Social Stratification in Global Perspective Chapter 7

Chapter Overview Introduction The meaning of Social Class in Industrialized Nations Why Stratification? How to Maintain National Stratification A Model of Global Stratification Theories on the Origins of Stratification Maintaining International Stratification Review

I. Introduction “Quiz”

1. Racism causes slavery. False

True, but it’s debatable 2. American culture includes a caste system (a system in which status is determined by birth) and is life-long. True, but it’s debatable

3. People are sorted into categories by sex and men are always favored. Yup.

4. Prestige is not always based on money. True

5. Universally, schools teach that their nation’s form of government is the best. True

6. In democratic societies, the ruling elite manipulate the media through the selective release of information, which they justify as “in the interest of national security.” True

7. It was only by luck that 18 English prime ministers came from Eton, an exclusive British school. False

8. The Communist Party is not stratified. False

9. In Brazil they solve the problem of impoverished children by murdering them. True

10. In some countries, farmers do not use technology to increase their yield because a poor yield might be God’s will. True

B. Background What’s in your Wallet? The Muleta and the Skeen Families Some charts and graphs

Disparity of Global Wealth

Distribution of World Income by World Bank Strata (1996)

Slavery Caste Class

Global Stratification and the Status of Females

Ideal-Type Formulation of Stratification Systems

II. The Meaning of Social Class in Industrialized Nations Marx: The means of production Weber: Property, prestige, and power

III. Why Stratification? Davis and Moore (functionalist theory) Society must make certain that its positions are filled. Some positions are more important than others. The more important positions must be filled by the more qualified people. To motivate the more qualified people to fill these positions, society must offer them greater rewards.

Y.J.U.: Davis and Moore are right on.

Mosca’ Argument (conflict theory) No society can exist unless it is organized (this requires leadership). Leadership (political organization) means inequality of power. People are selfish. People in power will try to acquire more resources. Dramatic Demonstration

Y.J.U.: Mosca is right on.

C. Lenski’s Synthesis Functionalists are right in hunting and gathering societies. Conflict Theorists are right regarding societies with excesses of goods. What do you think of Lenski’s Synthesis?

IV. How to Maintain National Stratification Use of Social Networks Use of Force C. Control of Ideas & Information

IV. How to Maintain National Stratification Use of Social Networks This begs the question, Why do women want to join men’s clubs? Use of Force C. Control of Ideas & Information

IV. How to Maintain National Stratification Use of Social Networks Use of Force Another “Quiz” C. Control of Ideas & Information

1. Eight of the world’s ten richest people are U.S. citizens. False.

In 1996, only three of the world’s richest people (Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Paul G. Allen) were U.S. citizens. Five of the world’s ten richest were Asians residing in China, Japan, or Taiwan.

2. Although the percentage of the world’s people living in absolute poverty has declined over the past decade, the total number of people living in poverty has increased. True.

The percentage has declined since the mid-1980s, particularly in Asia The percentage has declined since the mid-1980s, particularly in Asia. However, other regions have not reduced the incidence of poverty to the same degree, and the total number of people living in poverty had risen to about 1.4 billion in the mid-1990s.

3. The richest fifth of the world’s population receives about 50% of the total world income. False.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (1996), the richest fifth receive more than 80 percent of total world income. This ratio doubled between the 1950s and 1990s.

4. The political role of governments in policing the activities of transnational corporations has expanded as companies’ operations have become more globalized. False.

Governmental restrictions have become less effective in controlling these companies’ activities. It is easy for transnationals to avoid governmental restrictions based on old assumptions about national economies and foreign policy.

5. Most analysts agree that the World Bank was created to serve the poor of the world and their borrowing governments. False.

Some analysis see transnational corporations borrowing and lending most heavily from the World Bank. Although the bank is supposedly owned by its members’ governments and lends money only to governments, many of its projects involve vast financial dealings with transnational corporate interests.

6. In low-income countries, the problem of poverty is unequally shared between men and women. True.

In almost all countries, poverty is a more chronic problem for women due to sexual discrimination, resulting in a lack of educational and employment opportunities.

7. Income and standard of living have increased significantly for most Russians as the transition from centrally planned economies to a market orientation has taken place in recent years. False. Not everyone has shared equally in the transition to the market economy.

8. Poverty levels have declined somewhat in East Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa in recent years. True.

These have been the primary regions in which poverty has decreased somewhat and infant mortality rates have fallen. Factors such as economic growth, oil production, foreign investment, and overall development have been credited with the decrease in poverty in these countries.

9. The majority of people with incomes below the poverty line live in rural areas of the world. True. However, the number of poor people residing in urban areas is growing rapidly. In fact, most people living in poverty in Latin America are urban dwellers.

10. Poor people in low-income countries meet most of their energy needs by burning wood, dung, and agricultural wastes, which increase health hazards and environmental degradation. True.

Many low-income people cannot afford appliances, connection charges, and so forth. In some areas, electric hookups are not available.

IV. How to Maintain National Stratification Use of Social Networks Use of Force Control of Ideas & Information Propaganda: The Art of Persuasion

V. A Model of Global Stratification Most Industrialized Nations Industrializing Nations Least Industrialized Nations

An Alternative Model of Global Stratification

Y.J.U.: Being a woman is a liability.

VI. Theories on the Origins of Stratification Colonialism What is a colony? Do we still have colonies?

B. World Systems Theory: How a country is incorporated into the global capitalist economy (i.e., core, semiperipheral, or peripheral nation) is the key feature in determining how economic development takes place in that nation.

Core Nations = those that industrialized first and became rich. Semiperipheral Nations = those in the Mediterranean area that stagnated because they grew dependent on trade with the core nations. Peripheral Nations = those that sold cash crops to the core nations and developed even less. External Areas are left out of the development of capitalism altogether (most of Africa and Asia).

C. Dependency Theory Global poverty can at least partially be attributed to low-income countries being exploited by high-income economies; the poor nations are trapped in a cycle of dependency on richer nations. Demonstration

Culture of Poverty Use of traditional ways because they are tried and true. Religion reinforces traditionalism through fatalism (the acceptance of one’s lot in life as “God’s will”).

VII. Maintaining International Stratification Neocolonialism Dominance of least industrialized nations by most industrialized nations Multinationals New technology

VIII.Additional Key Terms Another Term Yet Another Term You Guessed It

VIII. Review What is social stratification and why is it sociologically important? What is slavery? What is a caste system?

What is a class system? What does gender have to do with social stratification? What did Karl Marx believe determined social class?

What did Weber believe about social class? What did Davis and Moore believe about social class? What was Mosca’s theory about social class?

What was Lenski’s synthesis? How do the elite maintain stratification? What are the three worlds of development?

What are some of the problems presented by this classification system? How did the world’s nations become stratified? Discuss several theories. How is global stratification been maintained?