Social
Stratification
Hot Button Question:
Is homelessness a
problem that should
concern the American
public? If so, what
should be done to
remedy the issue of
homelessness?
Student Responses…YES!
• Yes, homelessness should be a concern because people
have a need and for most of them it isn’t their fault.
Even if it is their fault, we should try to help. A
remedy would be for everyone to donate food, or time
to build shelters or talk to these people.
• Yes. There should be a bigger effort to create
homeless shelters where people can be educated and
helped to find a job.
Student Responses…YES!
• There is homelessness all over America, it just might
not be seen in places that aren’t big cities. I think it
should concern people. I don’t believe that people
shouldn’t have a home. More people should be
willing to open up homeless shelters and feed hungry
and homeless people.
Student Responses…UMM…
• Homelessness is a problem, but I think we should
look at it on a person level. I believe we should ask
the questions: Are they truly trying hard to get a
job? Are they drug-free?
• Homelessness is a problem that should be
sympathized by the American public, but not one that
should concern them because all societies have
homeless people. We should just continue trying to
create jobs and collecting food for charities.
Student Responses…NO!
• No, homelessness is not an American problem, it is
the homeless person’s problem.
• Homelessness is not a concern America should be
worried about because it’s an individual’s problem.
• No. Most of the time it’s their fault.
Part ONE: The Basics
Social Stratification
• DEFINITION: the ranking
of individuals based on the
unequal distribution of
power, prestige & property
• Access to scarce resources & social rewards
• Resources & Rewards:
• Education, stable job and bank loan
Social Stratification
• In most cases, power, prestige
& property occur together;
however, this is not
always true
• EXAMPLES?
Social Stratification
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Property:
Net worth and/or wealth
Objective measurement
Power:
Capacity to influence people & events in order
to obtain wealth & prestige
• Objective measurement
Social Stratification
• Prestige:
• An individual’s status
among his peers and
in society
• Subjective measurement
Social Stratification
• Which careers do you think are most prestigious?
• Least prestigious?
Socioeconomic Status
• DEFINITION: a rating that determines an
individual’s relative position within the system
of stratification
• Three Factors:
• Education
• Occupation
• Income
Part TWO: Systems of
Stratification
Caste System
• Position based on ascribed status
• Fixed, closed boundaries
• Not much potential for social
mobility
• Endogamy; exogamy not permitted
• Status consistency
Class System
• Position based
on achieved
status
• Open boundaries
• Greater potential for social mobility
• Endogamy not required; exogamy allowed
• Less status consistency
Social Class
• DEFINITION: a group
of people who share
similar levels of wealth,
influence and status (SES)
• Sociologists use THREE methods to determine
one’s social class
Social Class
• Objective Method: analyzes
“hard” facts
• Subjective Method: asks
people what they think of
themselves
• Reputational Method: asks what people think of
others
Part THREE: Social
Stratification in the US
Hot Button Question:
Why are wealthy
people wealthy?
Why are poor people
poor?
Student Responses…Wealthy
people are wealthy because…
• They work hard to earn a living. They save their money
wisely in order to remain wealthy.
• They worked harder or smarter than everyone else.
• They are smart, work hard, and work in fields that are
their strengths.
• They went the extra mile to succeed and have the best
education to get the best paying job.
Student Responses…Wealthy
people are wealthy because…
• They have money.
• They either inherited the money or they know how the
world works.
• They can afford excess.
• They either have an amazing job, or got money passed
down.
• Often wealthy people are wealthy because they are born
into a family who has collected wealth for many years.
Student Responses…Poor
people are poor because…
• They are lazy and don’t work as hard as wealthy people.
• They are lazy and don’t do enough for themselves and
probably do drugs.
• Poor people don’t know how to invest and save their
money. Also, they don’t take advantage of the education
given to them.
• They don’t want to try as hard as those who are wealthier.
• They want to work for someone instead of being an
entrepreneur.
• They are unwilling to work or have bad luck.
Student Responses…Poor
people are poor because…
• They have lower income jobs.
• They either lost a job, grew up in a poor environment, don’t
have an education, or couldn’t afford an education, or are
just lazy and live off the government.
• They were either born into a poor family and had less
opportunities or did not work hard.
• The poor are poor because of their pre-existing situation,
economic tragedies that happened in their life, and their low
access to higher paying jobs.
• Poor people may not have the same opportunities as the
wealthy.
And Finally…
• Some people are wealthy because they worked hard to get a
good job. Some people are poor because they haven’t worked
for money. HOWEVER, more often people are born into a social
class that gives them either advantages or disadvantages in
society.
Lower Class
• 15–20% of population
• Less than $23,000/year
Lower Class
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Characteristics:
Poverty, homelessness, unemployment
(Absolute poverty v. relative poverty)
Most do not have high school diplomas
Lack of adequate housing, food, clothing,
safety, medical care, etc.
Working Class
• 30–40% of population
• Median: males ($40,000) &
females ($26,000)
• Minimally educated,
though generally have high
school diplomas
• Manual labor
Working Class
• Working poor:
• Unskilled workers
• Dishwashers, cashiers,
maids, servers, etc.
• Minimum wage; underpaid
• No opportunity for career advancement; “deadend job”
Working Class
• Blue Collar:
• Skilled workers;
trade
• Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, truck drivers,
police officers, etc.
• Better wages than the working poor
Middle Class, “Sandwich”
•
•
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40–50% of population
Median: males ($70,000) & females ($50,000)
Lower Middle:
Less education (B.A.) with lower incomes
Upper Middle:
Highly educated (M.A, PhD) with higher incomes
Upper Class
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•
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1–3% of population
About 5% make $150,000+
About 1% make $250, 000+
25% of total wealth
Upper Class
• Lower-Upper:
• “New” money
• Made from investments,
business ventures, etc.
Upper Class
• Upper-Upper:
• “Old” money
• Aristocratic,
high-society,
inheritance
Generally have an M.A. or higher
Manual, though skilled labor
Generally have a B.A.
May or may not have a high school education
Characterized by “new” money
Part FOUR: Theory
Stratification: Theory
Structural-Functionalism
vs.
Conflict Theory
Stratification: Theory
• Functionalism:
• Social stratification is a
necessary component of
society; the linkage of
greater rewards to more
important social
positions benefits
society as a whole;
USEFUL & INEVITABLE
• Conflict:
• Social stratification is
the result of social
conflict; differences in
social rewards serve the
interests of some while
harming the interests of
others; ONLY USEFUL TO
SOME PEOPLE
Stratification: Theory
• Functionalism:
• Matches talents &
abilities to appropriate
occupational positions
• Values & beliefs that
legitimize social
inequality are shared
throughout society
• Conflict:
• Ensures that large
amounts of talent &
ability will not be
developed
• Values & beliefs tend to
reflect the interests of
the more powerful
members of society
Part FIVE:
Social Mobility
Social Mobility
• Definition:
the movement
between or
within social classes or strata
• An important feature of the open
class system
Types of Social Mobility
• Horizontal Mobility: movement within a
social class or stratum
• Does not involve any major change in a
person’s wealth, power, or prestige
• Most common
Types of Social Mobility
• Vertical Mobility: movement between
social classes or strata
• Can be upward or downward
Types of Social Mobility
• Intragenerational Mobility: a change in
social position that occurs during a
person's lifetime
• Intergenerational Mobility: form of
vertical mobility in which status differs
between generations in the same family
• A quick lesson on social mobility