Sociology: social class, social mobility and inequality
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
status
answer
socially defined position in a group or society
question
social differentiation
answer
the process by which different statuses develop in any group, organization, or society
question
social stratification
answer
a system of structured social inequality; all societies have this, but they vary in degree and complexity
question
estate system
answer
system of stratification in which the ownership of property and exercise of power is monopolized by an elite who have total control over societal resources; most common in agricultural societies
question
caste system
answer
system of stratification where one's place is an ascribed status (quality given to an individual by circumstances of birth); hierarchy is rigid and preserved through formal law and cultural practices that prevent free association and movement between classes
question
class system
answer
stratification exists but a person's placement in the class system can change according to personal achievements; more open than caste systems because position does not depend strictly on birth and classes are less rigidly defined than in a caste system
question
social class
answer
social structural position groups hold relative to the economic, social, political, and cultural resources of society • Determines the access different people have to resources and puts groups in different positions of privilege and disadvantage • Also includes cultural component in that it shapes language, dress, mannerisms, taste, and other preferences
question
life chances
answer
the opportunities that people have in common by virtue of belonging to a particular class • Include the opportunity for possessing goods, having an income, and having access to particular jobs; also reflected in the quality of everyday life
question
status attainment
answer
process by which people end up in a given position in the stratification system
question
socioeconomic status
answer
derived from income, occupational prestige, and education
question
income
answer
amount of money a person receives in a given period
question
wealth
answer
the total value of what one owns, minus one's debts
question
median income
answer
midpoint of all household incomes in a society
question
prestige
answer
the value others assign to people and groups
question
occupational prestige
answer
the subjective valuation people give to jobs • Physicians, professors, judges, lawyers tend to be ranked higher; electricians, insurance agents, police officers in the middle; maids, garbage collectors, shoe-shiners at the bottom
question
educational attainment
answer
the total years of formal education; tied to class status and occupational prestige
question
upper class (USA)
answer
owns the major share of corporate and personal wealth; includes old money and new money (nouveau riche). Very small proportion of people constitute the this class but they control vast amounts of wealth and power
question
upper-middle class (USA)
answer
includes those with high incomes and high social prestige; tend to be well-educated professionals or business executives
question
middle class (USA)
answer
the ubiquitous norm; many people think of themselves as part of this class despite wide variation in access to resources and lifestyles
question
lower-middle class (USA)
answer
includes workers in the skilled trades and low-income bureaucratic workers (many of whom think they are middle class). Also known as working class. Blue-collar workers, many service workers. Medium to low income, education and occupational prestige define this class relative to classes above it
question
lower class (USA)
answer
composed of the displaced and poor; people in this class have little formal education and are often unemployed or working in minimum-wage jobs; includes the working poor (those who work at least 27 hours a week but whose wages fall below the federal poverty level)
question
urban underclass
answer
those who are more likely to be permanently unemployed and without much means of economic support; has little or no opportunity for movement out of the worst poverty
question
net worth
answer
calculated by adding all financial assets (stocks, bonds, property, insurance, savings, value of investments, and so on) and subtracting debts
question
economic restructuring
answer
the decline of manufacturing jobs in the United States, the transformation of the economy by technological change, and the process of globalization
question
meritocracy
answer
a system in which one's status is based on merit or accomplishments, not other social characteristics
question
social mobility
answer
a person's movement over time from one class to another; can be up or down, although the American Dream emphasizes upward movement. • Can be intergenerational (occurring between generations) or intragenerational (occurring within a generation)
question
class consciousness
answer
the perception that a class structure exists along with a feeling of shared identification with others in one's class (those with whom you share life chances) • Two dimensions: the idea that a class structure exists and one's class identification
question
false consciousness
answer
the class consciousness of subordinate classes who had internalized the view of the dominant class
question
poverty line
answer
the amount of money needed to support the basic needs of a household, as determined by government; below this line, one is considered officially poor
question
feminization of poverty
answer
the large proportion of the poor who are women and children • Results from several factors including the dramatic growth of female-headed households, a decline in the proportion of the poor who are elderly, and continuing wage inequality between men and women
question
culture of poverty
answer
attributes the major causes of poverty to the absence of work values and the irresponsibility of the poor
question
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
answer
program that gives grants to states to administer their own welfare programs; stipulates a lifetime limit of five years for people to receive aid and requires all welfare recipients to find work within two years (workfare)
