Social Stratification
Chapter 8
Social Stratification
• Social stratification –
the creation of layers
(or strata) of people
who possess unequal
shares of scarce
materials.
• Most important factors
are power, income, and
wealth
• Opened or closed
system?
Social Class
• Social class – each layer in a social
stratification system.
• A segment of a population who’s members
hold similar amounts of scarce resources and
share values and norms and a identifiable life
style.
• Usually 2 or 3 classes.
Karl Marx
• Capitalism is evil – social
classes forced by a struggle
(conflict theory).
• His idea workers v. owners
• Bourgeoisie –
owners/capitalists (means of
production)
• Proletariat – workers (labor)
• Capitalists control education,
government, and legal
areas.
• Eventually, the workers
would overthrow the owners.
Leading to a classless
society where everything is
shared.
U.S. Income and Property
•
•
•
•
•
•
Income – money received in a given time period
Wealth – all economic resources income and assets
2010 – 44 million in poverty
2010 – family of four poverty line $22,000
10 million millionaires, 50 billionaires
Wealthiest 1% own 40% of the wealth and 49% of the
income in the U.S.
Power
• Power – ability to control the behavior of others, even
against their will.
• Money = power
• Education = power
• Legal/political skills = power
• Gun = raw power
• * people can overcome lack of wealth to gain power
by having numbers of people on their side. Ex: Hitler.
Prestige
• Prestige – recognition,
respect, and admiration
attached to social
position.
• Must be given to
people, not given to
yourself.
• Given to persons in
positions of power and
wealth
• Job list pg 247
Section 2: Explanations of
Stratification
• Functionalists
• Assures most qualified people fill
the most important positions.
• Inequality exists because certain jobs are
more important and involve more training and
talent.
• Better jobs require more sacrifice.
• Ex: Doctor/lawyer receive better pay than a
bus driver.
Conflict Theory
• Inequality exists
because some people
are willing to exploit
others.
• Stratification is forced,
not voluntary.
• Rich stay in control by
putting out false
consciousness
• Rich are in control and
use schools, media,
government and
churches to help the
stay in control.
Symbolic Interactionism
• Children are taught that a person’s social
class is a result of talent and effort.
• Those on top worked hard and used abilities.
Those on the bottom have a lack of talent and
motivation.
• Lower class has poor self-esteem. Higher
class high self-esteem.
• The classes self-concepts help the system
stay in place.
Section 3: Social Classes in America
• Americans never developed a sense of class
consciousness, which is a sense of
identification with the goals and interests of
the members of a particular social class.
Upper Class: 1% of U.S.
• Upper/old money –
born rich, families
that have been rich
for generations.
Rarely marry
outside their class.
(Rockefellers)
• Lower/new money –
earned their money
with hard work.
• Old money families
looks down at new
money families.
• Involved in national
political affairs.
Middle Class 40% U.S.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Upper middle – 14% great
business, political, and military
people.
They live well and have money
saved.
College educated – involved in
community political affairs.
Middle class – 30% small
business owners, smaller
doctors/lawyers, clergy, fire/police,
teachers, managers.
High school education, some
college.
Do not live as well as upper
middle. Involved in some political
affairs
Working Class 1/3 of U.S.
• Construction workers,
truck drivers, and other
blue-collar jobs.
• Might make more
money than some
middle class jobs.
• Unstable employment,
lack of income, lack of
benefits, and lack of
insurance.
Working poor 3% U.S.
• Low level skill jobs – laborers and fast food
workers.
• They live in poverty.
Underclass 12% U.S.
• Unemployed, families
have a history of
unemployment. Part
time jobs if anything/
unload trucks.
• On public assistance
• Lack of education.
• Sometimes
physical/mental
disabilities.
• Can get here by birth,
old age, loss of
marriage, and more.
• Q 1- 4 p. 257
Section 4: Poverty
• Absolute poverty – is the absence of enough
money to secure life’s necessities. Food,
clothing, shelter.
• Relative poverty – is when you compare the
economic condition of those at the bottom of
society with the economic conditions of other
member of that society
• So, poverty varies all over the world different
in the U.S. and India.
Reasons for Falling into Poverty
Poverty
• U.S. a family of 4 the poverty line is
$22,000 a yr. (2010).
• Poverty effects minorities, female single
mothers, elderly, children under 18, people
with disabilities, and people living with
nonrelatives.
• Feminization of poverty – women take care of
children and get paid less.
War on Poverty 1960s
• Before 1960’s the U.S.
did not care about
poverty
• War on poverty goal – to
help the poor by selfimprovement. 60% of the
money was set aside for
youth and work
experience programs.
• Some say that helping
the poor is a bad idea
because they would want
to stay poor and receive
money and supplies from
the government.
Poverty today
• Aid to families with dependant children
AFDC 3% of the U.S. budget – gone now.
• Food stamps 1% of the U.S. budget.
• 1996 welfare reform.
• Cash was cut to unwed teen mothers if they did not
stay in school and live with a parent.
• Cash was cut to able bodied workers if they could not
find a job after 2 years.
• Gave more welfare powers to the states.
Did you know?
• Myth: People on welfare are usually black,
teenage mothers who stay on ten years at a
time.
• Fact: Most welfare recipients are non-black,
adult and on welfare less than two years at a
time.
Did welfare reform work?
• Welfare enrollment has dropped since 1996,
but has seen an increase again since 2009.
• But people who make $7 an hour with no
government help cannot advance in social
class.
• Many children with health
problems and poor schools.
• No insurance, rent money,
and food shortage.
Section 5: social mobility
• Social mobility – movement of people
between social classes
• Horizontal mobility – movement within the
same social class.
– Ex: cab driver to bus driver.
• Vertical mobility – movement up or down to
another social class.
– Ex: cab driver to teacher. Pro football player to a
truck driver.
Social Mobility
• Intergenerational
mobility – mobility that
happens over a
generation. (up or
down).
• Ex: dad is a plumber,
son is a doctor.
• Mom is a college
professor, daughter is a
bus driver.
Caste system
• Caste system – you
cannot change your
social class. It is
ascribed at birth and
stays the same. You
marry your same class.
• Ex. India. Roots keep
the system in place
Open system
• Open system – based
on achieved status. You
can move up and down.
Also, you can marry
outside your class.
– Example: U.S.
• But system is flawed,
restrictions are placed
on some people …
racism.
Upward Mobility
• Very hard to do, sometimes need luck.
• Before WWII few rose, after WWII many good
factory jobs.
• Over the years good jobs are being hurt by
technology and globalization. Cost effective
for businesses.
• More people are now experiencing downward
mobility.
Downward mobility
• Katherine Newman – belief in hard work in
rewards are preventing the middle class from
realizing that many of them will be heading
toward downward mobility.
• Self-worth = occupational status.
• Downward mobility brings lower self-esteem,
despair, and depression.