The Real World
An Introduction to Sociology
Fourth Edition
Kerry Ferris and Jill Stein
Chapter 7: Social
Class: The Structure
of Inequality
Social Stratification
and Social Inequality
• Social stratification is the division of
society into groups arranged in a social
hierarchy.
• Every society has some form of
stratification, but societies stratify people
according to a variety of criteria (such as
race, class, and gender).
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Social Inequality
• Social inequality is
the unequal
distribution of wealth,
power, or prestige
among members of a
society.
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Systems of
Stratification
• Slavery is the most
extreme form of social
stratification and is
based on the legal
ownership of people.
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Systems of
Stratification (cont’d.)
• A caste system is a form of social
stratification in which status is
determined by one’s family history and
background and cannot be changed.
• Example) In olden times when societies were ruled
by Kings and royalty, people were born into a
specific caste. If you from royal blood, you were
royal, if your parents were commoners, you were
common.
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Systems of
Stratification (cont’d.)
• Apartheid is the term for the system of
segregation of racial and ethnic groups
that was legal in South Africa between
1948 and 1991. (Caste System)
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Images of Segregation in the United States and Apartheid in
South Africa
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Systems of
Stratification (cont’d.)
• Social class refers to a system of
stratification based on access to
resources such as wealth, property,
power, and prestige. Sociologists often
refer to it as socioeconomic status (or
SES).
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Social Classes in the
United States
• The upper class:
• Wealthiest people in a class system
• Make up about 1% of the U.S.
population
• Possess most of the wealth of the
country
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Social Classes in the
United States (cont’d.)
• The upper-middle class:
• Professionals and managers
• Make up about 14% of the U.S.
population
• The middle class consists primarily of
• “White-collar” workers
• Have a broad range of incomes
• Make up about 30% of the U.S.
population
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Social Classes in the
United States (cont’d.)
• The working (lower-middle) class:
• “Blue-collar” or service industry
workers
• Less likely to have college degrees
• Make up about 30% of the U.S.
population
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Social Classes in the
United States (cont’d.)
• The lower class:
• Many poor people, who typically have
lower levels of literacy than other
classes
• Make up about 20% of the U.S.
population
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Social Class: Conflict
Theory
• Karl Marx believed that there were two
main social classes in capitalist societies:
• Capitalists (or bourgeoisie), who owned
the means of production
• Workers (or proletariat), who sold their
labor for wages
• He believed that the classes would remain
divided and social inequality would grow.
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Social Class:
Weberian Theory
• Max Weber offered a similar model that
also included cultural factors.
• He argued that class status was made of
three components:
• Wealth (or privilege)
• Power
• Prestige
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Social Class: StructuralFunctional Theory
• Suggests that the system of stratification
that has emerged is functional to society
in many ways:
• Certain roles are more important for the
functioning of society, and these roles may
be more difficult to fill, so more incentive is
needed.
• Greater rewards are necessary for work that
requires more training or skill.
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Social Class:
Postmodern Theory
• More recently, Pierre Bourdieu attempted
to explain social reproduction, the
tendency for social-class status to be
passed down from one generation to the
next.
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Social Class:
Postmodern Theory
• According to Bourdieu, this happens
because each generation acquires
cultural capital (tastes, habits,
expectations, skills, knowledge, etc.),
which helps us to gain advantages in
society.
• This cultural capital either helps or
hinders us as we become adults.
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Social Class: Symbolic
Interaction Theory
• Symbolic interactionists examine the way
we use status differences to categorize
ourselves and others.
• As Erving Goffman pointed out, our
clothing, speech, gestures, possessions,
friends, and activities provide information
about our socioeconomic status.
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Socioeconomic Status
and Life Chances
• Belonging to a certain social class has
profound consequences for individuals in
all areas of life, including education,
employment, and medical care.
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Social Mobility
• Social mobility is the movement
of individuals or groups within the
hierarchical system of social classes.
• A closed system is one in which there
is very little opportunity to move from
one class to another.
• An open system is one with ample
opportunities to move from one class
to another.
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Social Mobility
(cont’d.)
• Intergenerational mobility is the
movement between social classes that
occurs from one generation to the next.
• Intragenerational mobility is the
movement between social classes that
occurs over the course of an individual’s
lifetime.
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Social Mobility
(cont’d.)
• Horizontal social mobility is the
occupational movement of individuals
or groups within a social class.
• Vertical social mobility is the movement
between social classes and, depending
on the direction, is often called either
upward mobility or downward mobility.
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Social Mobility
(cont’d.)
• Structural mobility refers
to changes in the social
status of large numbers
of people due to
structural changes in
society.
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Defining Poverty
• In the United States, the federal poverty
line (an absolute measure of annual
income) is frequently used to determine
who should be categorized as poor.
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Defining Poverty
(cont’d.)
• Relative deprivation is a relative
measure of poverty based on the
standards of living.
• People are considered poor if their
standard of living is less than that of
other members of society.
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Defining Poverty
(cont’d.)
• Absolute deprivation is
an objective measure
of poverty that is
defined by the inability
to meet minimal
standards for food,
shelter, clothing, or
health care.
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Defining Poverty
(cont’d.)
• The culture of poverty refers to learned
attitudes that can develop among poor
communities and lead the poor to accept
their fate rather than attempt to improve
their situation.
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Inequality & Ideology
of the American Dream
• The ideology of the American Dream
(that anyone can achieve material
success if he or she works hard enough)
explains and justifies our social system,
but it has been criticized for legitimizing
stratification by implying that everyone
has the same opportunity to get ahead.
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Chapter 7: Participation
Questions
Which of the following do you feel best
describes your family?
a. upper class
b. middle class
c. working class
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Chapter 7: Participation
Questions
What percentage of the population do
you think makes over $250,000 per year?
a. 1%
b. 10%
c. 25%
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Chapter 7: Participation
Questions
What percentage of the population do
you think makes under $22,000 per
year?
a. 1%
b. 10%
c. 25%
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Chapter 7: Participation
Questions
Have you ever made the decision NOT to
go to the doctor or hospital because you
couldn’t afford it?
a. Yes
b. No
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Chapter 7: Participation
Questions
What is more important to you in your
future career, prestige or money?
a. Prestige
b. Money
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Chapter 7: Participation
Questions
Are you a first-generation college
student?
a. Yes (first in my family to go to
college)
b. No (one or both parents went to
college)
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Chapter 7: Participation
Questions
In your opinion, which of the following
images best represents the “American
Dream”?
a.
b.
c.
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This concludes the Lecture
PowerPoint presentation for
Chapter 7
© 2014 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.
The Real World
AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
4th Edition
Kerry Ferris
and
Jill Stein
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