9
chapter
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Sec 1: Systems of Stratification
Sec 2: The American Class System
Sec 3: Poverty
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Section 1
█Social Stratification – the ranking of
individuals or categories of people on the
basis of certain characteristics.
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Stratification & Ideology
The structural point of view
(Conflict, Marxist, Liberal)
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Stratification videos
1. Alan Jackson – Little Man
2. Tracey Chapman – Fast Car
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Section 1
█ “Closed” Systems of Stratification
– Slavery
• Based on ownership of people
– Castes (Indian law until 1950)
• Based on religious doctrine
• “Endogamy” usually practiced (opp. = exogamy)
– Estates (Nobility, Clergy, Commoners)
• Based on ownership of land
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Section 1
Rewards of Stratification
█Wealth = assets + income
█Power = control with or w/o consent
█Prestige = respect, honor, etc from others
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Section 1
█ Table 9.2: Prestige Rankings of Occupations
Occupation
Score
Physician
86
Lawyer
75
Dentist
74
College professor
74
Architect
73
Clergy
69
Pharmacist
68
Registered nurse
66
High school teacher
66
Accountant
65
Airline pilot
60
Police officer and detective
60
Prekindergarten teacher
55
Librarian
54
Firefighter
53
Social worker
52
Electrician
51
Funeral director
49
Mail carrier
47
Occupation
Secretary
Insurance agent
Bank teller
Nurse’s aide
Farmer
Correctional officer
Receptionist
Barber
Child care worker
Hotel clerk
Bus driver
Truck driver
Sales worker (shoes)
Garbage collector
Waiter and waitress
Bartender
Farm worker
Janitor
Newspaper vendor
Score
46
45
43
42
40
40
39
36
35
32
32
30
28
28
28
25
23
22
19
Source: J. Davis et al. 2003.
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Section 1
█Wealth
– Income and wealth in the United States are
“distributed” unevenly.
– Usually described and graphed in quintiles
• Top 1/5 (20%)
• Bottom 1/5 (20%)
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Section 1
█ Figure 9.3: Comparison of Distribution of Income and Wealth in the United
States
Source: Income data (household) are from Bureau of the Census (DeNavas-Walt and Cleveland 2002:19). Data on wealth are from Wolff 1999.
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Conflict view of class (K.Marx)
█ The fight over limited resources creates
winners and losers. The winners (Upper
Class) use their wealth & power to
exploit everyone else (Lower Classes) in
order to keep their wealth and power.
█ This unfairness (barriers) needs to be
“fixed” by government through taxes,
programs, & regulation
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Functionalist View of class
█ Society has to make sure all roles (jobs)
are filled and that the most important jobs
are filled by the most qualified people.
█ Example: Doctor or Trash Collector ?
█ You have to pay some people more! It
doesn’t need to be “fixed”!
█ “Free-Market” vs “Zero-Sum”
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Section 2
█ Systems of Stratification
– American Social Classes
– an upper class
– an upper-middle class
– a lower-middle class
– a working class
– a working poor
– an “underclass”
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Section 2
█Upper Class
– Old Money
-Top schools
-Philanthropy
– New Money
- CEO’s
- Entrepreneurs
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Section 2
█Upper Middle
– College grads plus
– Executives / professionals
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Section 2
█Lower Middle
– HS – some college
– Managers, skilled craftworkers,
supervisors
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Section 2
█ Working Class
– High School
– Factory, clerical, low level sales
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Section 2
█ Working Poor
– Some high school
– Laborers, service workers- gardeners,
cleaners, etc
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Section 2
█ “Underclass”
– Some high school, if that
– Little/no skills
– Unemployed
– Welfare
– Generational
– “Issues”
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Section 2
█Social mobility: Movement of
individuals or groups from one position
of a society’s stratification system to
another.
█Open vs Closed Systems
– Open = United States (class system)
– Closed = old Ireland & caste systems
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Section 2
█Types of Social Mobility
– Horizontal Mobility:
movement within the same range of
prestige/pay. (professor → therapist)
– Vertical Mobility:
movement from one class to another &
can be upward or downward.
(landscaper→teacher)
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Section 2
█Types of Social Mobility
– Intergenerational Mobility:
• changes in the social position of children
relative to their parents.
– Intragenerational Mobility:
• changes in social position within a person’s
adult life.
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Section 2
What factors effect mobility?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Education
Gender / race *
Marriage / Children
Age
Life choices (friends, crime, drugs, etc.)
Work ethic, adjustments, skills
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Section 2
█Social Mobility in the United States
– The Impact of Education
• Three-fourths (75%!) of the collegeeducated achieved some upward
mobility compared with 12% of
those receiving no schooling.
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Section 2
█ Education & pay relationship
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Section 2
█Social Mobility in the United States
– The Impact of Gender
• Women are more likely to :
– Have poorer salaries than men – 24% less on avg.
– Have a greater showing in lower-level jobs than men
– Get less promotions than men
– Get less financing than men.
• Discrimination? … Sexism? … WHY?
• The single biggest reason is…
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Section 2
█ Childbirth
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The opposite impact of marriage
and kids.
█Wife: stay home more + less hours at
work = lower average salaries!
█Husband: work more hours = higher
pay!
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Gender discrimination?
█A profit difference as low as 2%-5% can
make or break a company.
█If woman make 24% less (on avg.) than
men for the “same work”…
█Why would companies ever hire a man?
█Something else besides sexism must be
happening!
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Other explanations:
█ Working hours/production (maternity)
█ “Continuous employment”
█ Manual labor / risky jobs
█ Union jobs
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Section 2
█Social Mobility in the United States
– The Impact of Race/Ethnicity
• The class system is viewed by the media &
most sociologists as more rigid (unfair; less
social mobility) for minorities, particularly
African Americans.
• However, certain ethnic groups have
consistently performed well (academically,
financially, etc) even in spite of discrimination.
– Asians/Chinese, Jews, etc.
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Section 2
But…the average income for AfricanAmericans (full-time) is $32,000
Hispanics - $27,000
Whites - $41,000
To many, that’s proof of discrimination
against minorities!!
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Section 2
However…
Avg. income for Asians is $43,000 (?)
Also, look at “average ages”
Whites:
37.7 years old
Asians:
32.7 years old
Blacks:
30.2 years old
Hispanics:
25.8 years old
What impact might age have?
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Impact of age on pay
Whites:
37.7 yrs ($41,000)
Asians:
32.7 yrs ($43,000)
Blacks:
30.2 yrs ($32,000)
Hispanics: 25.8 yrs ($27,000)
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Section 2: Mobility stats
How much “mobility” is there?
University of Michigan study:
a. 75% of income earners in the bottom 20% in
1975 were in the top 40% at some point by
1991.
b. 29% of earners in the bottom 20% rose to the top
20% by 1991.
c. Only 5% of those in the bottom 20% in 1975 were
still there in 1991.
The majority of poor don’t stay poor!
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Section 3
█ Duration of Poverty Spells: 1996-1999
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Source: United States Census Bureau, “Poverty in the United States: 2002, “Current Population Reports p.60-222, by
© 2005
The2003,
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Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Bernadette D. Proctor and Joseph Dalaker, issued
Sept.
http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p60-222.pdf
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Section 3
█Poverty
– Who are the poor in the United States?
• children
• women
• the elderly
– A majority of America’s poor live in
rural areas.
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Section 3
█How do we define “poor?”
–The poverty line, is the minimum
level of income deemed necessary
to achieve an adequate standard of
living in a given country.
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Section 3 : Poverty
Persons
in Family or
Household
48 Contiguous
States and D.C.
Alaska
Hawaii
1
$10,830
$13,530
$12,460
2
$14,570
$18,210
$16,760
3
$18,310
$22,890
$21,060
4
$22,050
$27,570
$25,360
5
$25,790
$32,250
$29,660
6
$29,530
$36,930
$33,960
7
$33,270
$41,610
$38,260
8
$37,010
$46,290
$42,560
For each additional
add:
$3,740
$4,680
$4,300
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Section 3
█ Poverty in Selected Industrial Countries
Source: Smeeding et al. 2001:51.
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Section 3
█ Percent of Families Living Below the Poverty Level, by Family Structure
and Race/Ethnicity: 2000
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Section 3: Poverty numbers flaw
Look who sometimes shows up as “poor”
1. Spouses of very wealthy partners.
2. Wealthy investors / entrepreneurs who have
an off year or lose money.
3. June graduates earning 1/2 a salary.
4. Start up doctors, dentists, etc.
5. Young adults who are “finding themselves”
after graduation.
6. Retirees with no mortgage, little/no income
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Section 3
█ Rethinking welfare
– The New Right – government programs
since the Depression have created a
dependent class of people and encouraged
an “entitlement” attitude in America.
– What is the role of government?
(Democrats vs Republicans)
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█
█
█
█
█
Section 3: “How not to be poor”
Wait until you’re married to have children
Get married after the age of 21
Stay away from criminal activity
Graduate high school
Work full-time…ANYWHERE!
“Simple” v “Easy”
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