Chapter 9
Social Class and
Social Stratification
Chapter Outline
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Social Differentiation and Social
Stratification
Why Is There Inequality?
The Class Structure of the United States
Diverse Sources of Stratification
Social Mobility
Poverty
Social Differentiation
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The process by which different statuses
develop in any group, organization, or
society.
 In a sports organization, players,
owners, managers, fans, cheerleaders,
and sponsors all have a different status
within the organization.
Social Stratification
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A relatively fixed, hierarchical arrangement in
society by which groups have different access
to resources, power, and perceived social
worth.
In a sports organization:
 Owners control the resources of the teams.
 Players earn high salaries, yet do not control
the team resources.
 Sponsors provide the resources.
 Fans provide revenue.
Inequality in the United States
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Nearly 1 in 6 children in the U.S. live
poverty:
 30% of African American children
 29% of Hispanic children
 12% of Asian American children
 9.4% of White non-Hispanic
children
Inequality in the United States
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15% of the U.S. population has no health
insurance.
The average cost of a day’s stay in the
hospital is $1, 217—two weeks’ pay for
the average worker
Inequality in the United States
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1% of the U.S. population controls 38% of the
total wealth in the nation.
The bottom 20% owe more than they own.
CEOs of major companies earn an average of
$13.1 million dollars per year.
Workers earning the minimum wage make
$10,712 per year, if they work 40 hours a week
for 52 weeks per year and hold only one job.
Types of Stratification Systems
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Estate - Elite owns property and has
control over resources.
Caste - rigid hierarchy of classes.
Class - status is partially achieved, there
is some potential for movement between
classes.
Marx: Class and Capitalism
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Defined classes in terms of their
relationship to the means of production.
Capitalist class owns the means of
production.
Working class sells their labor for wages.
Weber: Three Dimensions to
Stratification
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Class - economic dimension
Status - social dimension
Party - political dimension
Functional and Conflict Theories of
Stratification
Inequality
Motivates people to fill
Functionalism
positions that are needed
for the survival of the whole.
Results when those with the
Conflict Theory
most resources exploit
others.
Functional and Conflict Theories of
Stratification
Class Structure
Functionalism
Conflict Theory
Differentiation is essential
for a cohesive society.
Different groups struggle
over resources and
compete for social
advantage.
Functional and Conflict Theories of
Stratification
Life chances
Those who work hardest
Functionalism and succeed have greater
life chances.
The most vital jobs in
Conflict Theory society are usually the least
rewarded.
Social Class in the U.S.
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Upper class
Upper-middle class
Middle class
Lower-middle class
Lower class
Polling Question
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If you were asked to use one of the
following four names for your parents'
social class, which would you say they
belong in?
A.) Upper class
B.) Middle class
C.) Working class
D.) Lower class
The Laddered Model of Stratification
Median Income by Race and Household
Status
Polling Question
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People who are rich don't care about
those who are less rich.
A.) Strongly agree
B.) Agree somewhat
C.) Unsure
D.) Disagree somewhat
E.) Strongly disagree
The Double Diamond Model of Stratification
Income Growth by Income Group: Whites
Income Growth by Income Group: Blacks
Income Growth by Income Group: Hispanics
Wealth and Income
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Wealth is the monetary value of
everything one owns, minus debt.
 It is calculated by adding all financial
assets and subtracting all debts.
Income is the amount of money brought
into a household from various sources
during a given period.
Distribution of Wealth and
Income
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The wealthiest 1% own 38% of all net
worth; the bottom 80% control only 17%.
The top 1% also owns almost half of all
stock; the bottom 80% own only 4% of
total stock holdings.
Who’s Got a Piece of the
Pie?
The Tax Burden: For Whom?
Diverse Sources of
Stratification
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Race, class, and gender are overlapping
systems of stratification.
Class position is manifested differently,
depending on race and gender.
Example: A Black middle-class man who is
stopped by police when driving through a White
middle-class neighborhood may feel his racial
status is his most outstanding characteristic, but
his race, class, and gender always influence his
life chances.
Poverty Among the Old and
Young
Class Consciousness
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The perception that a class structure
exists, along with the feeling of shared
identification with others in one’s class.
There are two dimensions to the definition
of class consciousness:
 the idea that a class structure exists
 one’s class identification
Defining Social Mobility
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Social mobility is a person’s movement over
time from one class to another.
Social mobility can be up or down, although the
American dream emphasizes upward
movement.
Mobility can also be either intergenerational,
occurring between generations; or
intragenerational, occurring within a generation.
Social Mobility
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Mobility is a collective effort that involves kin
and sometimes community.
Upward Mobility
 People who are upwardly mobile are often
expected to distance themselves from their
origins.
Downward Mobility
 As income distribution is becoming more
skewed toward the top, many in the middle
class are experiencing mobility downward.
Poverty in the U.S.
Who are the Poor?
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In 2002, there were 34.6 million poor
people in the U.S.
The poor:
 31% of Native Americans
 24% of African Americans
 22% of Hispanics
 10% of Asians and Pacific Islanders
 10% of Whites
Who are the Homeless?
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Battered women
Elderly
Disabled
Mentally Ill (20-25%)
Veterans
AIDS victims
Who are the Homeless?
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A 2001 survey of 27 cities found that the
homeless population is:
 50% African American
 35% White
 12% Hispanic
 2% Native American
 1% Asian
Reasons for Homelessness
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Unemployment and/or eviction
Reductions in federal support for
affordable housing
Eroding work opportunities
Inadequate housing for low-income
people
Reasons for Homelessness
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Reductions in public assistance
Inadequate health care
Domestic violence
Addiction
Poverty Status by Family
Type and Race
Explanations of Poverty
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Culture of poverty - poverty is a way of
life that is transferred from generation to
generation.
Structural causes of poverty - poverty is
caused by economic and social
transformations taking place in the U.S.
Arguments Against
“The Culture of Poverty”
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Fewer than 5% of the poor are chronically
poor.
41% of the able-bodied poor work.
The pattern of “welfare cycling” is
promoted by wages too low to support a
family.
Quick Quiz
1. Karl Marx defined classes in terms of
their relationship to:
a. capitalism
b. life chances
c. the infrastructure of society
d. the means of production
Answer: d
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Karl Marx defined classes in terms of their
relationship to the means of production.
2. The monetary value of everything one
actually owns is defined as one's:
a. income
b. cumulative income
c. wealth
d. net worth
Answer: c
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The monetary value of everything one
actually owns is defined as one's wealth.
3. Which of the following statements is false
regarding social class?
a. Class is a structural phenomenon.
b. Class can be directly observed.
c. Class influences access to societal
resources.
d. Class influences how one is served
by social institutions.
Answer: b
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The statement, class can be directly
observed, is false regarding social class.
4. According to the functionalist
perspective, differentiation is essential
for a cohesive society.
a. True
b. False
Answer: True
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According to the functionalist perspective,
differentiation is essential for a cohesive
society.