SOCIAL CLASS Social class is a large group of people who rank closely to one another in wealth, power and prestige. Measuring Social Class. 1. Subjective Method – ask people what their social class is.

2. Reputational Method –ask people what class others belong to. 3. Objective Method -- rank people according to objective criteria such as wealth, power and prestige.

Social Classes in the U.S. 1. Upper class Upper-upper class Lower-upper class 2. Middle class Upper-middle class Average middle class

3. Working class 4. Lower class

American Class Structure

SOCIAL MOBILITY There are three types of social mobility: Intergenerational and Intragenerational Structural Mobility Exchange Mobility

Poverty in the U.S. Relative poverty – deprivation of some people in relation to those who have more. Most people who are poor are children Minorities are more likely to be poor than whites although in absolute numbers there are more whites who are poor. Women are more likely to be poor than men. This leads to a situation known as feminization of poverty – women represent an increasing proportion of the poor.

Measuring Poverty Absolute poverty –Determined by annual income. –Anything below a determined (absolute) amount is poverty. Relative poverty –Contrasts income groups at the bottom of the stratification structure with those above them.

The Distribution of Poverty in the United States