Dimensions of Stratification Social Inequality

Social Stratification Social Stratification- ranking of people or groups according to their unequal access to scare resources The most important of these resources are income, wealth, power, and prestige.

Social Class Social Class- segment of society whose members hold similar amounts of resources, values, norms and lifestyle So if social stratification is the ranking system, social classes are the ranks. If you live in a technologically developed country there is usually 3 classes In developing countries, might only be an upper and a lower class.

The economic Dimension Karl Marx He predicted capitalist societies would be reduced to two social classes. Bourgeoisie- those who own the means of production; rulers Proletariat- those who work for wages; ruled Marx believed that control of the economy gave the bourgeoisie control over the legal, educational, and government systems as well.

Are there extremes of income and poverty in the US? First you need to know the difference between income- your paycheck; and wealth- what you own In the US the poverty rate is roughly 13%. That’s roughly 42 million people. Top 20% own 84.6% of the wealth There are 10.8 million millionaires and 540 billionaires living in the US.

The power dimension Max Weber Power- the ability to control behavior of others, even against their will Money and ownership are not the only resources that can be applied to power. Knowledge and social positions we hold can be powerful Elected officials and execs in mass media are powerful You can overcome wealth if a large # of people are on our side or if we are skillful at organizing our resources.

The prestige Dimension Prestige- recognition, respect, and admiration attached to social positions Defined by your culture and society. Must be given, not claimed. A scientist can’t give themselves a Nobel Prize; an actor can’t give themselves an Oscar; a musician can’t give themselves a Grammy.

How is prestige distributed? Social positions that are considered the most important have the most prestige. Usually someone’s prestige in America is determined by a combination of their wealth, occupation, and power. Most prestigious occupations in US- surgeon, lawyer, college professor, pilot, dentist, priest, engineer, principal, nurse, high school teacher, pro athlete, paramedic, police officer, actor, firefighter, mechanic, plumber, barber, bus driver, used car salesman.

Questions What is social stratification? The top 20% of US households receive approximately what percentage total US income? What are the most common sources of prestige in US society? What is the relationship between social stratification and social classes? Out of the 3 dimensions, economic, power, and prestige, which would you covet the most? Why? If you were running the country, how would you try to solve the problem of income inequality?

Prestige Ranking The following were listed in order of most prestige to least prestige: surgeon, lawyer, college professor, pilot, dentist, priest, engineer, principal, nurse, high school teacher, pro athlete, paramedic, police officer, actor, firefighter, mechanic, plumber, barber, bus driver, used car salesman. Which would you rank as your top 5? Which would rank as your bottom 5? What criteria did you use to re-rank the occupations?

On demand writing The following was written in the 1870s by a newspaper reporter. “It is as though an immense wedge were being forced, not underneath society, but through society. Those who are above the point of separation are elevated, but those who are below are crushed down. This association of poverty with progress is the great problem of our time.” Do you think this is still true today? If so, to what extent? How is society the same now? How is it different?

Open response How would you explain the power dimension at your school? Which groups seem to have the most power? Do any student groups have power? Do you have power?

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