Chapter 9: Stratification and Social Mobility in the US
Stratification and Social Mobility in the US Stratification: structured ranking in which members of society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, and power Social Inequality : Condition in which members of society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, and power
Systems of Stratification Ascribed Status Achieved Status Income and Wealth
Systems of Stratification Slavery: Individuals are owned by other people, who treat them as property Caste System : Hereditary ranks usually religiously dictated and tend to be fixed and immobile Feudalism : peasants worked in exchange for land and military protection and other services Open and Closed Systems
The U.S. Class System Class system: Social ranking based primarily on economic positions in which achieved characteristics can influence mobility Upper Class Upper-Middle Class Lower-Middle Class Working Class Lower Class
The US Class System The Shrinking Middle Class Disappearing opportunities for the uneducated Outsourcing Growing dependence on a temporary workforce and part-time positions to reduce costs Decline in union membership TED Talk: tchforks_are_coming?language=en tchforks_are_coming?language=en
Functionalist View of Stratification Stratification keeps people motivated and rewards innovators in society Stratification fills the roles that need to be filled in Society
Conflict View of Stratification Social relations depend on who owns the primary modes of production CapitalismClass Consciousness BourgeoisieFalse Consciousness Proletariat
Interactionist View of Social Stratification No single characteristic totally defines a person’s position within the stratification system Max Weber Class Status Power Jon Stewert christie_n_ html christie_n_ html
Interactionist View Conspicuous Consumption Conspicuous Leisure Stigma is placed on behavior typical of the lower class also often criminalized
Is Stratification Universal? Inequality exists in all societies Stratification is a major source of societal tension Leads to instability and social change Dominant Ideology: set if cultural beliefs and practices that help to maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests Lenski’s View- as society advances technologically, it becomes capable of producing a surplus of goods
Who are the Poor? Poverty and the poor satisfy positive functions for many non-poor groups Feminization of Poverty The Working Poor The Underclass Weber: class is closely related to people’s life chances
Who are the poor?