1. The Structure of Inequality
Is there an inequality problem in the US?

2. Do we have this in the US?
Social Stratification – the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy
Types:
Feudalism in the Middle Ages
Plantation System in the US (Slavery)
Apartheid in South Africa
Do we have a system of social stratification in the US???

3. Social Class: Stratification in the Modern World
Social Class – A system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power, and prestige.
What if I told you that our class system in the US, although less overt, was just as stratifying as the other systems we discussed (slavery, apartheid, feudalism)?

4. Well…let me prove it to you
Look at the following longitudinal study released by Harvard University in 2007:
Longitudinal means that they collected data over a long period of time. In this case, from the 1960s to the present date.

5. How does the “class system” work?
People use CAPITAL to compete in the market place:
Types of Capital
Capital – money and assets used to further economic position
Cultural Capital – Use of social network for economic and social gain.
Symbolic Capital – Use of position for economic and social gain.
Watch the following video: People Like Us --- Can you find examples of each?