Social Stratification and Social Class
Humans have the tendency to form rank
Social Stratification is the creation of layers of people who possess
unequal shares of resources
Social Classes
Social classes are the layers of stratification where members hold
similar amounts of scarce resources and share norms, values and
lifestyle
Developed countries:
Upper, middle, and lower class
Developing countries:
Upper and lower classes
Examine p. 243 “Poverty and Death” Infant mortality rates
The Economic Dimension
Karl Marx-economic foundations of social class
Marx’s theorized that capitalism would lead to two classes
Proletariat-working class
Bourgeoisie-class that owns production
Income and Wealth in the U.S.
Over a span of 22 years, the top fifth saw an increase of income of
43% while the bottom fifth saw a 9% decrease
The top 1%(3 Million people) hold 39% of the wealth while the
bottom 80% (245 million) hold only 16%
Power Dimension
Max Weber believed power and prestige, not just money stratified
society
 Power can come from money, knowledge, fame, social positions,
charisma
Ex. Einstein, elected officials hold more power, mass media
executives, Hitler
EXAMINE- p. 244-245 Income & Wealth Graphs
Prestige Dimension
Prestige is recognition, respect, and admiration connected to social
positions
Defined by the culture you are in
Ex. Cowboys, athletes
Voluntarily given, not claimed
Ex. Nobel prize, Pulitzer, doctorates, awards
Similar prestige, similar lifestyles
Most important social positions are most prestigious
Ex. Doctors, professors, bankers
RERANK the occupations on p. 247 to your top 10
READ p. 249. “You are what you Wear”
Identifies clothing with social class
Explanations of Stratification
Ch. 8, Sec. 2, pp. 250-253
Functionalist View
Most qualified people fill most important positions
Some jobs are more important than other and require special skills
Money and prestige are reward for sacrifice
Conflict Theory View
Some people are willing to exploit others (Marx-exploiter & exploited)
Those in power are able to spread a belief system that legitimizes their
position (Schools, media)
Lower class accepts these ideas and values-False Consciousness
Symbolic Interactionism and Stratification
People are socialized to accept existing structure
Lower class-lower self esteem
System tells them they are inferior
Upper class-higher self esteem
System tells them they are superior
EXAMINE-p. 252 “Focus on Theoretical Perspectives”
READ-p. 253 “Field Research: Who’s Popular, Who’s Not?”
Social Classes In America
Ch. 8, Sec. 3, pp. 254-257
INTRODUCTION- Split students into classes and have them describe
themselves or act them out.
U.S. Social Classes
Six typical social classes
Unlike in India, U.S. citizens have never really developed class
consciousness-identifying with a particular social class
Classes change and are full of exceptions
EXAMINE-graphic on p. 254
Upper Class
Includes 1% of population
Upper-Upper
Old-money families (Ford)
Based on blood not hard work
Ex. Heirs, not always the richest but have tradition
Lower-Upper Class
More often wealth is from achievement or earned, not inherited
Often excluded by upper-upper
Ex. Often better off financially than upper-upper, but don’t have the
tradition
The Middle Class
40-50% of population
Upper Middle Class
14% of population
Professionals and entrepreneurs
Most are college-educated
High goals for children
Active in community
The Middle Class
Middle-middle class
30% of population
Small-business, farms, lower class professionals (teachers, firefighters)
Many have some college education
The Working Class (Lower Middle Class)
33% of population
Roofers, truck divers, sales people
Often lack same benefits of middle class (insurance, retirement)
Employment is unstable
Most have no college education
The Working Poor
13% of population
Working poor-consists of people employed in low skill jobs w/ low pay
Manual labor, service jobs
Lack steady employment and don’t earn enough to be above the poverty
line ($17,050)
Many are HS students or HS dropouts
The Underclass
12% of Population
Underclass-people who are usually unemployed and come from families
with histories of unemployment
Part-time menial jobs, state assistance
Lack of skills
Many paths in, few paths out
DISCUSS-Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs
COMPLETE-G.O. 5
Poverty in America
Ch. 8, Sec. 4, pp. 259-263
Measuring Poverty
Absolute poverty-absence of enough money to secure life’s necessities
Relative poverty-comparing the bottom of society with the top
Ex. The poor in India, the poor in the U.S.
Identifying the Poor
70% of poor in America are white, only 6% of white population
African-Americans and Latinos make up 25% of to total population but
50% of poor
Feminization of Poverty- women and children make up larger portion of
poor
50% of poor households headed by women
EXAMINE-Snapshot of America p. 261
Responses to Poverty
1964 War on Poverty
Help poor help themselves
JFK-self improvement not aid
Widespread abuse
DISCUSS-Welfare Myths p. 260
Welfare Reform
Hot debate issue
Restrictions to who is eligible and how long you can stay on Welfare
EXAMINE-Gov’t Spending p. 263
Social Mobility
Ch. 8, Sec. 5, pp. 265-268
DEMONSTRATION-use students to visualize mobility
Social Mobility
Social Mobility-movement between social classes
Horizontal-changing jobs in same social class
Vertical-job status or social class moves upward or downward
Intergenerational-social class change takes place over a generation, up or
down
Caste System
Social status is inherited and mobility cannot occur
Statuses and jobs are assigned at birth
Can be based on race (Apartheid), job and religion (India)
How do these systems stay in place?
Open Class System
Social class is based on merit and individual effort
Movement is allowed and common
Not always the case in the U.S. because of built in disadvantages for
minorities and lower classes
Up and Down Mobility
U.S. offers more opportunities than most countries to move up
Most still fail to move up
Boom of upward mobility after WWII
Today there is more downward mobility because people lack the college
education necessary to gain high paying jobs