Social Stratification Chapter 8 Social Stratification

Basic Principles A trait of society Persists over generations Doesn’t reflect individual differences, but society’s structure Persists over generations Social mobility happens slowly © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Basic Principles Universal but variable While universal, it varies in type Involves not just inequality, but beliefs Ideologies justify existence of social stratification © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Caste System Birth determines social position in four ways: Occupation Marriage within caste Social life is restricted to “own kind” Belief systems are often tied to religious dogma © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Class Systems Social mobility for people with education and skills All people gain equal standing before the law Work involves some personal choice Meritocracy: Based on personal merit © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Class Systems Status consistency–Degree of uniformity in a person's social standing across various Dimensions of social inequality A caste system has limited social mobility and high status consistency The greater mobility of class systems produces less status consistency © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Caste and Class Systems Aristocratic England: Caste-like system of aristocracy First estate: Church leaders Second estate: Aristocracy Third estate: Commoners © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Caste and Class Systems The United Kingdom Today Caste elements still evident Commoners control the government Mixed caste elements and meritocracy © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Caste System Many of the world’s societies are caste systems Caste system is illegal, but elements survive © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Classless Societies? Former Soviet Union China The Russian Revolution The Modern Russian Federation China Economic change A new class system © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ideology Plato Marx Historical Patterns of Ideology Every culture considers some type of inequality just Marx Capitalist society keep wealth & power for few Historical Patterns of Ideology © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Davis-Moore Thesis The greater the importance of a position, the more rewards a society attaches to it Egalitarian societies offer little incentive for people to try their best A society considered more important must reward enough to draw talented people © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Economic Inequality in Selected Countries, 2010 Many low- and middle-income countries are marked by greater economic inequality than the United States. But the United States has more economic inequality than most high-income nations. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2011) and World Bank (2011). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Karl Marx: Class and Conflict Most people have one of two relationships with the means of production Bourgeoisie own productive property The proletariat works for the bourgeoisie © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Karl Marx: Class and Conflict Capitalism creates great inequality in power and wealth Oppression would drive working majority to organize and overthrow capitalism © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Why No Marxist Revolution? Fragmentation of the capitalist class Higher standard of living More worker organizations More extensive legal protections © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Was Marx Right? Wealth remains highly concentrated. White-collar jobs offer no more income, Security, or satisfaction than factory work did a century ago © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Was Marx Right? Current workers’ benefits came from struggle Workers have lost benefits recently Ordinary people still face disadvantages that the law cannot overcome © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Max Weber: Class, Status, and Power Socioeconomic status (SES) Composite ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality Status Power © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Max Weber: Class, Status, and Power Inequality in history Class position Viewed classes as a continuum from high to low © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stratification and Interaction Differences in social class position can affect interaction People interact primarily with others of similar social standing Conspicuous consumption Buying & using products because of the "statement" they make © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Stratification and Technology: A Global Perspective Hunting and gathering societies Horticultural, pastoral, & agrarian societies Industrial societies The Kuznets curve Greater technological sophistication generally Is accompanied by more pronounced social stratification © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Stratification and Technological Development: The Kuznets Curve © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Income Inequality in Global Perspective © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stratification and Technology: A Global Perspective Inequality in the United States Income, Wealth, and Power Occupational Prestige Schooling Ancestry, Race, and Gender © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Distribution of Income and Wealth in the United States, 2010 Income, and especially wealth, are divided unequally in U.S. society. Sources: Income data from U.S. Census Bureau (2011); wealth data based on Keister (2000), Bucks et al. (2009), Wolff (2010), and author estimates. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Classes in the United States The Upper Class Upper-Uppers Lower-Uppers The Middle Class Upper-Middles Average-Middles © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Classes in the United States The Working Class About 1/3 of the population (sometimes called Lower-middle class) The Lower Class 20% of our population © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Difference Class Makes Health Values and Attitudes Politics Family and Gender © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Mobility Intergenerational social mobility Intragenerational social mobility Research on Mobility Social mobility over the past century has been fairly high Within a single generation, social mobility is usually small © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Mobility The long-term trend in social mobility has been upward Since the 1970s, social mobility has been uneven Mobility by Income Level Mobility: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Mobility and Marriage © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Median Annual Income, U.S. Families, 1950–2010 Average family income in the United States grew rapidly between 1950 and 1970. Since then, however, the increase has been smaller. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2011). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Mean Annual Income, U.S. Families, 1980–2010 (in 2010 dollars, adjusted for inflation) Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2011). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Mobility The American Dream: Still a Reality? For many workers, earnings have stalled More jobs offer little income Young people are remaining at home The Global Economy and the U.S. Class Structure © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Poverty in the United States The Extent of Poverty Who Are the Poor? Age Race and Ethnicity Gender and Family Patterns Urban and Rural Poverty © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Poverty across the United States, 2010 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Poverty in the United States Explaining Poverty One View: Blame the Poor Another View: Blame Society The Working Poor Homelessness © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Increasing Inequality, Increasing Controversy Are the Very Rich Worth the Money? People doubt that the highest paid individuals are really worth what they are receiving Can the Rest of Us Get Ahead? Average people who work hard have been struggling to hang on to what they have © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Share of All Income Earned by the Richest 1 Percent, 1913–2009 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.