Unit 3: Social Inequality Chapter 9: Social Stratification A guide through the American Status System

Structures of Inequality Inequality exists all around us.

Maybe your mother loves your sister more than you, or your brother received a larger allowance than you did.– This kind of inequality is personal.

Sociologists study a particular kind of inequality called stratification.

Stratification Is an institutionalized pattern of inequality

in which social statuses are ranked on the basis of their access to scarce resources.– Division of society into categories, ranks, or

classes. Two conditions must be present

Two conditions for Stratification 1.) The inequality is

institutionalized, in other words, backed up by long-standing social norms about what ought to be.

2.) The inequality is based on occupancy of a position in the social structure, or a status (such as : oldest son, blue-collar worker, female, Hispanic, disabled, or over age 65), rather than on personal attributes.

Scarce Resources that cause stratification among individuals. Material Wealth ($, land, cars, boats, houses,

clothes, electronics) Prestige (status) Power

– When inequality in one of these dimensions is supported by widely accepted and long-standing social norms and when it is based on status occupancy, then we can call it stratification.

Stratification Stratification is present in every society that we

know.– All societies have norms specifying that some

categories of people ought to get more wealth, power, or prestige than others.

Closed system – movement b/t status levels is impossible

Open system – movement b/t strata is possible

Sociologists recognize 2 types of stratification systems in today’s societies:– Caste and class systems

Caste System Scarce resources and social rewards are

distributed on the basis of ascribed statuses.

Child’s status determined by parents Exogamy forbidden

– Marriage outside one’s own social category Endogamy practiced

– Marriage within one’s own social category

Caste System Brahmans

– Priests, scholars Kshatriyas

– Rulers, nobles, soldiers Vaisyas

– Merchants, bankers, business people

Sudras– Laborers, artisans

Harijans– Outcastes, limited to

the most undesirable tasks

Caste System, cont. Once very common in South Asia. Developed more than 3,000 years ago Harijans, aka: Dalits

– Unclean, given undesirable tasks– Other castes avoid them

Indian constitution, 1950, outlawed discrimination to this caste level– Declared all Indians, are equal– Created gov’t jobs and spots in school for these

people• Easier to do in city, hard in rural life

Class: % of pop & annual income Upper 1-3% >$100,000 (median

~$225,000) Upper Middle ~10% >$100,000

Lower Middle 30-40% >$50,000 Working 30-40% >$35,000 Lower 20-25% <$20,000

Class systems: Upper class(es) Tiny, rich and powerful; old and new money

Aristocracy (upper upper)--Ascribed, Enormous wealth (inherited) Richest 400 people--$328 billion. – WASP. – Know each other, socialize, same schools, corporate control,

intermarry. • What do we call that?

– Women--volunteer work. – Social Register vs. Who's Who.

New (lower upper)-- more money, less prestige--Depend on earnings. – The American Dream.

Both: significant impact on national and international affairs.

Middle Class:Upper Middle Lower Middle Professionals and

Business managers. High Incomes Politically active,

Leadership in Voluntary Associations.

Career advancement, Children and Mobility.

Similar values as U. Middle.

Lower income and prestige.

Emphasize: proper behavior, decency, hard work.

Make opportunities for children.

Working Class Lower Class

Ongoing decline. Blue collar, manual

labor (more money but identify with, share values and attitudes with, the "labor movement.")

Security, Pride, keep place--looking over their shoulder to see who's catching up.

Minorities. Single (female

headed) parents. Lack power,

alienated. Ascribed. About 3/4 are poor

~15% of population (40 mil.) 1994,

Poverty line- $23,550: Family of four (2013)

Different types of Poverty Situational

– A lack of resources due to a particular event Generational

– At least two years Financial

– Having money to purchase goods and services Emotional

– Being able to choose and control emotional responses, particularly to negative situations, without engaging in self-destructive behavior.

Different types of poverty, cont. Mental

– Having the mental abilities and acquired skills (reading, writing, computing, thinking) to deal with daily life

Spiritual– Believing in a divine purpose and guidance

Physical– Having physical heath and mobility

Support systems– Having friends, family, and backup resources available to access

in times of need. Relationship/Role Models

– Having frequent access to adults who are appropriate, who are nurturing to the child, and who do not engage in self-destructive behavior

Knowledge of Hidden Rules– Knowing the unspoken cues and habits of a group

Karl Marx and class Conflict theorist Bourgeoisie

– Owners of means of production in capitalist society

– Reap all the benefits Proletariat

– Those who sell labor in exchange for wages – Do all the work

Max Weber – 3 dimensions of class Property/Wealth

– Assets (value of what one owns) + income (money earned through salaries, investment returns, or capital gains).

– Richest 1% of population has 1/3rd USA’s wealth Prestige (page 209)

– Respect, honor, recognition, and courtesy and individual receives from other members of society.

• Common factors: income, occupation, education, family background, area of residence, possessions, club membership.

Power– Ability to control behavior or others with or without

their consent

SES – Socioeconomic status Rating that combines social factors (see

below) with the economic factor of income– Educational level– Occupational prestige– Place of residence

Combined factors are used to determine an individual’s relative position in the stratification system.

Let’s see how much you know about the classes! Take questionnaire on each level Review all classes on our chart

Start Titanic!– 21:30, Scene 5

Explaining stratification:The Functionalist Theory Stratification is a necessary feature of social

structure. All roles must be performed Those that are more important and require more

skill are rewarded with more money/prestige– Rewards need to be varied or roles would not be filled

and society would not function smoothly Explains why people are willing to spend years

training to become a doctor or a lawyer But….

– Not everyone has equal access to education– Some rewards do not reflect that role’s social value

• Professional athletes

Explaining Stratification:Conflict Theory Cause for social inequality is the

competition over scarce resources. Stratification comes from class exploitation

– Bourgeoisie controls proletariat Explains why the children of the wealthy go

to the best colleges. Weaknesses:

– Different skills require different jobs– Not everyone is suited for every position in

social structure

Explaining stratification:Efforts at Synthesis – combining Gerhard Lenski Says the functionalist theory applies best to

small societies The conflict theory applies best to more

complex societies

Section 2: The American Class System Open or closed

system? 6 class system:

– Check your chart 3 basic techniques to

rank people according to social class:– Reputational,

subjective, and objective methods

Reputational– People in communities

rank other community members based on what they know of their lifestyle

– Only used in small communities where everyone knows everything about everybody

Basic techniques to rank people

Subjective Method Objective Method

Individuals determine their own social rank

Most people say middle– We don’t like to put

ourselves in the other two

Sociologists define social class by income, occupation, and education.

6 Social Classes in the US We already went over these… let’s review: Upper Class:

– Divided into two, which are? – What & of pop?– Old $ looks down on new $ for their

conspicuous consumption (buying goods for their status they bring rather than usefulness)

• Can you think of anything like that?

Conspicuous Consumption- Thorstein Veblen

More review of various classes 2. Upper middle class

– Who are these people usually? 3. Lower middle class

– Does their work involve manual labor?– Do owners of small businesses fit here?

4. The working class– Does their work involve manual labor?– What color collar jobs?

More review: 5. The working poor

– Are they out of work or do they have the lowest paying jobs?

– What kind of education do many of these people have?– Are they politically involved?

6. The underclass– Are they technically unemployed?– What kind of poverty are they in?– Where do they get money?– * about 50% of these kids make it to another class

Social mobility The movement b/t or within social classes

or strata 3 kinds:

– Horizontal• Movement within a class or strata; small promotion

– Vertical• Movement b/t classes or strata; up or down

– Intergenerational • Status differences b/t generations in the same family

Structural causes of upward mobility

Advances in technology– Jobs available can change– This can cause mobility both ways, how?

Changes in merchandising patterns– Due to increases with insurance, real-estate, etc.

• More white collar workers in our labor force (73%)

Increases in the population’s general level of education– Today, 9% of people 25 and older have not completed

high school– 26% of people ages 25 and older have graduated from

college

Structural causes of downward mobility

Changes in the economy – primary cause– Technology - Example from last slide– Can affect intergenerational mobility

• Ever heard of college grads having a hard time finding a job?

Section 3: Poverty More than 31 Americans (11% of pop) live

below the poverty level– More are unable to meet their daily needs, but

make too much money to qualify for gov’t asst. Poverty – a standard of living that is below

the minimum level considered adequate by society; it is relative.– What is considered poverty to some may not be

to others. 

2008 Poverty GuidelinesSize of Family Unit

Poverty Guidelines

125%

1 $10,400 $13,0002 $14,000 17,5003 $17,600 $22,0004 $22,200 $26,5005 $24,800 $31,0006 $28,400 $35,5007 $32,000 $40,0008 $35,600 $44,500

Defining poverty in the USA Poverty level – minimum

annual income needed by a family to survive – See handout!– Calculate cost of providing

an adequate diet, based on US Dept of Agriculture’s minimum nutritional standards

• Multiply by three b/c research has indicated that poor people spend 1/3 of their income on food

Each year it is adjusted for cost of living

American Poverty There are several characteristics that affect

poverty: Age

– Children under age 18 make up 25% of pop, but are 35% of people in poverty

– Level of poverty in African American and Hispanic kids is three times as high compared to white kids

Sex– 57% of poor are women– ½ of poverty households are headed by women

• Again, households headed by African American and Hispanic women 34% are poor; it is 20% for white women households

Race and Ethnicity– See above

Effects of Poverty Fewer life chances

– Likelihood that individuals have of sharing in the opportunities and benefits of society.

– Ex: health, length of life, housing, education

Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, pneumonia – higher among those in poverty.

Have shorter life expectancies– # of years a person can expect to

live– Poor children are 60% more

likely to die in their first year of life than kids not born into poverty

Effect of poverty, continued: Why do those in poverty have shorter life

expectancies?– Inadequate nutrition– Less access to medical care

How does lack of money hinder the above? Educational life is limited

– School funding is based in part on local property taxes, thus schools in low-income areas are inadequately funded b/c of low tax revenues.

• Think of Cobb and our SPLOST

Patterns of BehaviorDraw the chart!

Divorce rates higher among low-income families

Poor Americans are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and sent to prison

People in poverty are more likely to commit crimes investigated by police – Violent, burglary,

auto theft, drugs, etc.– Usually rob those in

or near their community

Government responses to poverty 1964 – LBJ declares a war on poverty

– Since, the fed gov’t is active in helping the poor Social Security & Medicare for the elderly

Gov’t involvement Transfer payments

– Take money through taxes and funnel it to groups who need the assistance.

– SSI – Supplemental Security Income• $ to folks over 65• Blind or disabled adult and children

– TANF – Temp Assistance for Needy Families• Cash payments to poor families with children

Subsidies– Transfer goods and substances rather than cash

• Ex: food stamps