1. Review What is absolute vs relative poverty?
What is the feminization of poverty?
What is social stratification?
What are social classes?
Did you do your surveys?
What is power? What is prestige?

2. Benefits and Struggles of Poverty
A noted sociologist, Herbert Gans, has written about the functions of poverty.
He states that poverty actually serves many useful purposes in society.
For example, the poor have occupations that no one would do if they had the choice.
List 3 ways in which poverty might benefit society.
List 3 struggles that poverty causes.

3. Social Mobility

4. What is social mobility?
Mobility is the ability to move.
Social mobility- the movement of people between social classes

5. Horizontal mobility
Horizontal Mobility- a change in occupation within the same social class
So if a teacher enters into the military or a restaurant server becomes a taxi driver.
Because there is not a drastic change in social class or occupational status, sociologists do not pay much attention to this.

6. Vertical Mobility
Vertical mobility- a change upward or downward in occupation or social class
Say a plumber became a lawyer or a doctor. This would be a drastic change.
While this doesn’t usually happen, intergenerational mobility is more likely.
This would be like if a bus driver’s daughter became a surgeon. Or if a lawyer’s son became a janitor.

7. The extent of vertical mobility varies from society to society.
Some have considerable mobility. This is an open class system
Others have little to none. This is a caste system

8. Caste Systems
Caste System- a stratification system that doesn’t allow for social mobility.
There is no social mobility because social status is inherited and can’t be changed.
Usually those in one caste are allowed to marry only within their caste and must limit relationships of all types with those outside their class.
An example of this, could be South Africa before the election of Mandela. Their caste system was based on race.

9. The caste system in India
The caste system in India is one based on occupation and the Hindu religion
The Brahmin, top caste, composed of priests and scholars.
The Kshatriyas, professional, governing, and military occupations.
The Vaisyas, merchants and businessmen.
The sudra, farmers, menial workers, and craftsmen.
The untouchables, collect trash and handle dead bodies.

10. People in urban India have become less rigid than rural areas with the caste system, but it still plays a role in daily life.
Usually you stick with your own caste.
Untouchables can’t even drink from the same places as higher castes.
While it is no longer against the law, people still usually marry within their caste.
Those in the highest castes continue to maintain it because it benefits them.

11. Open Class System
Open class system- movement is allowed between social classes
Social class is based on merit and individual effort.
People move up and down based on their abilities, education, and resources.
Most people believe that the US is an open class system. Do you think so?
In reality, people can miss out on opportunities based on race or gender. Because of these limitations in some cases, US is relatively open class.

12. Few places in the world provide the opportunities for advancement that the US does. But usually this is just an improvement over where they are from.
Despite hard work, talent, and perseverance, countless Americans fail to move upward significantly.
Upward mobility in America usually involves only a small improvement over your parents.

13. Questions What is social mobility?
What is the difference between vertical mobility and horizontal mobility?
Why is the US not a completely open class system?
If you were born into a caste system, how do you think it would effect how hard you work? Would you try and leave that area for somewhere with better opportunities?
What has the social mobility been in your family for the last 2 generations?

14. Research
Students will research: the caste system in India, apartheid in South Africa, and the caste system brought about by slavery in the US.
Using a chart, Venn Diagram, or some other form of illustration, show the differences and similarities among the different systems.