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Social Stratification
n/a
37
Sociology
Undergraduate 1
11/13/2012

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Term
social stratification
Definition
a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy
Term
principles of stratification
Definition

1. a trait of society

2. persists over generations

3. universal but variable

4. involves beliefs

Term
the caste system
Definition

social stratification based on ascription, or birth. Birth determines social position:

1. occupation of father

2. marriage within caste

3. social life within caste

4. belief systems support caste

Term
Class systems
Definition

stratification based on birth and individual achievement

1. mobility with education and skills

2. work involves personal choice

3. equal standing with the law

Term
meritocracy
Definition
class system based solely on personal achievement
Term
status consistency
Definition

degree of uniformity in a person's social standing on various dimensions

caste: no mobility, so high status consitency

class: mobility, so less status consistency

Term
Russian Revolution
Definition

new stratification system

- Apparatachiks

- Intelligentsia

- Manual Workers

- Peasants

Term
People's Republic of China
Definition

1949 Communist Rev.

new stratification system

-political elite

-managers

-industrial workers

-peasants

Term
income
Definition
earnings from work or investment
Term
wealth
Definition
total value of money and other assets, minus debt
Term
approximate median levels
Definition

< hs $27,100

hs grad $48,600

some college $58,200

assoc $65,200

BS/BA $90,000

MA/MS $106,700

PhD $135,600

Prof $150,800

Term
upper class
Definition

top 5% of society

earn at least $200,000 a year

-upper uppers

-lower uppers

Term
middle class
Definition

42% of society

earn $49,000 - $200,000

tremendous cultural influence

-upper middle

-average middle

Term
working class
Definition

33% of society

blue-collar jobs

earn $28,000-$49,000


Term
lower class
Definition

bottom 20% of society

earn less than $28,000

low prestige jobs

Term
global stratification
Definition
patterns of social inequality in the world as a whole
Term
high income countries
Definition

-developed during Ind. Rev

-GDP per capita above $13,000

-USA, W Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada, etc.

23% of world pop

47% of world's land

75% of world's income

Term
middle income countries
Definition

-limited industrialization

- GDP per caoita $2,500-$13,000

-Russia, E Europe, Laten Am, China, India, etc.

61% world pop

36% world land

23% world income

Term
low income countries
Definition

-primarely forming

-GDP per capita below $2,500

-central and E Africa, parts of Asia

17% world pop

18% world land

17% world income

Term

relative poverty

 

Definition
lack of resources others take for granted
Term
absolute poverty
Definition

life threatening lack of resources

-life expectancy at birth

-% living to age 65

-% children under 5 y/o seriously underweight

- daily caloric intake

Term
children and poverty
Definition

-100 million in poor countries in streets

- early pregnancy; little medical assistance

-commonly forced to join armed groups, provide physical labor w/o pay, work as sex slaves

-poor nations have high % of the pop below 15 y/o

Term

women and poverty

 

Definition

-work more undervalued in poor nations

-sweatshop workers mostly

70% absolute poverty

Term
chattel slavery
Definition
one person owns another
Term
child slavery
Definition
more common form of bondage
Term
debt bondage
Definition
employee in debt to employer
Term
servile marriage
Definition
women forced into marriage
Term
human trafficking
Definition
forced laborer moved place to place
Term
modernization theory
Definition

technological and cultural differences between societies

historical: poverty as the norm

-world exploration, trade

-ind rev

-early adapting nations prospered

cultural: why not everywhere?

-tech viewed as threat

-tradition as a barrier

-religion as a barrier

Term
dependency theory
Definition

historical exploitation of poor nations by rich ones

historical: poor countries were better off before

-colonial process "underdeveloped" poor nations

-economic position of rich and poor are linked


Term
colonialism
Definition
some nations enrich themselves through political and economic control of other nations
Term
neocolonialism
Definition
new form of global power relationships that involves not direct political control but economic exploitation by multinational corporations
Term
Davis-Moore thesis
Definition

social stratification has beneficial consequences for the operation of a society

- the greater the functional importance of a position, the more rewards a society attaches to it

Term
Max Weber
Definition
social stratification involves 3 dimensions of inequality: class position, status, power
Term
why no Marxist Revolution?
Definition

1. fragmentation of the capitalist class

2. higher standard of living

3. more worker orgs

4. greater legal protections

Term
Oscar Lewis's "culture of poverty"
Definition
a lower-class subculture that can destroy people's ambition to improve their lives.
Term
socioeconomic status (SES)
Definition
a composite ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality
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