1. Social Stratification: United States and Global Perspectives
Chapter 8
Social Stratification: United States and Global Perspectives

2. Chapter Outline Social Stratification: Shipwrecks and Inequality
Patterns of Inequality
Global Inequality
Theories of Stratification
Social Mobility: Theory and Research
Noneconomic Dimensions of Class

3. Social Stratification: Shipwrecks and Inequality
Writers and filmmakers use the shipwreck as a literary device.
It allows them to sweep away all traces of privilege and social convention and reveal human beings stripped to their essentials.

4. Robinson Crusoe (1719)
Defoe was one of the first writers to portray capitalism favorably.
He believed that people get rich if they possess the virtues of good businessmen.
Defoe tells the story of an Englishman marooned on a desert island.
His strong will, hard work, and inventiveness turn the poor island into a thriving colony.

5. Swept Away (1975)
A yacht shipwrecks while on a cruise in the Mediterranean.
The only survivors are a rich woman and a lowly deckhand.
They fall in love.
When they are rescued and return home, the woman turns her back on the deckhand, who is once again just a common laborer.

6. Swept Away (1975) The movie sends three messages:
It is possible to be rich without working hard, because one can inherit wealth.
One can work hard without becoming rich.
Inequality disappears only on the desert island, without society as we know it.

7. Question
_______________ refers to the way in which society is organized in layers or strata.

8. *
Social stratification refers to the way in which society is organized in layers or strata.

9. *Economic Inequality in the United States
In the mid-1990s, the richest 1% owned 39% of national wealth.
The richest 10% owned almost 72%.
The poorest 40% owned 0.2% percent of all national wealth.
The bottom 20% had a negative net worth - they owed more than they owned.

10. Wal-Mart (inheritance)
10 Richest Americans, 2004
Name
Net Worth ($ billion)
Source 1
Bill Gates 48
Microsoft Corp. 2
Warren Buffet 41
Berkshire Hathaway 3
Paul Allen 20 4
Helen Walton 18
Wal-Mart (inheritance) 5
John Walton

11. Wal-Mart (inheritance)
10 Richest Americans, 2003
Name
Net Worth ($ billion)
Source 6
Alice Walton 18
Wal-Mart (inheritance) 7
S. Robson Walton 8
Jim Walton 9
Lawrence Ellison
Oracle Corp. 10
Michael Dell
14.2
Dell Computer

12. *Question One’s wealth includes which of the following:
earnings from work
house minus mortgage
car minus car loan
b. and c. only

13. *Answer: d
One’s wealth includes: house minus mortgage and car minus car loan.

14. *Income Classes Households 2001
% of Households
Annual Income
Upper upper
1.0
$1 million
Lower upper
12.4
$100,000-$999,999
Upper middle
22.5
$57,500-$99,999

15. *Income Classes, Households 2001
% of Households
Annual Income
Average middle
18.8
$37,500-$57,499
Lower middle or working
22.7
$20,000-$37,499
Lower
22.6
$0-$19,999

16. Question
In which of these groups did your total family income, from all sources, fall last year before taxes:
$0K-24.9K
$25K-49.9K
50K and up

17. GSS National Data Category % $0K-24.9K 36.6 25K-49.9K 32.7 $50K and up
30.7

18. Distribution of National Income Among Households

19. *Patterns of Income Inequalities
The top 5th of households earned 9.8 times more than the bottom 5th.
2001 -The top 5th earned more than half of all national income.
The rich have been getting richer, middle-income earners and the poor have been getting poorer.

20. *Global Inequality 1/5 of the world’s population lacks shelter.
More than 1/5 lacks safe water.
1/3 of the world’s people are without electricity.
More than 2/5 lack adequate sanitation.
There are still about 27 million slaves in Mozambique, Sudan, and other African countries.

21. *Question
The citizens of poorer nations are more likely to be lazy when compared to the citizens of richer nations.
Strongly agree
Agree somewhat
Unsure
Disagree somewhat
Strongly disagree

22. *Gini Index
A measure of income inequality with a value ranging from zero to 1.
A Gini index of zero indicates every household earns the same amount of money.
A Gini index of 1 indicates that a single household earns the entire national income.
Most countries have Gini indexes between 0.2 and 0.5.

23. *Household Income Inequality, 2000

24. *U.N. Indicators of Human Development, Top 6 Countries, 2000
Country and Rank
Life Expectancy
Adult Literacy
GDP/ Capita
Norway
78.9
99%
36,600
United States
77.0
35,750
Sweden
80.0
26,050
Australia
79.1
28,260
Canada
79.3
29,480
Netherlands
78.3
29,100
Belgium
78.7
27,570
GDP = Gross Domestic Product the total market value of all final goods and services produced within a given country or region in a given period of time (usually a calendar year)

25. *U.N. Indicators of Human Development Bottom 6 Countries, 2000
Country and Rank
Life Expectancy
Adult Literacy
GDP/ Capita
Guinea-Bissau
45.2
39.4
710
Burundi
40.8
19.0
630
Mali
48.5
930
Burkina Faso
45.8
12.8
1,100
Niger
46.0
17.1
800
Sierra Leone
34.3
n.a.
520

26. Inequality and Development

27. *Stratification Systems
An ascription-based stratification system is one in which the allocation of rank depends on the characteristics a person is born with.
An achievement-based stratification system is one in which the allocation of rank depends on a person’s accomplishments.

28. *Caste System
A caste system is an almost pure ascription-based stratification system in which occupation and marriage partners are assigned on the basis of caste membership.

29. Apartheid
A caste system based on race that existed in South Africa from 1948 until 1992.
consigned the large black majority to menial jobs
prevented marriage between blacks and whites
erected separate public facilities for members of the two races

30. *Theories of Stratification: Marx
A person’s class is determined by the source of his or her income:
The bourgeoisie owns the means of production.
The proletariat do physical labor.
The petty bourgeoisie own means of production but do some physical labor themselves.

31. *Theories of Stratification: Weber
Four main classes:
large property owners
small property owners
propertyless but relatively highly educated and well-paid employees
propertyless manual workers

32. *Weber’s Stratification Scheme

33. College/University Professors
*Mean Annual Earnings, Full-Time Workers, and Prestige Scores, Selected Occupations, U.S.
Occupation Median
Annual, 2003
Prestige Score, 1989
Airline pilots
120,589 61
Physicians
117,664 86
Lawyers
99,796 75
Aerospace Engineers
82,113 72
College/University Professors
66,945 74

34. *Mean Annual Earnings, Full-Time Workers, and Prestige Scores, Selected Occupations, U.S.
Occupation Median
Hourly Annual, 2003
Prestige Score, 1989
Computer Programmers
59,940 61
Police officers and detectives
49,032 60
Plumbers, pipe fitters and steamfitters
45,047 45
High School teachers
45,254 66

35. *Theories of Stratification: Functionalism
Some jobs are more important than others.
People have to make sacrifices to train for important jobs.
Inequality is required to motivate people to undergo these sacrifices.

36. *Criticisms of Functionalism
Inequality encourages the discovery of talent only for those who can afford to take advantage of the opportunities available to them.
Once people attain high-class standing, they can use their power to maintain their position and promote the interests of their families regardless of their children’s talent.

37. *Blau and Duncan: The Status Attainment Model
Stratification is not a system of distinct classes, but a continuous hierarchy or ladder of occupations with hundreds of rungs.
Each rung on the ladder requires different levels of education and generates different amounts of income
Socioeconomic index of occupational status
Averages earnings and years of education of men employed full time in various occupations

38. *Blau and Duncan: The Status Attainment Model
Looked at five variables:
Respondent’s current job
Respondent’s first job
Father’s job
Education completed by respondent
Education completed by father

39. Blau and Duncan’s Model of Occupational Achievement

40. *Blau and Duncan: The Status Attainment Model
Main finding:
Respondents’ own achievements had much more influence on their current occupational status than did ascribed characteristics
Subsequent research confirmed rate of social mobility for men
However, intragenerational mobility generally modest (within a single generation)
Intergenerational mobility can be substantial (between generations)

41. *Blau and Duncan: The Status Attainment Model
Most social mobility occurs as a result of change in the occupational structure rather than individual achievement
Structural mobility – social mobility that results from changes in the distribution of occupations.
Examples of occupational structure changes:
Agriculture to Manufacturing
Manufacturing to Service

42. Blau and Duncan: The Status Attainment Model
Critique:
Ignored or underrepresented women, minorities, and people employed part-time or unemployed workers
Good News:
Subsequent research confirmed that the process of status attainment is much the same for women and minorities as it is for white men.

43. *Blau and Duncan: The Status Attainment Model
Good News:
Years of schooling influence status attainment more than does father’s occupation whether one examines white men, women, African Americans or Hispanic Americans
Bad News:
If you compare people with the same level of education and similar family backgrounds, women and members of minority groups tend to attain lower status than white men.

44. *Wright’s Typology of Classes, United States, 1980

45. *Goldthorpe’s Typology of Classes
Defines three classes of workers that are distinguished by skill and sector
Groups large employers with senior managers, professionals, administrators, and officials
The common features of these occupational groups – level of income and authority, political interests, and lifestyle – transcends divide between owners and nonowners

46. *Goldthorpe’s Typology of Classes
Service classes I.
Higher-grade professionals, administrators, and officials; managers in large industrial enterprises; large proprietors
II.
Lower-grade professionals, administrators, and officials; higher- grade technicians; managers in small industrial establishments; supervisors of nonmanual employees

47. *Goldthorpe’s Typology of Classes
Intermediate classes
IIIa.
Nonmanual employees, higher grade (administration and commerce)
IIb.
Nonmanual employees, lower grade (sales and service)
IVa.
Small proprietors, artisans, with employees
IVb.
Small proprietors, artisans, without employees
IVc.
Farmers; self-employed workers in primary production V.
Lower-grade technicians; supervisors of manual workers

48. *Goldthorpe’s Typology of Classes
Working Classes
VI.
Skilled manual workers.
VIIa.
Semiskilled and unskilled manual workers not in primary production
VIIb.
Agricultural and other workers in primary production

49. *Poverty Threshold
The poverty threshold is set at three times the cost of an economy food budget and adjusted for:
number of people in the household
annual inflation rate
whether adult householders are younger than 65

50. *United States Poverty Rate

51. *Poverty in the U.S., 2003

52. *Polling Question Many poor people simply don't want to work hard.
Strongly agree
Agree somewhat
Unsure
Disagree somewhat
Strongly disagree

53. Quick Quiz

54. Since the early 1960s:
more upward than downward mobility has occurred in the United States
more downward than upward mobility has occurred in the United States
the amount of downward and upward mobility has been about equal
more upward than downward mobility has occurred in the United States, and the gap between upward and downward mobility started to shrink when many Americans reported deterioration in their economic situation

55. Answer: d
Since the early 1960s: more upward than downward mobility has occurred in the United States, and the gap between upward and downward mobility started to shrink when many Americans reported deterioration in their economic situation.

56. 2. The _________________ is a measure of income inequality that ranges from 0 (every household earns the same amount of money) to 1 (all income is earned by a single household).

57. Answer: Gini Index
The Gini Index is a measure of income inequality that ranges from 0 (every household earns the same amount of money) to 1 (all income is earned by a single household).

58. own the means of production do not do any physical labor
3. For Marx, the bourgeoisie:
own the means of production
do not do any physical labor
own the means of production and do physical work themselves
are economically inefficient
own the means of production, and do not do any physical labor

59. Answer: e
For Marx, the bourgeoisie own the means of production, and do not do any physical labor.

60. propertyless but educated and well-paid employees
4. Which of the following is not one of the major classes in capitalist society according to Weber?
large property owners
small property owners
service workers
propertyless but educated and well-paid employees
propertyless manual workers

61. Answer: c
Service workers are not one of the major classes in capitalist society according to Weber.

62. 5. According to the functional theory of stratification, social inequality is necessary because the prospect of high material rewards motivates people to undergo the sacrifices needed to get a higher education.
True
False

63. Answer: True
According to the functional theory of stratification, social inequality is necessary because the prospect of high material rewards motivates people to undergo the sacrifices needed to get a higher education.

64. 6. lau and Duncan's main research finding:
ascription is about as powerful as achievement in determining social mobility in American society
respondents' own achievements had much more influence on their current occupational status than did ascribed characteristics
ascribed characteristics had much more influence on respondents' current occupational status than did their own achievements
all of the above

65. Answer: b
lau and Duncan's main research finding: respondents' own achievements had much more influence on their current occupational status than did ascribed characteristics.

66. an achievement society a postindustrial system
7. Apartheid was:
a foraging society
a feudal system
a caste system
an achievement society
a postindustrial system

67. Answer: c
7. Apartheid was a caste system.