question

material things that could be converted into money

answer

asset

question

working-class occupations usually involving some type of manual or unskilled labor

answer

blue-collar occupation

question

a type of social stratification that allows for little to no social mobility within society because position is fixed at birth

answer

caste system

question

a society where barriers between strata are deeply ingrained, allowing for little to no movement of groups or individuals

answer

closed society

question

stratified societies that sharply divide their members, creating a situation where it is very difficult, if not impossible, to change circumstances in life

answer

closed system

question

using material wealth to express our status and position in society

answer

conspicuous consumption

question

the purchasing of goods and services, sometimes whether we need them or not, in order to fulfill our need for instant gratification

answer

consumerism

question

occupational positions that have characteristics of both higher and lower status class positions; holding contradictory statuses because of a job will often lead people to work against their own class interests and instead support those that have more power over them in society

answer

contradictory class locations

question

when people fall below where they are in a system of stratification

answer

downward social mobility

question

there is upward or downward mobility within society, but the proportions of people within each stratum remain constant

answer

exchange mobility

question

a set of ranked statuses

answer

hierarchy

question

when people maintain their same strata in society but change their positions

answer

horizontal social mobility

question

a worldview based on the dominant culture's values and ideals that can justify social stratification

answer

ideology

question

monetary payment that is received from a job or other sources like investments, an allowance, a student loan, or any other form of compensation

answer

income

question

movement of social position compared to the previous generation

answer

intergenerational social mobility

question

changes in people's positions within their own lifetime

answer

intragenerational social mobility

question

opportunities that individuals do or do not have to engage in certain activities or accomplish certain goals because of where they fall in the socio-economic system

answer

life chances

question

a measure of the relative social prestige based on ranking of different occupations

answer

occupational prestige scale

question

a society that will allow free movement between different social strata, removing the barriers between social strata

answer

open society

question

stratified societies that allow people the opportunity to move around in order to attain more or less than what they were born with

answer

open systems

question

a term coined by C. W. Mills that describes a group of individuals related by blood or social background, consisting of government, business, and the military, that make major policy decisions based on their own interests for wealth and power rather than for the collective good of others

answer

power elite

question

the ability to impose your will on others as well as affect one's own destiny. the ability to impose your will on others

answer

power

question

social respect based on ascribed or achieved traits

answer

prestige

question

material possessions we own

answer

property

question

a person's position in life based on how much money they make (income), their assets (wealth), their education level, and their occupation

answer

social class

question

a type of social stratification based on individual achievement, ability, and luck; sometimes a person can be born into a particular class because of their parent's social standing, but then they have the ability to change social position

answer

social class system

question

the way statuses are defined and differences develop based on a person's society, organization, or group

answer

social differentiation

question

the way valued resources in society are unequally distributed

answer

social inequality

question

the movement of individuals or groups within a system of stratification

answer

social mobility

question

the way a society ranks categories of people into a hierarchy based on some socially defined criteria

answer

social stratification

question

class rank based on other dimensions of one's status in a stratification hierarchy like one's occupation and education, as well as income

answer

socio economic status

question

a social position in society that one occupies, defined with certain rights and responsibilities. a social position or rank compared to others in a social group

answer

status

question

the way in which we achieve socially prescribed goals like an education and an occupation that define our status

answer

status attainment

question

when all three ways of defining status (power, property, and prestige) are at similar levels

answer

status consistency

question

uneven rankings among the different factors of inequality in a system of stratification

answer

status inconsistency

question

conveying the perception to others that we have something of high value, which in turn makes us appear to have a high status

answer

status symbols

question

changes in the social structure that cause a large number of individuals or groups to move up or down the social system

answer

structural mobility

question

when people are able to move higher in position than where they currently reside

answer

upward social mobility

question

the total value of what you possess minus any debt

answer

wealth

question

professional or administrative occupations that do not involve manual labor and usually require more education and offer more pay

answer

white-collar occupations

question

class made up of the bottom 20 percent on the income scale in the United States, with many making no income at all and relying on federal and state assistance or private charity

answer

lower class

question

a class made up of those top five percent earners who have large sums of wealth and even political or social influence, but they worked or are currently working for it, rather than being born with or marrying into it

answer

lower upper-class (new rich)

question

a class made up of those with less income from less prestigious professional and semi-professional jobs

answer

middle class

question

a class made up of people caught in a cycle of poverty because of a lack of education and opportunity, or ascribed characteristics like their age or disability, making it impossible for them to work; most survive by relying on public or private assistance

answer

underclass

question

a class made up of the top five percent of earners in the country whose wealth is derived from any source, including land, inheritance, or being members of an affluent family, owners of banks or companies, major shareholders, or athletes and entertainers

answer

upper class (Capitalist)

question

a class made up of highly educated and high-paid professionals and business owners

answer

upper-middle class

question

a class made up of those top five percent earners who rarely work, with the majority inheriting their wealth or collecting income from dividends; they are related by blood or marriage to those who not only possess great amounts of wealth, but also have an extraordinary amount of political power, which they use to influence social policy

answer

upper-upper class (old rich)

question

a class made up of mostly those with a high-school education and who perform semiskilled or unskilled labor in factories, the service industry, and sales

answer

working class

question

a class made up of mostly unskilled and manual laborers like migrant workers, domestic workers, and factory workers, as well as in the service industries like restaurants and other minimum wage positions who do not have the ability to make enough at their job to support themselves and their family

answer

working poor

question

a situation where an individual is lacking the most basic means needed for survival (sometimes referred to as biological poverty)

answer

absolute poverty

question

not having enough to live a lifestyle that most people feel is acceptable

answer

poverty

question

the lowest amount of income a person or family needs to live on in order to survive in the United States; the government arrives at this measure by calculating what the minimum would be to eat nutritiously for a year, and then multiplying it by three for all other costs a person may have besides food

answer

poverty line

question

the actual percentage of people who fall below the poverty line

answer

poverty rate

question

a person's economic position when compared with others in society

answer

relative poverty

question

not only do women have to contend with being poor, but women of color are doubly hurt because of prejudice and discrimination that may lead them to, or keep them in, poverty

answer

doubly-disadvantaged

question

women make up an increasingly higher proportion of the poor than men

answer

feminization of poverty

question

value system of those in poverty that destroys motivation and causes the poor to believe that it is impossible for them to succeed

answer

culture of poverty thesis

question

the poor themselves are to blame for their situation

answer

individual-level explanation (of poverty)

question

poverty is caused by the structure of society itself

answer

societal-level explanation (of poverty

question

term coined by American sociologist William Julius Wilson to describe people who live primarily in the inner city and who are trapped in a cycle of joblessness, crime, welfare dependency, and unstable family life

answer

truly disadvantaged

question

a collection of programs that are meant to help alleviate poverty

answer

social welfare

Chapter 9: Social stratification

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards