CHAPTER 8
Social Stratification
True or False:
● Social status in an society is basically
determined by individual achievements
and abilities
● False - some rank by attributes (race,
ancestry, gender, wealth, power)
o The most important predictor for social
status is the status of your parents
True or False:
● Except for occasional success stories,
most Americans remain in the same social
class their entire lives
● True
True or False:
● Americans of all classes have similar life
spans and access to similar health care,
housing, education, and other resource
● False
True or False:
● In the United States, the gap between the
rich and the poor is widening.
● True - average CEO makes 419x as
average production worker (In 1980 that
ratio was 42 to 1)
True or False:
● A full-time worker can still live in poverty
in the USA.
● True
o Someone making $10, working 40 hours per
week, 50 weeks a year, will make $20,000,
just before the poverty line for a family of
four. (And minimum wage is less than $8).
True or False:
Stratification systems differ little from
society to society.
True or False:
Applicants should be drug-tested before
receiving welfare benefits.
True or False:
Money can buy happiness.
True or False:
The American class system is unfair.
True or False:
Raising the minimum wage would help the
poverty rate in America.
Social Stratification
The division of
society into
categories, ranks, or
classes based on
certain
characteristics
Social Inequality
● The unequal sharing
of scarce resources
and social rewards
● If you were going to
stratify a society how would you
distribute scarce
resources and social
rewards?
Open vs Closed Systems
● Open: movement
between strata is
possible
● Closed: impossible
- assigned a status
at birth
Class System
● Distribution of scarce resources and
rewards based on achieved statuses
● Marx - bourgeoisie & proletariats
o Only determining factor - ownership of
property and the means of production
● Weber - Class consists of power, property,
& prestige
Wealth
● Made up of
o assets - value of
everything one
owns (bonds,
land)
o income -money
earned through
salaries,
investments, etc.
Power
● Ability to control the behavior of others,
with or without their consent
● Can be based on force, the possession of a
special skill or type of knowledge, social
status, personal characteristics, or
customs and traditions
Prestige
● The respect, honor, recognition, or
courtesy an individual receives from other
members of society
● Determining factors: income, occupation,
education, family background, area of
residence, possessions, club memberships
Caste System
● Elaborate norms govern
interaction among
castes
● Exogamy - marriage
outside one’s caste
forbidden
● Endogamy - marriage
within one’s own social
caste
Social Class
The grouping of
people with similar
levels of wealth,
power, and prestige
Use socioeconomic
status
The American Class System
● The Upper Class - 1% of population
● Old vs New money
● Many are traditionalists and politically
conservative
● Conspicuous consumption by the newly
rich
The Upper Middle Class
● Mostly high-income businesspeople &
professionals
● Most have college ed & advanced degrees
● Membership based on income not assets
● Career-oriented
● Politically & socially active
● Power & influence limited to community
level
The Lower Middle Class
● White-collar jobs
● Many jobs require less education
● Live comfortable life but must work hard
to keep what they have
● Many hold traditional values & are
politically conservative
The Working Class
● Manual labor jobs & pink-collar jobs
● Some paid as much as lower middle class,
but not as prestigious
● Few financial reserves - unexpected crisis
can push them into lower class
The Working Poor
● Lowest paying jobs - often temporary /
seasonal
● Work hard but rarely make a living wage
● Depend on govt. support programs
● High school dropouts
● Not involved politically
● Often purposefully disenfranchised
The Underclass
● Chief source of income usually public
assistance
● Day-to-day struggle
● Some work, but usually very low-paid
● Unemployment and poverty
The Game
You all represent the country’s population.
And everyone in the country has a chance to
become wealthy and move into the upper
class.
To move into the upper class, all you must
do is throw your wadded up paper into the
bin while sitting in your seat.
Conclusion
The closer you were to the recycling bin, the
better your odds.
This is what privilege looks like.
Who complained?
Your Job (for life) - As students who are receiving an education - is to be aware of your privilege. And use
this particular privilege called “education” to
do your best to achieve great things, all the
while advocating for those in the rows
behind you.
Social Mobility
● Movement
between or within
social classes
● Three types:
horizontal,
vertical, and
intergenerational
Horizontal Mobility
● Movement
within a social
class
● Example accountant
moves to new
firm
Vertical Mobility
● Movement between
social classes upward or
downward
● Example - teacher
becomes
superintendent
Intergenerational Mobility
● Status differences between generations in
the same family
● A special form of vertical mobility
● Example: son of mechanic becomes a
lawyer
● Most Americans achieve higher
occupational status than their parents,
but stay in same social class
Poverty
● Standard of living
below the minimum
level considered
adequate by society
● Poverty level minimum income
(adjusted each year)
American Poverty
● Age - Children overrepresented in poverty
● Hispanic / African American kids 3x more
likely to be impoverished
● Sex - Over half of all poor are women
● African American / Hispanic women
more likely
● Race & Ethnicity - African Americans &
Hispanics much more likely
The Effects of Poverty
● Life Chances - life
expectancy, health,
housing, education
● Poor children 60%
more likely to die in
first year than those
not born into poverty
● Why? - inadequate
nutrition & less access
to medical care
● Housing usually
inadequate, unsafe
● School-funding
partially based on local
taxes
Patterns of Behavior
● Divorce rates higher
● More likely to be
arrested, convicted,
imprisoned
● More likely to be
victims of crime
Government responses to Poverty
● War on Poverty LBJ
● Has helped for
elderly - because of
Social Security &
Medicare
Social-Welfare Programs
2 Types:
1. Transfer Payments - redistribute money
(through taxes)
a. Elderly, blind, disabled, kids
2. Subsidies - transfer goods & services
instead of cash
a. Example- food stamp program (poor receive
coupons or cards for food)
b. Other examples - housing, school lunches,
medicaid, etc.)
Criticism of Welfare Program
● Created a permanent ‘welfare class’
● Power given to states to decide their own
system - some chose not to give payments
after a certain number of years
Questions
● What characteristics do you have that
might give you a higher status?
● Can you think of any examples of
stratification locally?
● What could we do to make society more
equal? Or should we?