1. Social Structure
Groups
Roles
Social Status
Social Class
CULTURE

2. The Macrosociological Perspective
Social Status
Ascribed
Achieved
Status Symbols
Master Statuses
Roles
Occupy Status
Play Roles
Groups
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

3. Social Class in the United States of America: Social Stratification and Divisions (1957)
(14:50)
America's Struggling Middle Class
(3:27)

4. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008
The Macrosociological Perspective
Social Class Divides People by…
Income
Education
Occupational Prestige
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

5. What is Social Class?

6. Karl Marx: who sell their labor. CAPITALISTS
who own the means of production or
WORKERS
who sell their labor.

7. Max Weber:
A large group of people who rank closely with each other in wealth,
power, and
prestige.

8. Power and Prestige
Power: Ability to get your way in spite of the desires of others
Prestige: Respect or Regard
Status Inconsistency: Ranking high on some dimensions, and low on others

9. Measuring Social Class:
Subjective Method:
Ask people
Reputational Method:
Ask others
Objective Method:
Rank people by wealth, power, prestige

10. Consequences of Social Class
Technology
Physical and Mental Health
Family Life
Education
Religion
Politics
Crime & Criminal Justice System

11. Elements of Social Class
Income
Wealth
Occupation
Education

13. Class Symbols

14. About 60% of the net worth of the country is held by the top 5%
Read more:

16. The US Social Ladder Capitalist Upper Middle Class Lower Middle Class
Working class
Working Poor
Underclass

17. Below the ladder......
The Homeless

18. The US Social Class Ladder
Capitalist: Top University, Investors, Heirs, top execs, $500, %
Upper Middle: College or Univ. w/ some post grad- Professionals, Upper Mgmt- $100, %
Lower Middle: HS, some college. - Semi-Profess, lower mgmt, craftspeople- $35, , %

19. The US Social Class Ladder
Working Class- High School: Factory workers, clerical, retail- $16,000-30, %
Working Poor- Some HS: Laborers, service workers, sales clerks- $18, %
Underclass- Some HS - Unemployed, part-time, welfare- $10, %

21. NYtimes graphic How Class works

23. America's Struggling Middle Class
(3:27)

24. OCCUPY

25. Upward Social Mobility: Movement up the social ladder
Downward Social Mobility: Movement down the social ladder

26. 3 Types of Social Mobility
Intergenerational: Ending up on different rung of social class ladder than parents
Structural Mobility: Movement up or down the social class ladder, caused by changes in the structure of society, not individual efforts
Exchange Mobility: same numbers of people are moving up and down the ladder- so social class system shows little change