Sociology Assignment
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Intro_Module7.pptxClass Stratification
Introduction to Sociology: Module 7
Social stratification refers to how individuals and groups are layered or ranked in society according to how many valued resources they possess
An ongoing sorting process
Legitimated by cultural beliefs
Social Stratification
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People are divided into ranked categories
There is an unequal distribution of desired resources
The criteria societies uses to rank others depends on:
The society’s history
Its geographic location
Level of development
The society’s political philosophy
The decisions of those in power
Assumptions of Stratification
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Have You Seen This Film?
The Titanic lifeboats could only hold 1,178 of the 2,207 people on board.
Who survived?
60% from the wealthy first-class deck
36% from the second-class deck
24% from the lowest class deck
Women and Children First?
97% from the wealthy first-class deck
89% from the second-class deck
42% from the lowest class deck
(Hall 1986)
Sociological Debunking
Wealth, power, and prestige are awarded according to:
Cultural capital – knowledge and access to important information in society
Social capital – networks with others who have influence
Individual qualities also influence cultural and social capital
Types of Capital
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The family reinforces status though the socialization process
Educational organizations treat children differently according to their social status
Religious affiliation reflects one’s social status
Political systems reinforce the stratification system thought laws, courts, and policing
Access to healthcare depends on one’s position in the stratification system
Stratification in Institutions and Organizations
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The economic system
The geographic location of nations
Resources
Strong educational system
Well-paying jobs
Productive land
Ample supply of water
Access to technology
Macro Factors of Stratification
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Symbolic Interaction
Class is learned
Individuals learn their social position through socialization
Cultural capital influences children’s school and home environments
Symbols also often represent social positions
Conspicuous consumption is displaying goods in a way that others will notice and that will presumably earn the owner respect
Symbolic Interactionism
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Structural-Functional Theory
Stratification within societies is an inevitable—and probably necessary—part of the social world
The stratification system provides each individual a position in the social world
The stratification system motivates individuals to carry out their roles
Structural Functionalism
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Structural-Functional Theory
The Davis and Moore Thesis
Some positions are more highly valued because people feel they are very important to society
Societies must motivate talented individuals to occupy the most important positions
Differential rewards must be offered to attract the most qualified individuals into the most valued positions
As a result, stratification is inevitable
The Davis and Moore Thesis
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Conflict Theory
How do societies produce necessities?
How are relationships between rich and poor people shaped by this process?
How do many people become alienated in their routine, dull jobs in which they have little involvement and no investment in the end product?
Conflict Theory
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Karl Marx
Marx saw four possible ways to distribute wealth:
According to each person’s needs
According to what each person wants
According to what each person earns
According to what each person can take
Marxism
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Marxism
Marx thought there were two economically-based social classes
The bourgeoisie are the capitalist class; the haves
Control the means of production, or the necessary resources to create capital
Control the norms and values of society
Use their power to make the distribution of resources seem “fair” and justified
Use social control to maintain their control in society
Marxism 2
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The proletariats are the working class; the have-nots
The proletariats will remain exploited as long as they do not develop a class consciousness, or a shared awareness of their poor status in relation to the means of production
Intellectuals in society could help the proletariat develop a class consciousness and to mobilize to overthrow the bourgeoisie to create a classless society where all wealth is shared
Marxism 3
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Recent conflict stratification theorists argue that there are 5 social classes:
Capitalists – own the means of production
Managers – sell and manage their labor to capitalists
Petty bourgeoisie – own some means of production but control little labor of others
Workers – sell their labor to capitalists; low in all three Ps
Underclass – virtually no property, power, or prestige
Modern Conflict Theory
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Evolutionary Theory of Stratification: A synthesis
The basic assumptions of evolutionary theory are:
To survive people must cooperate
Conflicts of interest occur over important decisions that benefit one over another
Valued items are always in demand and in short supply
There is likely to be a struggle over these scarce goods
Customs and traditions determine the distribution of scarce resources
Evolutionary Theory
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Evolutionary Theory of Stratification: A synthesis
Evolutionary theory draws from:
Structural functionalism
Talented individuals need to be motivated
Conflict theory
Individuals will attempt to control as much wealth, power, and prestige as possible, resulting in potential conflict
The importance of exploitation in creating inequality
It posits that only some amount of inequality may be useful in highly complex societies.
Extraordinary amounts of differential access to resources may undermine productivity.
Evolutionary Theory 2
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Individual Life Changes and Lifestyles:
Life chances refer to one’s opportunities, depending on their achieved and ascribed statuses in society
Important institutions that impact life chances are:
Education
Health, social conditions, and life expectancy
Family life and child rearing patterns
Lifestyles
Attitudes toward Achievement
Religious membership
Political behavior
Neighborhoods
Life Chances
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Social mobility refers to the extent and direction of individual movement in the social stratification system
Four issues dominate the ability of mobility:
Types of social mobility
Methods of measuring social mobility
Factors that affect social mobility
Whether there is a “land of opportunity”
Social Mobility
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Intergenerational mobility refers to change in status compared to your parents’ status, usually resulting from education and occupational attainment
Intragenerational mobility refers to the change in position in a single individual’s life
Vertical mobility refers to movement up or down in the hierarchy, which sometimes involves changing social classes
Types of Social Mobility
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Traditional method: compare the occupations of fathers and sons or daughters
There is a high level of occupational inheritance
The higher the father’s occupation, the greater the son’s chances of occupational success
There is considerable intergenerational movement up and down the ladder
Sons are more likely to move up than down; daughters are even more likely to move up
Men’s and women’s occupational attainment is powerfully influenced by class origins
Measuring Social Mobility
Mobility depends on micro-level factors
Socialization
Family background
Education
Mobility depends on macro-level factors
Occupational structure and Economic Vitality
Population Trends
Gender and Ethnicity and other ascribed status’
Interdependent Global Market and International Events
Factors Affecting Mobility
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Comparing mobility across cultures
It is difficult to identify opportunity-rich countries due to the complex factors that influence mobility
Opportunities for upward mobility are changing due to globalization
Manufacturing jobs are now in developing countries, leaving less-educated US workers with fewer opportunities
The US has high-tech jobs, providing opportunity for those from small, educated families that value individual achievement
The “Land of Opportunity”?
In ascribed stratification systems characteristics individuals are born with determines ones position in society
In achieved stratification systems individuals are allowed to earn positions through their ability and effort
Stratification Systems
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Caste systems are the most rigid ascribed systems and are maintained by cultural norms and social control mechanisms that are deeply imbedded in religious, political, and economic institutions
Importance of socialization
Stability maintained by ideology
Ascribed: The Caste System
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Castes predetermine:
Occupational positions, marriage partners, residences, social associations, and prestige levels
Castes are recognized though:
Clothing, speech patterns, family name and identity, skin color, and other distinguishing characteristics
Ascribed: The Caste System 2
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Estate systems are ascribed systems characterized by the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a small minority of political-military elite, with the peasantry tied to the land
Peasants receive protection and enough food to survive from the nobility
Estate systems are based on:
Ownership of land
Position one is born into
Military strength
Ascribed: The Estate System
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Social class systems of stratification are based on achieved status
Members of the same social class have similar income, wealth, and economic position
They share comparable styles of living, levels of education, cultural similarities, and patterns of social interaction
U. S. often unaware of intense class differences
Social class position is based on three main factors: property, power, and prestige
Achieved: The Class System
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Property, or wealth, refers to owning or controlling the means of production
Power is the ability to control or influence others
Power elite – power is held by top leaders in corporations, politics, and military
Pluralism – power is not held exclusively by an elite group but shared among many power centers, each having its own self-interests
Prestige involves the esteem and recognition one receives, based on wealth, position, or accomplishment
Achieved: The Class System 2
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Characteristics of the middle class:
Most people in the U.S. identify as “middle class,” but the middle class is shrinking
The gap between the richest 5% and poorest 40% has increased since the 1970s
Middle class
Makes up about 30% of the population
Wages and salaries in the middle class have declined since the 1980s
Upper-middle class families have high income, high education, high occupational level, and high participation in political life and voluntary associations
Lower-middle class families include small businesspeople and farmers; college educated professionals
The Middle Class
The U.S. Class System
Absolute poverty, or not having resources to meet basic needs, means no prestige, no access to power, no accumulated wealth, and insufficient means to survive
Relative poverty refers to those whose income falls below the poverty line, resulting in an inadequate standard of living relative to others in a given country
Types of Poverty
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The feminization of poverty –single females, increasingly younger and with children, make up a growing proportion of those in poverty
Individual consequences of poverty include: poor physical and mental health, inadequate nutrition, higher mortality rates, obesity, low self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness, daily struggle to survive, dependence on others
Social costs of poverty to larger society
Loss of talent and abilities
Financial cost of addressing needs of and regulating the poor
Cultural contradiction of values
Consequences of Poverty
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Eliminating Poverty: Policy Considerations
Most welfare programs aim to eliminate poverty by changing the factors that perpetuate it
Requires jobs, money, altering our social institutions
Aid Programs:
Women, Infants, & Children (WIC) Program: nutrition
Head Start: early childhood education
Medicaid
Medicare
Food stamps
Workfare (TANF)
Policy Considerations
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Eliminating Poverty: Policy Considerations
Workfare
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), which was criticized as creating dependence
Requires individuals receiving assistance to work 20-30 hours/week or attend training/education
Issues and questions
Are there jobs available at a “living wage”?
Voters want tax cuts, which reduce our ability to help
Prisons take public funds that could be used to fight poverty
Policy Considerations 2
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The National and Global Digital Divide
Digital divide: the gap between those with and without access to information technology.
Results from differences in socioeconomic status, minority group status, and urban versus rural residence
Individuals with insufficient computer and internet access or skills face barriers to many professions and opportunities
Public and private organizations are developing low-cost technologies that may help level the digital playing field
Global Stratification: Technology
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