Ch. 8 Social Stratification
Dimensions of Stratification
• Social Stratification – ranking of people or groups
according to their unequal access to scarce resources
– Most important resources – wealth, income, power, and
prestige
– Weber emphasized the prestige and power aspects of
stratification
• Social class – a segment of a population whose
members hold similar amounts of scarce resources and
share values, norms, and an identifiable lifestyle
– Marx explained the importance of the economic
foundations of social classes
The Economic Dimension
• Marx originally identified multiple social classes –
laborers, servants, factor workers, craftspeople,
proprietors of small business, and moneyed capitalists
– However he believed it would eventually end up being on
2 classes
• Bourgeoisie – class that owns the means of production
• Proletariat – class that labors w/o owning the means of production
– He also believed that controlling the economy allowed you
to control the legal, educational, and government systems
• Income – amount of money received by an individual
or group over a specific time period
• Wealth – total economic resources held by a person or
group
The Economic Dimension
• In 2000 the poverty level was set at $17,761
for a family of four
– In 1999 the richest 20 % of American families
received over 49% of the nation’s income
– The poorest 20% controlled under 4%
– The richest 20% of the population holds 84% of
the wealth, and top 1% alone has 39% of the total
wealth of the U.S.
The Economic Dimension
• Power is based on money, knowledge, fame,
social positions
• A lack of wealth can be overcome with loyal
people or skillful resource management
– Ex. Hitler
The Prestige Dimension
• Prestige – recognition,
respect, and admiration
attached to social
positions
– Ex. A Mafia don
– Must be voluntarily given
– The more socially valuable
the position the more
prestige it has
Explanations of Stratification
• Functionalist Theory of Stratification
– Stratification assures that the most qualified people fill the
most important positions
– Recognizes that inequality exists b/c certain jobs are more
important than others
• Conflict theory of Stratification
– Inequality exists because some people are willing to
exploit others
– Stratification is based of force
– Marx’s false consciousness – working-class acceptance of
capitalist ideas and values
– Stratification occurs through the struggle for scarce
resources
Explanations of Stratification
• Symbolic Interactionism and Stratification
– People are socialized to accept the existing
stratification structure
• Ex. – American children are taught that social class is
the result of talent and effort
– People’s self-concepts help preserve the status
quo
– The is a link b/w social class and self-esteem
Social Classes in America
• Class Consciousness – identification with the
goals and interests of a social class
• The Upper Class
– Only top 1% of the population
– “aristocracy” – the old-money families of high society
• Ford, du Pont, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt
• Membership based on blood
– Lower-upper class more often is based on
achievement and earned income
• Could actually have more money that “aristocracy”, but is
often not accepted into the most exclusive social circles
Social Classes in America
• The Middle Classes
– About 40 to 50 % of Americans
– Upper Middle Class – about 14% of population
• Earn enough to live well and save money
• Typically college educated
– Middle-middle class – 30% of population
• Income is at about the national average ($21,181 in
1999)
Social Classes in America
• The Working Class – lower middle class
• 1/3 of population
• Below average income and unstable employment
• Generally lack hospital insurance and retirement benefits
– Working Poor – 13% of population
• Low-skill jobs with lowest pay
• Do not earn enough to rise above the Poverty line
• Tend not to participate in the political process
– The Underclass – 12% of population
• Usually unemployed
• Work part time or are on public assistance
Poverty in America
• Absolute poverty – the absence of enough money
to secure life’s necessities
• Relative poverty – a measure of poverty based on
the economic disparity b/w those at the bottom
of a society and the rest of society
– The definition of poverty in America is not the same
as that of India
• In the U.S. the government sets the poverty line
and anyone below is considered poor
– In the 2000 Census 11.8% of Americans, 32.2 million,
considered poor
Poverty in America
• Identifying the poor
– About 46% of the poor in America are white, poverty rate is about
7.7%
– African Americans and Latinos poverty rate is about 23%
• Combined they make up about ¼ of total population, but nearly ½ of poor
– Over ½ of poor households are female headed
• Feminization of poverty – a trend in U.S. society in which women and children
make up an increasing proportion of the poor
– About 9% of people 65 or older live in poverty
– 12% of America’s poor are disabled (blind, deaf, ect…)
• Responses to the Problem of Poverty
– 1964 LBJ marshaled the forces of federal government to begin a war
on poverty
• Philosophy was to help poor people help themselves
– Welfare Reform
Social Mobility
• Social Mobility – the movement of people b/w social
classes
• Horizontal mobility- changing form one occupation to
another at the same social class level
– Ex. When and army officer become a teacher, or a waiter
becomes a taxi driver
• Vertical mobility – person’s occupational status or
social class moves upwards or downward
– Intergenerational mobility – when the change takes place
over a generation
• A plumber’s daughter becoming a physician, or a lawyer’s son
becoming a carpenter
Social Mobility
• Caste and Open-Class Systems
– Caste system – there is no social mobility b/c social
status is inherited and cannot be changed
• Statuses and occupation are ascribed
• Apartheid – was a caste system based on race
• India – Brahmin, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Sudra, and
Untouchables
– Tradition keeps the caste system intact
– Open-class system – a system in which social class is
based on merit and individual effort, movement b/w
classes is allowed
• Ex. - The U.S. for the most part
Social Mobility
• Upward and Downward Mobility
– In the U.S. great leaps in Upward Mobility are rare
• Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, Rockefeller, Henry
Ford
– Compared to their parents, more U.S. workers are
experiencing downward mobility
– Downward mobility can have severe emotional
and psychological consequences
– http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?vid
eo_id=1785