SOCL Ch. 8 Social Class in the US – Flashcards
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large group of peeps ho rank closely to one another in property, power, and prestige
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social class
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comes in many forms (buildings, land, animals, machinery, cars, stocks, bonds, businesses, furniture, jewelry, bank accounts)
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property
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add value of person's property minus a person's debt
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wealth
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flow of money (wages/business, rent, interest, royalties, alimony, allowance, gambling)
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income
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75% of US wealth is owned by what percent of the population?
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10%
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top ----% of citizens receive 50.3% of all income in US
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20%
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the ability to get what you want despite resistance
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power
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ideology promoted by the elites to legitimate & perpetuate their power, conceals real source of power in US
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democratic façade
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those who make the big decisions in US society, work behind the scenes, all are from old money
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power elite
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respect/regard
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prestige
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o Jobs w/ most prestige share 4 features:
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• 1. pay more • 2. require more education • 3. involve more abstract thought • 4. offer greater autonomy (independence)
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people who have similar rank on all 3 dimensions of social class
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status consistent
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mixture of high and low ranks in 3 dimensions of social class
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status inconsistency
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position in a social class
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status
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people often want other to react to their ------- ranking, so they show this one off
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highest
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based on marx's model social class is based on
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your relationship to the means of production
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some people are members of more than one class at the same time
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contradictory class locations
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What are Marx's four social classes?
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• capitalist-business owners who employ many workers • petty bourgeoisie-small business owners • managers-sell their own labor, but exercise authority over employees • workers-sell their labor to others
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What was Weber's Model for social class?
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six their ladder model, the lower the rungs the more poverty, education was very important in this model
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Describe the six social classes for Weber's Model: Capitalist Upper Middle Lower Middle Working Working Poor Underclass
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CAPITALIST CLASS • Wealthy 1% that owns 1/3 of wealth • Prestigious university, 1million +, 1% population • Divided into New & Old money longer wealth in family→bigger prestige Old money capitalists-Blue bloods-have vast power nouveau riche-outsiders of upper class-children can be in old money if they attend right school & marry into the old • many philanthropic-give money to foundations UPPER MIDDLE CLASS • most shaped by education • bachelor's degree and up, post grad in med, law, business, management • $125,000+ , 15% population LOWER MIDDLE CLASS • high school/college/ apprenticeship, $60,000, 34% population • technical/lower level management • can afford mainstream lifestyle, struggle to keep it • anticipate being able to move up ladder WORKING CLASS • 30% of population, High school, $36,000 • unskilled blue collar and white collar • jobs less secure, more routine, more closely supervised WORKING POOR • some high school/ high school, $19,000, 15% • unskilled, low-paying, seasonal, temporary jobs • most high school dropouts & functionally illiterate • don't vote, work full time depend on food stamps UNDERCLASS • some high school, under $12,000, 5% • lowest rung, no chance of climbing anywhere • inner city, little/no connection to job market, welfare • life is toughest • homeless are fallout of post-industrial economy→little need for unskilled labor now
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what are the consequences of social class on health?
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o as you go up ladder, health increases, age makes no difference o 1. social class opens/closes doors to medical care o 2. lifestyle is shaped by social class (lower classes = smoke/eat fats) o 3. life is hard on poor (bodies wear out faster)
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what are the consequences of social class on mental health?
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o mental health decreases as you go down ladder o greater mental probs w/ higher stress • less job security, lower wages, likely to divorce, victims of crime, physical illness o Higher up do better bc: • coping resources better, class position gives better control over lives, medical care is better
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what are the consequences of social class on choice of spouse?
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• capitalists-strong emphasis on tradition Family history-who you marry effects family, not just you parents are strong in mate selection
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What are the consequences of social class on divorce
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• lower social classes-higher marital friction, more divorce • children of poor more likely to live in broken homes
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what are the consequences of social class on child rearing?
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• lower class-follow rules, obey authority why? supervised at work, expect children to end up in same job punishment: physical • middle class- develop creative & leadership skills why? more independence at work, expect child to end up in same job punishment: verbal
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what are the consequences of social class on education?
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o education increases as you go up ladder o Capitalists-skip public and go to private • teach upper class values o upper classes go to college & graduate more bc of parental resources
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what are consequences of social class on religion?
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o Episcopalians-middle/upper class • subdued worship o Baptists-lower class • expressive worship
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what are consequences of social class on politics
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o higher ups—republican o working class—democratic • more liberal on economic issues, conservative on social issues o bottom-not politically active
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what are the consequences of social class on crime?
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o upper class—white collar crimes • judged outside of judicial system o lower class- street crimes • judged by peers & police courts • more in prison/probation/parole o lower classes -more likely to be robbed/murdered
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what are the 3 types of social mobility?
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intergenerational, structural, exchange
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Social mobility: end up on different rung of ladder than the one your parents occupied, can go up or down
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intergenerational
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social mobility: changes in society that allow large numbers of peeps to move up or down the class ladder
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structural
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social mobility: when large numbers of peeps move up and down class ladder, but on balance, proportions of social classes remain about same
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exchange
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measure set in 1960's when poor spend about 1/3 of income on food
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poverty line
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why is the poverty line inadequate?
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1. poor spend about %20 on food 2. mothers who work outside of home and have to pay for childcare are treated the same as mothers who stay at home
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Who are the poor? geography race-ethnicity education gender age
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1. poverty clusters in south, rural poverty is greater, suburbanization of poverty 2. 12% of whites, 13% of Asians, 25% of Latinos, 26% of African Americans, 27% of Native Americans 3. 1/4 peeps drop high school are poor, 3/100 who finish college are poor 4.families w/ both mom & dad = least likely to be poor, families w/ just mom = most likely to be poor 5.elderly are LESS likely to be poor
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assumes that values and behaviors of poor are factors responsible for their continued long term poverty
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culture of poverty
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is most poverty short lived?
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true
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how much of population will experience poverty before the age of 65?
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half
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What are 3 things that cause people to be poor?
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social structure, characteristics of individuals, and poverty triggers
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how does social structure contribute to poverty?
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features of society deny peeps access to education/skills discrimination based on race & gender changes in job market too (less unskilled labor need)
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how do characteristics of the individuals cause poverty?
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what we choose high school drop out, teen mom
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what are poverty triggers?
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live on edge of poverty, only takes one thing to push you over edge lose job, pregnancy, birth of child, divorce, accidents/injuries
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requires states to place lifetime cap on welfare assistance to 5 years, 3/5 who left welfare remained in poverty
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Personal Responsibility & Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
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belief that limitless possibilities exist for everyone
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Horatio Alger Myth
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why do functionalists believe the horatio alger myth is important to social class?
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o encourages peeps to achieve higher, places blame of failure only on individual o Stabilizes society: viewed as individual's fault, not society, therefor current societal arrangements may be kept