World STRATIFICATION: The global HIERARCHY Chapter 7 (Book 12) World STRATIFICATION: The global HIERARCHY

World Stratification: The Global Hierarchy Learning Objectives LO 7.1 Describe the division of the world into high-, middle-, and low-income countries. LO 7.2 Discuss patterns and explanations of poverty around the world. LO 7.3 Apply sociological theories to the topic of global inequality. LO 7.4 Evaluate trends in global inequality.

The Power of Society In a world of unequal economic development, how does a child's country of birth affect the chances of survival?

“Although poverty is a reality in the United States and other nations, the greatest social inequality is not within nations but between them.” Found on page 332.

Global Stratification: An Overview LO 7.1 Describe the division of the world into high-, middle-, and low-income countries.

Changing Terminology Old terminology First world: Industrial rich countries Second world: Less industrial socialist countries Third world: Non-industrial poor countries Problems with old terminology After the Cold War, the second world no longer existed. The third world is too economically diverse to be meaningful.

Changing Terminology New terminology High-income: Nations with the highest standard of living Middle-income: Somewhat poorer nations with economic development typical for the world Low-income: Nations with lowest productivity and extensive poverty Advantages Focuses on economic development rather than political structure (capitalist or socialist) Provides better picture of the relative economic development of various countries

High-Income Countries First to develop during industrial revolution two centuries ago Enjoy 64% of the world's income Control financial markets which means control of other countries

Middle-Income Countries About 52% of the population lives in or near urban areas and have industrial jobs About 48% live in rural areas and engage in agricultural activities -- a general lack of access to schools, medical care, and safe water See page 335 for more details.

Mostly poor, rural economies Agrarian, with some industry Low-Income Countries Mostly poor, rural economies Agrarian, with some industry Very short life expectancy Hunger, disease, and unsafe housing shape the lives of the world's poorest people.

The Severity of Poverty Poverty in poor countries is more severe than it is in rich countries. Norway had the highest “quality of life” rating, followed by Australia and Canada. The United States ranked 6th. Niger had the lowest.

The Severity of Poverty Relative poverty Lack of resources that others take for granted This sort of poverty exists in every society, rich or poor. Absolute poverty A life-threatening lack of resources One-third or more of the people in low-income countries experience poverty at this level.

Is poverty life-threatening? Extent of Poverty Is poverty life-threatening? In some African and Asian countries, half of annual deaths are children under age of 10. Every 10 minutes, 100 people die of hunger, about 25,000 people a day. 1.4 billion people suffer from chronic hunger in the world.

Poverty and Children 100 million children in poor countries forced to work the streets (e.g., beg, steal, sell sex). Tens of millions of children are orphaned or have left their families and live on the streets. Many girls, with little or no access to medical assistance, become pregnant. Tens of millions of children fend for themselves every day on the streets of poor cities where many fall victim to disease, drug abuse, and violence.

Women, Slavery, and Poverty In all societies, a woman's work is unrecognized, undervalued, and underpaid. Sweatshop workers are mostly women. 70% of the world's 1 billion people living near absolute poverty are women.

Women, Slavery, and Poverty Most women in poor countries receive little or no reproductive health care. World's poorest women typically give birth without help from trained health care personnel.

Women, Slavery, and Poverty Five types of slavery (Anti-Slavery International) Chattel slavery: One person owns another Child slavery: A more common form of bondage Debt bondage: Employers hold workers to pay debts Servile forms of marriage: Women married against their will or forced into prostitution Human trafficking: Third largest source of profit to organized crime

Human slavery continues to exist in the twenty-first century.

Human Trafficking Movement of men, women, and children From one place to another For the purpose of performing forced labor People lured to a new country with promise of a job Forced to become prostitutes or farm laborers Adopted and forced to work in sweatshops

Correlates of Global Poverty: What Is…? Technology About one-fourth of the people in low-income countries use human or animal power to farm land. Population growth Population for poor countries in Africa doubles every 25 years.

Correlates of Global Poverty: What Is…? Cultural patterns People resist innovations; accept slavery as a way of life. Social stratification Low-income countries distribute wealth very unequally.

Correlates of Global Poverty: What Is…? Gender inequality Raising living standards means improving women's standing. Global power relationships Historically, wealth flowed from poor societies to rich nations through colonialism.

Correlates of Global Poverty: What Is…? Colonialism Process by which some nations enrich themselves through political and economic control of other nations Neocolonialism “New” form of global power relationships that involves not direct political control but economic exploitation by multinational corporations Correlates of Global Poverty: What Is…?

Modernization Theory Modernization theory Model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of technological and cultural differences between nations. LO 7.3 Apply sociological theories to the topic of global inequality.

Modernization Theory Historical perspective Centuries ago, the entire world was poor. Exploration, trade, and the industrial revolution transformed Western Europe and North America. Absolute poverty declined and standard of living jumped in some areas of world.

Weber: Cultural perspective Modernization Theory Weber: Cultural perspective Protestant Reformation reshaped traditional Christian beliefs. Wealth became a personal virtue. Individualism replaced the traditional emphasis on family and community.

Rostow's Stages of Modernization Traditional stage Changing traditional views Take-off stage Use of talents and imaginations Drive to technological maturity Diversified economy takes over High mass consumption Mass production stimulates consumption

The Role of Rich Nations in Global Economic Development Controlling population Exporting birth control and educating people on its importance Increasing food production Using of new hybrid seeds, modern irrigation methods, the use of chemicals and pesticides Introducing industrial technology Sharing machinery and information to facilitate shifts in economies Providing foreign aid Using money for equipment necessary for change

Evaluation Modernization simply has not happened in many poor countries. Theory fails to recognize how rich nations benefit from the status quo of poor nations. Theory fails to recognize that international relations affect all nations. Ethnocentric approach holds up the richest nations as the standard to judge other societies. Blames global poverty on the poor societies.

Historical perspective Dependency Theory Historical perspective People living in poor countries were better off in the past than they are now. Economic position of rich and poor are linked.

Dependency Theory Economic positions of rich and poor nations of the world are linked and cannot be understood apart from each other. Some nations became rich only because others became poor. These women staged a protest in Athens, Greece; they are wearing white masks to symbolize the “faceless” workers who make much of what we wear. Is any of the clothing you wear made in sweatshop factories?

Importance of colonialism Dependency Theory Importance of colonialism Europeans colonized much west, south and east. African slave trade is the most brutal form of human exploitation. Neocolonialism is the “essence” of the modern capitalistic world economy.

Wallerstein's Capitalist World Economy Today's world economy is rooted in the colonization that began 500 years ago. Rich countries: Form the core of the world economy and are enriched by raw materials from around the world. Low-income countries: Are the periphery by providing inexpensive labor and a market for industrial products. Middle-income countries: Form the semiperiphery, having a closer tie to the core

Wallerstein's Ideas Wallerstein Narrow, export-oriented economies: Poor countries produce only a few crops for export to rich countries. Lack of industrial capacity: Poor countries sell raw materials to rich countries, then buy finished products at high prices. Foreign debt: Poor countries owe rich countries $1 trillion dollars, including hundreds of billions to the United States.

Wallerstein Evaluation Wrongly treats wealth as zero-sum game. Wrongly blames rich nations for global poverty. Wrongly presents a simplistic by citing capitalism as the single factor. Offers inaccurate claim that global trade always benefits rich nations. Provides more protest than policy.

GLOSSARY Extensive Expansion Poverty Grant Odds Beg Fend Abuse Sweatshop Chattel Bondage Servile Trafficking Lure Exploitation Decline Virtue Stimulate Irrigation Pesticide Better off Brutal Essence Raw Perphery Affluence