social differentiation and social stratification-ch.8 – Flashcards
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status
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socially defined position in a group or society
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social differentiation
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the process by which different statuses develop in any group, organization or society
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social stratification
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a relatively fixed, hierarchical arrangement in society by which groups have different access to resources, power and perceived social worth
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Estate system- (of stratification)
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the ownership of property and the exercise of power is monopolized by an elite who have total control over societal resources
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caste system
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Ones place in the stratification system is an ascribed status apartheid, segregation
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class system
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stratification exists, but a person's placement in the class system can change according to personal achievements (achieved status)
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social class
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the social structural position groups hold relative to the economic, social, political and cultural resources or society
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life chances
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meaning the opportunities that people have in common by virtue of belonging to a particular class
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status attainment
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the process by which people end up in a given position in the stratification system
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open class system
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people's achievements do matter, although the extent to which people rapidly rise through the stratification system is less that the popular imagination envisions
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socioeconomic status
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derived from certain factors: Income, occupational prestige, and education
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income
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the amount of money a person receives in a given period
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wealth
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the total value of what one owns, minus debts
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median income
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for a society is the midpoint of all household incomes
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prestige
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the value others assign to people and groups
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occupational prestige
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the subjective evaluation people give to jobs
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educational attainment
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typically measured as the total years of formal education
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urban underclass
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includes those who are likely to be permanently unemployed and without much means of economic support
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professional managerial class
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includes managers, supervisors and professionals
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net worth
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all financial assets, minus debts
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economic restructuring
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the decline of manufacturing jobs in the US
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meritocracy
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a system in which ones status is based on merit or accomplishments, not other social characteristics
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social mobility
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a person's movement over time from one class to another
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class consciousness
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the perception that a class structure exists along with a feeling of shared identification with others in one's class
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ideology
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refers to belief systems that support the status quo
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poverty line
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the amount of money needed to support the basic needs of a household
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feminization of poverty
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the large proportion of the poor who are women and children
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culture of poverty
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attributes the major cause of poverty to the absence of work values and the irresponsibility of the poor
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Temporary assistance for Needy Families
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stipulates a lifetime limit of five years for people to receive aid and requires all welfare recipients to find work within 2 years
