What is stratification?

1. What is stratification? • A system in which nations or people within a nation are ranked according to relative power, property, and prestige.

2. 1.3 billion live on less than $ 1 U.S. Dollar per day 1 billion of those are women.

3. Why should we look at this? • Life chances are impacted by stratification i.e., the extent to which individuals have access to important resources, such as food, clothing, shelter, education, health care

4. What are some systems of stratification that have existed? • Slavery -- the owning of other people • [no mobility ] • ascribed, lifelong, considered property, not human, no rights, controlled via coercion • contemporary examples? • Child labor, debt bondage, contract labor

5. “Today’s slaveholders have all the benefits of ownership without the legalities.” • K. Bales Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy • estimates 27 million people due to bonded labor or debt bondage • Concentrated in Southeast Asia, Northern and Western Africa, and parts of South America but exists in all countries • examples: child prostitution in Thailand • enslaved brickmakers in Pakistan • domestic slaves in France • Gatos - labor recruiters in Brazil • Subsistence farming is giving way to cash-crop agriculture • loss of common land • govt. policies that focus on the production of cheap food for cities • threat of physical force • desperate conditions of poverty • 1.4 billion people live on less than $1 (US) dollar per day.

6. Caste -- lifelong status determined by birth based on parents ascribed status Apartheid India Hinduism [no mobility] • Some social scientists see a racial caste system today in the U.S. with long history against interracial marriages

7. Class -- possession of money or material possessions based upon ownership and control of resource [more mobility in theory].... begins as an ascribed status but may have some degree of individual mobility via achievement

8. Gender stratification is found in all societies (although types may vary)

9. How does stratification work in America? • Beeghley -- Monopoly Game and American class structure • Social Class -- groups who rank about even in power, wealth, and prestige (socio-economic status or ses) • Based upon ownership and resources (materialism)

10. Theories of Stratification • Marx -- class is determined by persons relationship to means of production -- labor is sold and a reserve army keeps wages low, • Weber-- property (i.e., wealth), prestige, and power dictate class standing

11. Marx’s View of Stratification

12. Davis and Moore - Functional Perspective: • 1 - some positions are more important than others • 2 - important positions must be filled by qualified people • 3 - qualified people have talents which must be translated into skills • 4 - for their sacrifice, society must offer them greater rewards • 5 - stratification is necessary for society to function properly • 6 - stratification is inevitable –it’s universal • 7 - inequality should be left to evolve on it’s own

13. Some consensus…… • Occupations • Occupation is the most important index for stratification in the U.S. • How do we Americans rank occupations? • 1. Pay • 2. Service to Humanity • 3. Education • 4. Whether the job includes abstract thinking • 5. Social Prestige • 6. Autonomy (creative decision making opportunities)

14. Occupational Prestige Rankings of Selected Occupations in the U.S. • Physician 82 • College professor 78 • Judge 76 • Attorney 76 • Astronomer 74 • Dentist 74 • Bank officer 72 • Engineer 71 • Architect 71 • Clergy 70 • Chemist 69 • Nurse 62 School • teacher 60 and others………. • Author 60 Accountant 57 Actor 55 Computer programmer 51 Athlete 51 Bank Teller 50 Electrician 49 Police officer 48 Secretary 46 Mail carrier 42 Plumber 41 Farm owner 41 Dancer 38 Mechanic 37 Bus Driver 32 Cashier 31 Gas station attendant 22 Taxi Driver 22 Garbage collector 17 Janitor 16 Maid 14 shoeshine 9

15. Tumin asks, “But how does one measure the • importance of a position?” • Who decided that school teachers are less valuable to society than lawyers? • Who decided that clergy are less valuable to society than funeral morticians? • Why not pay those who do the dirty work (i.e., those jobs the rest of us don’t want to do) more?

16. Stratification

17. Conflict Perspective Rewards are given to those in power or those who serve to keep the powerful as they are (wealth among the richest in the U.S. is inherited – “old” versus “new” money) • - There is less consensus than we think • - Tasks and rewards are seldom equal, just defined that way by the powerful • - It prohibits society from working as well as it would with true meritocracy

18. Modern conflict theorists: • Contemporary focus upon consumption and higher standard of living lead to complacency. • Combined these lead to • Alienation (a feeling of powerlessness)

19. Conflict theorists add: • In our society, if you work hard, you might get lucky, but chances are, you will remain in the same social class as your parents unless some structural opportunity allows you to experience upward mobility.

20. Social mobility • the movement of individuals or groups from one level of stratification to another • (Intergenerational -- from one generation to the next) • (Intragenerational -- over one’s lifetime) • Structural and exchange – societal forces.

21. Reasons for Slowed Mobility • Shifts in labor market • 1 – real wages declined after inflation • 2 -manufacturing jobs were lost and not regained at the same level of pay • 3 - unions defeated and therefore not able to bargain for higher wages and benefits. • 4 - relocation of manufacturing to overseas or states with lower wages-- no unions

22. 5 - assistance to the poor still being cut wealthy have been given significant tax breaks and incentives - welfare for the rich “wealthfare” • 6 - increased use of part-time employees to avoid fringe benefits, health insurance, etc... • 7 - job growth - but at the lowest end of skill spectrum.

23. How does it look for us?The United States? Arkansas? • Have we been effected by these changes?

25. So What do we look like

26. Distribution of National Income Among Households

27. Who are the Poor? • About 37 Million or 14% of our population • But number of “food insecure” has risen to 38 Million

28. So how do we measure poverty • relative versus absolute • When a low cost food budget cost more than one third monthly income for a family

29. Age is a major factor • - 17 million are children • Almost one in four kids are poor in the U.S. • Children 18 and under 17% • (in Arkansas 28%)

30. Race is a major factor • although most poor persons are white – the proportions are much higher for minorities • 12% Whites • 33% Blacks • 29% Latinos • 20% Other • Source: 2006 Census, www.statehealthfacts.org/comparebar.jsp?ind=14&cat=1

31. Household Income by Race/Ethnicity in the U.S.

32. Education is a factor

33. Gender is a major factor • female headed households Feminization of Poverty – women and girls constitute a disproportionate share of the poor. • Due to divorce, unwed mothers, lower wages than men • Older women are twice as likely to be poor than older men

34. Geography is a factor • Rural versus Urban

35. Jobs are a factor • Working poor – an additional 10 million – those who earn up to 125% poverty • If we use a more realistic measure of 155% poverty the total is 18 million • Subtotal of the poor = 52 million • Add those lifted out of poverty via social security benefits (16 million) • Subtotal of poor = 68 Million

36. Education is a Factor 21.8% without H.S. live in poverty Drops to 11.9% with High School 8.5% with some college 4.3% with college degree

37. About 45.8 million Americans Don’t Have Health insurance

38. Meet the Smiths • What would life be like in northwest Arkansas for a family of 4 with two minimum wage earners? Official poverty guideline is $20,615

39. Working families in Arkansas

40. Roberto, Alice.. and two kids • Rent: • Utilities: • Car Payment: • Child care • Groceries: • Insurance: • Clothing: • Medicine: • Entertainment: