performed  Higher rewards guarantees that important roles that require more skill are filled  Criticisms of Functionalist theory  Society does not provide equal access to education and jobs  There are talented people in lower classes  Rewards do not always reflect the social values of roles

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  Conflict Theorists –Stratification exists due to competition over scarce resources  Marxist Theory- the bourgeoisie exploit and control the proletariat to maintain wealth and power  American Conflict Theorists- Groups compete for scarce resources. Those with power use it to maintain their position by shaping laws and public perception to their advantage  Criticisms of conflict Theories- Fails to recognize that unequal rewards are based in part on differences in talents, skills and desires among people Major Theories of Social Stratification

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Synthesizing the Theories  Ralf Dahrendorf: (F)Rewards explain why people spend years training to be doctors. (C)Keeping positions of power explains why kids of wealthy go to best schools  Gerhard Lenski: (F) explains simple societies in which survival depends on cooperation © explains complex societies in which groups struggle for power

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Objectives:  Identify the characteristics of the American class system.  Explain how different motivations and cultural values influence the American class system. Section 2: The American Class System

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  open system due to fewer ascribed charac.  law forbids discrimination based on ascribed characteristics such as race or gender  in theory, all have equal access to resources  rate of social mobility is not equal for all segments of society The American Class System

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  reputational method – individuals are asked to rank other community members based on what they know of their character and lifestyle, good for small communities  subjective method – individuals are asked to determine their own social rank. Most gravitate to middle so more divisions are important.  objective method – least biased; sociologists define social class by income, occupation, and education Determining Social Class

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  1% upper class  14% upper-middle class  30% lower-middle class  30% working class  22% working poor  3% underclass  major difference in classes is income, lifestyle, beliefs  chart page 214 Social Classes in the United States Section 2: The American Class System

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Upper Class  Prestigious Univ./ mansions/ yachts/ large business owners/politics  Old money- generational wealth, born into money, wealth, power and opportunity (Rockefeller) v. new money  New Money- wealth through efforts, not as prestigious w/o family heritage  Social rank- family reputation is just as important as amount of money still have

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Upper Middle  College/CEOs/doctors/lawyers  Class membership based on income rather than assets  Career oriented  politically and socially active at community level

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Lower Middle  White collar jobs not involving manual labor  Less education and lower income than upper middle  Teachers, nurses, middle management  Conservative, traditional values

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Working Class  Blue collar jobs: factory, service jobs, unskilled jobs  Pink Collar Jobs-those traditionally held by women: clerical, service  Few financial reserves  Emergencies can be devastating  Some working class jobs pay better than lower middle, but carry less prestige

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Working Poor  Lowest paid, unskilled, temporary jobs  Domestic work, agricultural work, landscaping  Can be the hardest workers for the least amount of pay  Don’t care about politics because “it doesn’t matter”

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Underclass  Chief source of income- public assistance  Unemployment/poverty is generational  Only 50% of kids break cycle of poverty and move up

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  social mobility – the movement between or within social classes or strata  horizontal mobility – movement within a social class  vertical mobility – movement between social classes, upward or downward  intergenerational mobility – status differences between generations in the same family (parent’s social class vs. their own current class) Social Mobility Section 2: The American Class System

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Structural Causes of Social Mobility  Upward  Technology changes/jobs change  Merchandising-credit availability creates white collar jobs  Education Initiatives-brings about higher paying jobs

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Structural Causes of Social Mobility  Downward  Change in income from illness/divorce/death, etc.  Primary cause: Change in Economy  Technology replaces workers  recessions=unemployment and good paying jobs

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Motivations and Cultural Values Influence the American Class System  Values influence Americans to try to do better financially than their parents and to help their children do the same  Most Americans remain in the same social class as their parents Section 2: The American Class System

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Objectives:  Identify the groups of Americans that are affected by poverty.  Describe the steps that have been taken by the federal government to lessen the effects of poverty. Section 3: Poverty

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  More than 31 million people (11% of the population) live below the poverty level.  poverty – a standard of living that is below the minimum level considered adequate by society, a relative measure  poverty level – defined by the U.S. Bureau of Census, the minimum annual income needed by a family to survive Defining Poverty Section 3: Poverty

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Poverty Level:  Cost of an adequate diet X 3  adjusted each year to reflect the cost of living  Food, clothing, housing and “a little bit more”  Family of 4-$23, Defining Poverty Section 3: Poverty

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Groups Affected By Poverty  Age  35% of poor are children under 18  Minority children 3X more poor than white children  Sex  57% of poor are women, most single moms  Minority women 34% white 20%  Race/Ethnicity  Black and Hispanic 2X larger than exist in the general population Section 3: Poverty

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Life Chances  The likelihood that individuals have of sharing in the opportunities and benefits of society  Health- poor have more medical issues  Life expectancy- the average number of years a person can be expected to live  poor die younger due to nutrition, access to medical or prenatal care  Nutrition- less$ to spend in uneducated  Medical care: health insurance preventative care medication  Work environ- difficult jobs/safety risks  Housing- unsafe  Education- low tax revenues = low education Section 3: Poverty

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  higher divorce rate  committing crime  people living in poverty are more likely to commit crimes that police pursue more aggressively  victims of crime Patterns of Behavior Section 3: Poverty

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY History of Social Welfare Programs  New Deal/FDR  Social Security  War on Poverty/LBJ  Medicare/Medicaid  Affordable Care Act/Obama

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Government Responses To Poverty  Government attempts to reduce inequality through various social-welfare programs using two approaches:  Transfer Payments – redistribution of money among various segments of society; taking a percentage of the money collected through taxes and funneling it to groups that need public assistance (poor, unemployed, elderly, disabled  Supplemental Security Income (SSI): provides income support for people age 65 and older, the blind, and disabled with children  Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): cash payments to families with children

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY  Subsidies - transfer goods and services rather than cash  Food Stamp Program: people receive coupons or cards that can be used to buy food  housing, school lunches  Medicaid: health insurance program for the poor  Medicare: government-sponsored health insurance program for people 65 and older Government Responses To Poverty Section 3: Poverty

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Welfare Class  Those who choose to live on government assistance rather than work  Result of transfers and subsidies

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act AKA “Welfare Reform Act”  Goal: Get people off welfare by turning over the responsibilities to the states who operate under Federal guidelines  million recipients  million (4.1% of pop) $131b  47 million receive food stamps

THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS SOCIOLOGY Fun Welfare Stats  39 states-make more on welfare than having an $8/hour job  In CA-being on welfare is the equivalent of having a job that pays $11.59  In 8 states, welfare recipients make more than teachers do