{ Systems of Stratification Chapter 9, Section 1

  Division of members in a society into separate categories, ranks or classes.  Different systems of stratification:  Caste system  Class system Social Stratification

 Resources and rewards are distributed based on ascribed status. The status of a child is determined by their parents’ status.  Can a person move up to a higher status under this system? Very unlikely  Members practice endogamy- marrying within a class, and not exogamy– marrying outside of class. Caste Systems

Caste Systems (India) The_Caste_System.mp4

  Distribution of resources and rewards is determined on the basis of achieved status.   Gives control over one’s place.   Marx believed that it was based on who owned means of production.   Bourgeosie= own production in capitalistic society.   Proletariat= sell labor for wages.   Most major industrialized nations (such as the U.S. have a class system) Class Systems

 Weber expanded upon Marx’s ideas.  Three factors determining class:  Property (wealth)  Power  Prestige   Social class= grouping of people with similar levels of three factors. Class Systems (cont’d)

  Wealth   Assets: value of everything owned.   Income: money earned through salaries, investments, etc.   Power   Ability to control the behavior of others, with or without their consent.   Prestige   Respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy an individual receives from other members of society. Three Factors of Social Stratification

Prestige scores– NORC 1989 OccupationPrestige Chief executive or general administrator, public administration Manager, medicine and health69.22 Architects73.15 Aerospace engineer69.22 Chemical engineer73.30 Civil engineer68.81 Engineer (not elsewhere classified) Computer systems analyst or scientist Physicist or astronomer73.48 Chemist73.33 Geologist or geodesist69.75 Physical scientist, not elsewhere classified 73.09

  Rating that combines social factors such as education level, occupational prestige, and place of residence with income.  Helps determine an individual’s position in the stratification system. Socioeconomic status (SES)

 Functionalist  Necessary feature of society   Society is maintained through roles that must be performed.  Leads to different rewards.  Failures:  Not everyone has equal access  Talented people in lower classes  Conflict   Class exploitation of resources  control over other classes.  Once power is attained, it is maintained.  Failures:  Unequal rewards based on talent, skills, desire, etc.  Not everyone can fulfill every job. Explaining Stratification

  Ralf Dahrendorf  Use the two theories to  Use the two theories to explain different aspects of stratification   Gerhard Lenski  Theories apply to different types of societies:  Theories apply to different types of societies: simple society  functionalist; complex  conflict Notable Sociologists

The American Class System Chapter 9, Section 2

What classes exist? 1995

What classes exist? 2010

Determining Class -Three methods 1) Reputational method= members in a given community rank other members based on their knowledge of character and lifestyle. - Better for studying small communities where everyone knows everyone well. 2) Subjective method= people determine their own social rank. People generally said ‘middle’ class. - Why? 3)Objective method= sociologists define class based on income, occupation, and education. - Least biased method

The Classes- 6 total The Upper Class Upper Middle Class Middle Class Lower Middle Class Lower class/The Working Class The Underclass

Classes The Upper Class o 1% of the population o Old money v. new money o Old money= inherited rich; families who have shaped the U.S. (i.e. Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Duke, Morgan, etc.) o New money= newly rich who have acquired money through own efforts, not inheritance. The Upper Middle Class o High-income businesspeople and professionals o College education, advanced degree o Very career-oriented.

Classes (cont’d) The Lower Middle Class/Middle Class o White-collar jobs (i.e. work that does not require manual labor) o Less education than those held by Upper Middle Class o Comfortable life, but must work to keep it maintained. The Working Class o Manual labor jobs– blue collar jobs o Can pay as much or more than Lower Middle Class jobs, but do not carry the prestige. o Pink-collar jobs– fields where women have previously dominated.

Classes (cont’d) The Working Poor o Lowest-paying jobs. o Temporary or seasonal work o Some depend on government support programs o Not involved politically The Underclass o Families experiencing unemployment and poverty for generations o May have a job, but very low-paying o Day-to-day struggle

Social Mobility Social mobility= movement between or within social classes. Three types: 1) Horizontal mobility= movement within a class. Occurs when you move from one job to another in same social ranking. 2)Vertical mobility= movement between social classes. 3) Intergenerational mobility = a type of vertical mobility. When a person’s class of origin (i.e. their parents’) is different from their current one.

Causes of Mobility Upward mobility: o Advancements in technology o Changes in merchandising patterns o General education level of a population Downward mobility: o Personal factors– illness, divorce, family death, and retirement. o Changes in the economy

Chapter 9, Section 3 Poverty Chapter 9, Section 3

What is it? Poverty= standard of living that is below the minimum level considered adequate by society. o Poverty differs from country to country. Approximately 11% of the U.S. population live below the poverty level. o Poverty level= minimum annual income needed by a family to survive. o Calculated by the Dept. of Agriculture’s minimum nutritional diet cost x3. o Do you only need just food to survive?

American Poverty- Broken down by characteristics Age o Children have the largest percentage in poverty (<18 years  poverty rate = 35%) Sex o 57% of the poor are women. o Women head about 50% of poor households Race and Ethnicity o African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to live in poverty o African Americans have poverty rates almost two times as high as for the US as a whole.

The Effects of Poverty Life chances= the likelihood that individuals have of sharing in the opportunities and benefits of society. o Health o Length of life o Housing o Education Life expectancy= average # of years a person born in a given year can expect to live.

Behavioral patterns differ… Divorce rates higher in low-income families Greater likelihood of being arrested for committing violent crimes o Also means that poor people are more likely to be the victims of crime.

Government Responses Lower poverty rates for elderly individuals Implementation of social welfare programs o Transfer payments= redistribution of money collected through taxes to groups that provide monetary public assistance. Examples: Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) o Government subsidies= transfer of goods and services rather than cash. Examples: Food Stamp program, free and reduced lunch, Medicaid

Government Responses Creation of a ‘welfare class’= those relying on government assistance for income rather than working. o Welfare reform began in 1996  limited time for certain assistance programs o However, nearly 1/3 of those who left welfare were back on within 2 years