1. Chapter 10—Social Class
Jon Witt

2. Understanding Stratification
Marx, Weber, and Durkheim highlighted significance of class differences and sought to understand both their causes and consequences
Du Bois and Addams worked to ameliorate excesses of social stratification
In U.S., social class is a touchy subject
Understanding Stratification

3. Understanding Stratification
Systems of Stratification
Social Inequality Condition in which members of society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power
Stratification Structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in a society
Slavery
Caste
Estate
Class
Understanding Stratification

4. Understanding Stratification
Systems of Stratification
Ascribed Status Social position assigned to a person without regard for that his or her unique talents or characteristics
Achieved Status Social position attained by person largely through his or her own efforts
Understanding Stratification

5. Understanding Stratification
Systems of Stratification
Slavery Most extreme form of legalized social inequality
Caste Hereditary rank, usually religiously dictated, that tends to be fixed and immobile
Estate System Peasants required to work land leased to them by nobles in exchange for military protection and other services
Class System Social ranking based primarily on economic position
Understanding Stratification

6. Understanding Stratification
Social Classes
Five-class model used to describe U.S. class system:
Upper class
Upper-middle class
Lower-middle class
Working class
Lower class
Understanding Stratification

7. Understanding Stratification
Social Mobility Movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society’s stratification system to another
Open Versus Closed Stratification Systems
Open System position of each individual influenced by his or her achieved status
Closed System There is little or no possibility of individual social mobility
Understanding Stratification

8. Understanding Stratification
Types of Social Mobility
Horizontal Mobility Movement from one social position to another of the same rank
Vertical Mobility Movement from one social position to another of a different rank
Intergenerational Mobility Changes in social position of children relative to their parents
Intragenerational Mobility Changes in social position within a person’s adult life
Understanding Stratification

9. Understanding Stratification
Sociological Perspectives on Stratification
Marx on Class
Social relations depend on who controls the primary mode of production
Capitalism Economic system in which private individuals control the means of production and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profits
Bourgeoisie Capitalist class; owns the means of production
Proletariat Working class; lack ownership of the means of production
Understanding Stratification

10. Understanding Stratification
Marx on Class
Class Consciousness subjective awareness of common vested interests and the need for collective political action to bring about change
Believed class consciousness would lead to the overthrow of capitalism
False Consciousness Attitude held by members of a class that does not accurately reflect their objective position
Dominant Ideology Set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps maintain status quo
Understanding Stratification

11. Understanding Stratification
Weber’s Multidimensional Model
Class does not totally define a person’s position within the stratification system
Class Group of people who have similar level of wealth and income
Status Group People who have the same prestige or lifestyle
Party Capacity to organize to accomplish some particular goal
Understanding Stratification

12. Understanding Stratification
Bourdieu and Cultural Capital
Cultural Capital Our tastes, knowledge, language, and ways of thinking that we exchange in interaction with others
Because culture is hierarchically valued, it is a form of power
People in different classes possess different types of cultural capital
Can be used as a form of exclusion
Passed down the same way as material capital
Understanding Stratification

13. Understanding Stratification
Material, Social, and Cultural Resources
Material resources are economic resources we own or control
Social resources are prestige based on position we occupy and social network connections
Cultural resources are our tastes, language, and way of looking at the world
Understanding Stratification

15. Social Class in the United States
Cultural Capital
We see class even if we don’t usually identify it as such
Clothes
Housing
Vacations
We seldom take seriously the source of such preferences or their effect on the choices we make and the doors that these choices may open or close to us
Social Class in the United States

16. Social Class in the United States
Status and Prestige
Occupational prestige
Prestige Respect and admiration that an occupation holds in society
Esteem Reputation that a specific person has earned within an occupation
Social Class in the United States

17. Social Class in the United States
Status and Prestige
Socioeconomic Status (SES) Measure of social class based on income, education, occupation, and related variables
Society often undervalues work (such as women’s unpaid work) that is essential for our individual and collective survival
Social Class in the United States

18. Social Class in the United States
Income and Wealth
Income Wages and salaries measured over some period, such as per hour or per year
Wealth Total of a person’s material assets, including savings, land, stocks, and other types of property, minus his or her debts at a single point in time
Social Class in the United States

19. Social Class in the United States
Income
Income inequality basic characteristic of a class system
In U.S. top 5% earns a significantly greater percent of total income than the bottom 40% combined
Income inequality in the U.S. increased steadily since 1970
Americans do not seem to seriously concerned about income and wealth inequality
Social Class in the United States

20. Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2009i:Table H-3.

21. Social Class in the United States
Wealth
Distributed more unevenly than income
Top 1% owns 33.8% of all wealth
Bottom 50% owns just 2.5%
Top 1% owns more than bottom 90% combined
Social Class in the United States

22. Social Class in the United States
Middle Class Struggles
Middle incomes have remained steady or even fallen over the past 40 years
Disappearing opportunities for those with little education
Global competition and rapid advances in technology
Growing dependence on the temporary workforce
The rise of new-growth industries and nonunion workplaces
Social Class in the United States

23. Social Class in the United States
Poverty
In 2008, 39.8 million people in U.S.—13.2% of the population—lived in poverty
Social Class in the United States

24. Social Class in the United States
Defining Poverty
Absolute Poverty Minimum level of subsistence that no family should be expected to live below
Common measure is federal government’s poverty line
Relative Poverty Floating standard of deprivation by which people at the bottom of a society are judged as being disadvantaged in comparison with the nation as a whole
Social Class in the United States

25. Social Class in the United States
Who Are the Poor?
Stereotypes about poverty are flawed
Likelihood of being in poverty shaped by factors such as age, race, ethnicity, and family type
increasing proportion of poor in U.S. have been women
In 2008, 43% of poor people in the U.S. were living in big cities
Underclass Long-term poor who lack training and skills
Overall composition of poor changes continually
Social Class in the United States

26. Source: OECD 2009:Table EQ3.2.

27. Note: Age and race/ethnicity percents are based on total persons
Note: Age and race/ethnicity percents are based on total persons. Families percents are based on total families.
Source: DeNavas-Walt et al. 2009c.

28. Social Class in the United States
Social Mobility
Occupational Mobility
Common among males
Most mobility is minor
Income and Wealth
Mobility occurs, but most do not move very far
Likelihood of ending up in same position as one’s parents has been rising since 1980
Social Class in the United States

29. Social Class in the United States
Social Mobility
Education
Impact of formal schooling is greater than family background
Important means of intergenerational mobility
Critical factor in development of cultural capital
Social Class in the United States

30. Social Class in the United States
Social Mobility
Race and Ethnicity
Class system more rigid for African Americans than for other racial groups
Typical Hispanic has less than 10% of the wealth that a White person has
Gender
Mobility studies have traditionally ignored gender
Women especially likely to be trapped in poverty
Social Class in the United States

31. Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2009f:Part 28.

32. Max Weber saw class as being closely related to people’s life chances
Life Chances Opportunities people have to provide themselves with material goods, positive living conditions, and favorable life experiences
In times of danger, affluent and powerful have a better chance of surviving
Digital Divide Relative lack of access to latest technologies among low-income groups, minorities, rural residents, and citizens of developing countries
Life Chances