1. Stratification: Rich and Famous—or Rags and Famine?
Chapter 7
Stratification: Rich and Famous—or Rags and Famine?
Soc 100
Dr. Santos

2. The Importance of Stratification
Social stratification refers to how individuals and groups are layered or ranked in society according o how many valued resources they possess
An ongoing sorting process
Legitimated by cultural beliefs

4. Three main assumptions underlie the concept of stratification
People are divided into ranked categories
There is an unequal distribution of desired resources
The criteria societies uses to rank others depends on:
The society’s history
Its geographic location
Level of development
The society’s political philosophy
The decisions of those in power

5. Micro-level factors: Prestige and Influence
Cultural capital – knowledge and access to important information in society
Social capital – networks with others who have influence
Individual qualities also influence cultural and social capital

6. Meso-level factors: Access to resources
The family reinforces status though the socialization process
Educational organizations treat children differently according to their social status
Religious affiliation reflects one’s social status
Political systems reinforce the stratification system through laws, courts, and policing
Access to healthcare depends on one’s position in the stratification system

7. Macro-level factors influencing stratification
The economic system
The geographic location of nations
Resources
Strong educational system
Well-paying jobs
Productive land
Ample supply of water
Access to technology

8. Theoretical Explanations of Stratification
Symbolic Interaction
Individuals learn their social position through socialization
Cultural capital influences children’s school and home environments
Symbols also often represent social positions
Conspicuous consumption is displaying goods in a way that others will notice and that will presumably earn the owner respect

9. Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification
Structural Functionalism
Stratification within societies is an inevitable—and probably necessary—part of the social world
The stratification system provides each individual a position in the social world
The stratification system motivates individuals to carry out their roles

10. Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification
Structural Functionalism
Davis and Moore
Some positions are more highly valued because people feel they are very important to society
Societies must motivate talented individuals to occupy the most important positions
Differential rewards must be offered to attract the most qualified individuals into the most valued positions
As a result, stratification is inevitable

11. Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification
Conflict Theory
How do societies produce necessities?
How are relationships between rich and poor people shaped by this process?
How do many people become alienated in their routine, dull jobs in which they have little involvement and no investment in the end product?

12. Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification
Marxism
Marx saw four possible ways to distribute wealth:
According to each person’s needs
According to what each person wants
According to what each person earns
According to what each person can take

13. Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification
Marxism
Marx thought there were two economically-based social classes
The bourgeoisie are the capitalist class; the haves
Control the means of production, or the necessary resources to create capital
Control the norms and values of society
Use their power to make the distribution of resources seem “fair” and justified
Use social control to maintain their control in society

14. Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification
Marxism
Marx thought there were two economically-based social classes
The proletariats are the working class; the have-nots
The proletariats will remain exploited as long as they do not develop a class consciousness, or a shared awareness of their poor status in relation to the means of production
Intellectuals in society could help the proletariat develop a class consciousness and to mobilize to overthrow the bourgeoisie to create a classless society where all wealth is shared

15. Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification
Recent conflict stratification theorists argue that there are 5 social classes:
Capitalists
Managers
Petty bourgeoisie
Workers
Underclass

16. Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification
Evolutionary Theory, a synthesis
The basic assumptions of evolutionary theory are:
To survive people must cooperate
Conflicts of interest occur over important decisions that benefit one over another
Valued items are always in demand and in short supply
There is likely to be a struggle over these scarce goods
Customs and traditions determine the distribution of scarce resources

17. Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification
Evolutionary Theory, a synthesis
Structural functionalism
Talented individuals need to be motivated
Conflict theory
Individuals will attempt to control as much wealth, power, and prestige as possible, resulting in potential conflict
The importance of exploitation in creating inequality
It results in only some amount of inequality may be useful in highly complex societies

18. Individual Life Chances and Lifestyles
Life chances refer to one’s opportunities, depending n their achieved and ascribed status in society
Important institutions that impact life chances are:
Education
Health, social conditions, and life expectancy
Family life and child rearing patterns
Lifestyles
Attitudes toward Achievement
Religious membership
Political behavior

19. Social Mobility: The Micro-Meso Connection
Social mobility refers to the extent and direction of individual movement in the social stratification system
Three issues affect mobility:
Variations in times of social mobility
Factors that affect social mobility
Whether there is a “land of opportunity”

20. Types of Mobility
Intergenerational mobility refers to change in status compared to your parents’ status, usually resulting from education and occupational attainment
Intragenerational mobility refers to the change in position in a single individual’s life
Vertical mobility refers to movement up or down in the hierarchy, which sometimes involves changing social classes

21. Factors Affecting Mobility
Mobility depends on micro-level factors
Socialization
Education
Mobility depends on macro-level factors
Occupational structure
Economic status of the society
Population changes
Importance of ascribed status
The global economic situation

22. Major Stratification Systems: Macro-Level Analysis
In ascribed stratification systems characteristics individuals are born with determines ones position in society
In achieved stratification systems individuals are allowed to earn positions through their ability and effort

23. Ascribed Status: Caste and Estate Systems
Caste systems are the most rigid ascribed systems and are maintained by cultural norms and social control mechanisms that are deeply imbedded in religious, political, and economic institutions
Importance of socialization
Stability maintained by ideology

24. Ascribed Status: Caste and Estate Systems
Castes predetermine:
Occupational positions, marriage partners, residences, social associations, and prestige levels
Castes are recognized though:
Clothing, speech patterns, family name and identity, skin color, r other distinguishing characteristics

25. Ascribed Status: Caste and Estate Systems
Estate systems are ascribed pre-industrial systems characterized by the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a small minority of political-military elite, with the peasantry tied to the land
Peasants receive protection and enough food to survive from the nobility
Estate systems are based on:
Ownership of land
Position one is born into
Military strength

26. Achieved Status: Social Class Systems
Social class systems of stratification are based on achieved status
Members of the same social class have similar income, wealth, and economic position
They share comparable styles of living, levels of education, cultural similarities, and patterns of social interaction
Social class position is based on three main factors: property, power, and prestige

27. Achieved Status: Social Class Systems
Property, or wealth, refers to owning or controlling the means of production
Power is the ability to control or influence others
Power elite
Pluralism
Prestige involves the esteem and recognition one receives, based on wealth, position, or accomplishment

28. Poverty: Multi-Level Determinants and Policy
Absolute poverty, or not having resources to meet basic needs, means no prestige, no access to power, no accumulated wealth, and insufficient means to survive
Relative poverty refers to those whose income falls below the poverty line, resulting in an inadequate standard of living relative to others in a given country

29. Poverty: Multi-Level Determinants and Policy
Social costs of poverty
Loss of talent and abilities
Financial cost of addressing needs of and regulating the poor
Cultural contradiction of values

30. Poverty: Multi-Level Determinants and Policy
The “functions” of poverty
Convenient scapegoat for societal problems
Creates jobs for those who are not poor
Provide an easily available, exploitable group of laborers
Reinforce and legitimate our lives and institutions
Constantly reaffirm the values of the affluent

31. Eliminating Poverty: Some Policy Considerations
“Women, Infants, and Children Program” or WIC
Head Start
Workfare
Are there jobs available at a “living wage”?
Cutting taxes reduces our ability to help
Prisons absorb public funds

32. Macro-Level Stratification: National and Global Digital Divide
The global social world is increasingly based on producing and transmitting information through digital technology
Individuals with insufficient access to computers and lack of technical skills face barriers to many professions and opportunities
Computer and Internet use is largely stratified in the world