Stratification
systematic inequalities between groups of people that arise as intended/unintended consequences of social processes/relationships
Four types of sratification
Race, family ties, location, ethnicity, gender, group advantage over another group
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
argued private property creates social inequalities and social conflict
Adam Ferguson and John Millar
agreed w/ Rousseau that private property creates inequality but argued that it was GOOD because it made some people prosper and created assets
Assets
Form of wealth that can be stored for the future
Ability to create assets=work incentive=higher efficiency=improved society
Thoma Malthus
viewed inequality favorably but only to CONTROL POPULATION GROWTH
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s Master-Slave Dialectic
said most social relationships were based on master-slave models in which the master becomes as dependent on the slave as the slave is to the master
Ontological Equality
everyone is created equal in God’s eyes
Equality of Opportunity
Idea that inequality of condition is acceptable as long as everyone has the same opportunities for advancement and judged by same standards
Equality of Condition
equal starting point
ex) affirmative action
Equality of Outcome
Everyone in a society would end up with the same ‘rewards’ regardless of his or her starting point, opportunities, or contributions
Estate System
politically based system of stratification, limited social mobility
Caste System
system of stratification based on hereditary notions(religious&theological purity) NO PROSPECTS OF SOCIAL MOBILITY
Class System
economically based system of stratification, somewhat loose social mobility based on roles in production over individual characteristics
Karl Marx
felt society was divided strictly by two classes: Proletariat ad Bourgeoisie
Proletariat
working class
Bourgeoisie
Employing class
Erik Olin Wright
developed concept of contradictory class locations
contradictory class locations
idea that people can occupy locations in the class structure that fall between two “pure” classes
Max Weber
concept that class is based on grouping people by the value of their property or labor ex) Grad school students
Status hierarchy system
stratification based on social prestige based on different things: occupation, lifestyle, membership in certain organizations
Elite-Mass Dichotomy System
system of stratification that has a governing elite- few leaders who hold power of society
ex) North Korea
Wilfredo Pareto
though the masses were better off in elite-mass system because most skilled and talented people would reach the governing elite
80/20 Rule:
80% merit/status
20% achievements
C. Wright Mills
viewed elite-mass system as dangerous because it isolated power in the hands of few that rules in favor of their interests
endangers democracy
What are the three levels of status?
Economic, politics, military
Socioeconomic Status
refers to individuals position in a stratified social order
Income vs. Wealth
Income: paychecks month to month (short term)
Wealth: investments, assets (long term)
Upper Class
associated with income, wealth, power, and prestige
Middle Class
Hard to define, 90% of Americans define themselves as middle class Hard to separate middle class from working class
What is the working class made up of?
white-collar workers and working class of manual laborers
Income Gap
Gap between high-income and low-income has DRAMATICALLY increased over the last 30 yrs
Poverty
official, government definition, unstable class, people tend to shift in and out of poverty over their lifetime
Social Mobility
movement between different positions within a system of social stratification… horizontal or vertical movements
Structural Mobility
mobility that happens from change in the economy such as expansion of high-tech jobs in the last 20 yrs
Exchange Mobility
occurs when people essentially trade positions- overall job number stays the same but some people move up and some down
Mobility Table
way to examine the process of individual mobility by comparing changes in occupational status between generations
Status_Attainment Model
changes in occupational status between generations & includes factors like educational attainment, income, and prestige of the persons first job