1. STRATIFICATION AND CLASS

2. WHAT IS SOCIAL STRATIFICATION?
Video from 1957, Introduction

3. SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
A division of society where some people get more rewards than others
Examples: wealth, power, prestige, etc. all distributed unequally

4. POWER & PRESTIGE
Power = control behavior of others, even against their will; associated with wealth
Prestige = what people think of you; in the eye of the beholder
Subjective & mostly depends on your occupation
Different levels of prestige are called status system

5. STRATIFICATION SYSTEMS
Stratification exists everywhere & differs in societies
Examples: egalitarian, master-slave, feudal system, caste system, & class system
Caste system = rigid stratification system where people’s roles are ascribed & fixed
Class system = less rigid system where positions are achieved & can change

6. SOCIAL CLASSES
1. reputational method: picking a group of people & asking them to rank others (small population)
2. subjective method: same thing, but helps to find out class structure of a large population
3. objective method: identifies class using income, occupation, & education to rank people
People with same amount of income, power, & prestige
There are 3 different methods to identifying a person’s class

7. 3.WORKING CLASS = blue-collar, less education, manual jobs
1. UPPER CLASS= makes up 16% of nation’s wealth; upper-upper (old $ - 1%) & lower-upper (new $ - 15%)
2. MIDDLE CLASS= white-collar, non-manual labor; upper-middle (professional/ business ppl) and lower-middle (small business, sales, teachers, etc.)
3.WORKING CLASS = blue-collar, less education, manual jobs
4. WORKING POOR= lower class, joblessness & poverty
U.S CLASS SYSTEM
~16% upper class (good life chances)
~30-40% middle class
~30% working class
~20% poor/lower class

8. Videos
Let’s look at the poor conditions of different parts of the world and what they have to endure.
Coal Boy:
Afghan Girl:
Miseducation:
Waste:
Wilbur Goes Poor:

9. POOR POPULATION Absolute poverty = lack of minimum food & necessities
Poverty affects more women than men
For more than 60 years, the % of population living in poverty is usually twice as high as reported
B/c ppl live in relative poverty = having less than what the majority has

10. GLOBAL INEQUALITY
Video

11. BUT WE’RE MOBILE! Social mobility
Intragenerational/Career mobility: move from low position to high one (manager becomes VP)
Vertical mobility: moving up or down the status ladder (teacher to principal)
Horizontal mobility: movement from one job to another within same status (teacher moving schools)
Intergenerational mobility: change in social standing from one generation to another (worker’s daughter becomes VP)

12. STILL MOBILE!
Sometime large changes lead to moving up/down the ladder at the same time: structural mobility
BUT some people move & some don’t…depends on individual mobility (personal achievement & characteristics)
Amount of education is related to family background!

13. WHY SOME COUNTRIES ARE RICH AND OTHERS ARE POOR
Video