Socy340 Social Problems

1. Socy340 Social Problems

2. the system of ranking people in social hierarchy Or institutionalized inequality Closed stratification: ranking based on ascribed status Open stratification: ranking based on achieved status Examples: slavery system, caste system, estate system, social class system Critical thinking: American system is open or closed? Problems concerning status achievement: the degree of influence of ascribed status on achieved status: college attendance/ occupation the importance of ascribed status such as gender, age, race/ethnicity Social stratification:

3. Stratification is Multidimensional. Intersection theory: the idea that race, gender and class interplay to put people in multidimensional disadvantage. Consequences: social class inequality, gender gap, racial/ethnic inequality, ageism, poverty,

4. Social mobility: Movement from one social stratum to another. Open system: high level of social mobility Closed system: low level of social mobility Measure of social mobility: Intragenerational mobility: movement within one�s lifetime Intergenerational mobility: compare one�s status with that of their parents Critical thinking: America high or low mobility? structural mobility vs relative mobility /

5. Problems concerning America system: Social mobility: short distance movement, most are in adjacent level to their parents�. Few move long distance. Compare with other countries:

6. Systems of Stratification Slavery system: slave-owner vs slave 2. Caste system: most closed, status hereditary, permanent, ideology(religion) is used to justify the system, endogamy is practiced, no mobility allowed. 3. Estate system: land ownership determine position: e.g. in medieval Europe: nobility, merchant, peasants. hereditary in nature, but some kind of mobility is present. 4. Class system: most open, in industrial society. Occupation determines position.

7. 5. The Slavery in the New world: hereditary, permanent, ideology support: racism, legal system to enforce it.

8. Social Class and Social Inequality; Economic: wealth, property Political: power Social: social prestige, e.g. respect, deference Karl Marx: only economy matters, e.g. owner of property vs non-owner Max Weber: should add power and social prestige in the study of social stratification Problem concerning definition?

9. Karl Marx�s on Social Class Classification based on the ownership of the means of production In capitalist societies: bourgeoisie vs proletarians class consciousness: awareness of your class position, and identifying with people who are in the same class position --? subjective class ---> organize political associations -? rebel, revolution -? classless society. False consiousness: working class mistakenly accept what the ruling class want them to believe, and even against their own interest.

10. Why low class consciousness in America 1. Lack of inherited aristocracy (power elite by wright Mills) 2. America experienced economic progress in the past 200 years. 3. Other factors such as race, religion, nationality, ethnicity cut across social class factors. 4. Psychological reductionism: attribute achievement to personal attributes. 5. Promise of equal opportunity.

11. Social Classes In America Update Marx: by Eric Wright He added two more classes based on the relation of production, and find two contradictory class locations 1. capitalist (have ownership, have power) 2. petty bouregeosie (have property, no power) 3. managers (have no ownership, have power) 4. workers (have neither)

12. Updating Weber Gilbert and Kahl (1993/1997) a six class model: considering the overall social economic positions, termed as Socioeconomic Status (SES), indicated by occupation, education and income measures. Lifestyle differences: social class segregation, endogamy, power elite, social network, alienation, professionalization The quintile system: five equal-sized income groups

13. Inequality in the U.S. Income distribution: 1990s: Income differences: top 20% earn 47% vs bottom 20%, 4.2% 2000s: top 20%: 51% bottom 20%: 3.9% Top 1% income doubled, rose 121% in 20 years: share of income from 7.5% to 11.4% Bottom 20% income rose 5%: share from 6.8% to 5.1% (median income increase by 11%). Wealth distribution: top 20%: 84% vs bottom 20% : -1%, the 1% superrich controls 37% of the country's wealth; 10% rich controls 68% of the countries wealth. 80% Americans have only 15.3%. (decreased 4% since 1960) overlapping power: power elite

14. Inequality ratio: difference between the rich and the poor: Top 20% income / bottom 20% income = ?Top 10% / bottom 20% = ?Point: the US. Highest compared with other countries in the world.

15. Points: The inequality level remains high throughout the century. During the post-industrial period, inequality level goes up: America has the highest inequality ratio among all industrialized nation.

16. Why social stratification? 1. Functionalist 2. Conflict 3. Interactionist

17. Why Ranking? Functionalist: Why: functional part of society: keep order/balance, incentives/motivation, How: based on importance of jobs, performance and qualification, So stratification is necessary, beneficial, needed in society. Criticism: as a demoralizing/inhibiting factor; difficulty to determine the importance of jobs; Family social economic background determines children�s achievement instead of performance; Do we need so much difference to motivate people to work?

18. Conflict theory Why: Caused by competition, conflict for resources, justifies inequality, benefits only the powerful. How: based on the exploitation and oppression of the poor by the rich and powerful; limits life chance and potential, generate hostility. Evil, needs to be eliminated. Criticism: it is a universal feature of all human society. It is inevitable in a competitive world. Needed to maintain social stability; People do need incentives to work. Never can be eliminated: George Orwell: �We are equal, but some are more equal than others�

19. Symbolic Interactionist Why: Society tends to give meaning to action and materials: ranking is a construction of reality in people�s mind and is based on people�s perception of their life How: Cultural values and beliefs lead to Lifestyle differences: e.g. demeanor and deference consequences: Self-fulfilling prophecy, stereotyping Criticism: unequal social structures do exist, people make life choices based on their positions. Tend to blame the victim.

20. Convergence theory Lenski: ecological perspective: Surplus is the key: in societies without surplus, functionalist theory is right; In societies with surplus, conflict theory is right.

21. The Consequences of Social Class on individuals and family life Life chance: the probability to get what people want in life. Measures: infant mortality rate life expectancy education/occupation/employment health, crime, political alienation socialization of children Effects on children: financial capital, cultural capital, social capital. On family life: marriage age, marriage rate, family size and structure, marriage patterns, sexual behavior, divorce, mate choices, and power relations in family life

22. Poverty in America Absolute Poverty vs Relative Poverty American Official poverty line: low-cost food plan: 3 times of the minimum nutritious diet. Increasing number and worse off: 37 million (12.6%) Poorer than the poor in other industrial societies Problems: the U.S. higher than most industrial countries in the world the poorest in the U.S control less than the poorest in underdeveloped nations in terms of RELATIVE DEPRIVATION. Definition Not indexed with inflation Not account for tax burdens No consideration of Regional differences. Not include homeless Poor people are worse off than before.

23. Who are poor: Nearly half are white Race: minority overrepresented (Hispanic, Black, Native American double that of white.) The working poor Age: 17% children under 18 yrs old live in poverty Family structure: single mother households Sex: the most important indicator of poverty today in America: feminization of poverty

24. The �underclass� Hypersegregation: concentration of poverty in segregated neighborhood and community which is characterized by poor school and poor facility. Homeless: 3.5 million (1.35 million children (4 out of 10) The number of homeless families with children increased (1/3 of homeless population, half caused by domestic violence).

25. Poverty and the Quality of life:� Health: infant mortality rate, mortality rate Mental health Family stress and parenting problems crime Education: cognitive and psychological development of children the vicious cycle and self-fulfilling prophecy Intergenerational poverty

26. The consequence of feminization of poverty: Higher Infant Mortality Rate : the best indicator of a population�s health and a nation�s development level. Number of death below age 1 --------------------------------------------* 1,000= Total number of live birth Compared with other industrial countries in the world, America has the highest infant mortality rate.

27. Social Health Index The social health index of children lower: Education performance: intergenerational backward progress Suicide trippled, homocide rate trippled, trippled abused children, obesity increased, poverty rate higher than other industrial societies.

28. Explain Poverty: Individual Explanation: � Personal Inferiority: innate inferiority biological defects low intelligence Sociological explanation: focus on built in social structure factors that disadvantage groups of people. symbolic interactionist:

29. Culture of Poverty: Poor people are seen to have distinctive values, aspirations, and psychological characteristics that restrict their abilities and foster behavioral deficiencies which keep families poor from generation to generation. Criticism: it is a blame victim theory Studies found that most families are not poor for a long enough time to create a culture of poverty. The poor have the same value and norms as other groups. Most poor move out of poverty in their lifetime, only 2% born poor, stay poor. Living in poverty itself creates a set of behavior norms and values as a rational response to social inequality. e.g. violence, #children, school dropout, family structure

30. Survival Strategies of the Poor Expressive strategy Violent strategy Depressive strategy �Value stretch� Family strategy of the poor

31. Why poverty? Sociologists focus on social structural features of society Economic environment 1. deindustrialization of economy 2. Increase in low-wage service jobs 3. suburbanization 4. Unemployment 5. Concentration of wealth interlocking directorate in corporate economy Flow of capital to other countries: multinational corporation, foreign economic competition computerization and robotization government programs cut down

32. Social Structural factors: Power distribution: policy based on the interest of the rich and powerful AFDC ? TANF EITC wrong assumptions: short-time, minority, immigrants Corporate welfare or wealthfare: laws and policies favor the rich: e.g. Tax breaks to corporations, (public cost 0f 170 billion). Tax paid by corporation lowest compared with other nations. CEO income increases Taxation: tax expenditures maximized for the wealthy, regressive taxation vs progressive Taxation most loopholes benefits the wealthy and corporations the trickle-down theory

33. Willian Wilson/Michael Harriton on American "underclass" �Some fundamental Structural changes: changes in the labor market product-based economy changed to information based service economy. high-paying manufacturing jobs replaced by low-paying service jobs automation of production lack of skills or education for the new job market. Service jobs moved from the communities where poor people live to suburbs where middle-class and the rich live. Solution: 1. provide education for the poor. 2. make sure people working are better off than people who do not work.

34. Social Factors: Discrimination Inequality in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity Immigrant status Imbalanced sex ratio Lack of marriageable men Family structure: divorced, female-headed family, one income family

35. The Welfare State: The U.S. : programmatic welfare: providing help to workers and families through policies. For example: provision of public education regulations affecting working conditions and the environment protection of vulnerable populations: supplemental security income, food assistance, housing assistance, medicaid, child-care assistance, educational assistance, child support enforcement.

36. Myths Concerning the Poor Family dissolution? Lucrative welfare benefits? Fact: incidence of female-headed households does not correlate with the corresponding state variations in benefit levels. Welfare recipient: 2/3 are children. Poverty is urban, non-white, unemployed? Fact: increasing families with children, caused by economic crisis, illness, or joblessness, and rural.

37. Myths about welfare: Welfare continues from one generation to the next? Government policy aimed to get people out of poverty? (welfare reform) Welfare increases dependency? Breeds poverty? More kids for welfare families? Welfare to the poor has is a significant part of the federal budget? AFDC account only 1% of federal budget, less than 3% of state budget. Most on middle class. The poor have a good life: Waste money?

38. Strategies for Action Government programs: Supplemental Security Income Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Food Assistance Housing assistance Medicaid Educational Assistance (Head Start etc.) Child care assistance Child support enforcement Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

39. Problems concerning the U.S. Social Policy (activities affecting the social status and life chances of groups) Controversial on welfare: psychological reductionism, vs structural reductionism Cultural thesis: seeking cultural solution such as enhance cultural capital, counteract negative influence. Structural solutions: redistribution

40. Comparisons with other democratic welfare states: Preventive welfare (vs America: ameliorative) focus on preventing social problems: e.g. welfare goes to the poor as well as non-poor. programs are universal rather than "means tested": e.g. family allowances based on income levels use public resources and government intervention to keep unemployment as low as possible. health care services available to the poor as well as to the non-poor.

41. Sociologists' recommendations: Alleviate the negative impact of the economic structural changes (e.g. split labor market) provide education and skills necessary for the labor market. (e.g. displaced manufacturing workers) make sure people work better-off than those who do not (e.g. minimum wage and living wage) provide assistance to low-income workers such as health insurance, child-care assistance, and housing subsidies.

42. Poverty Around the World Global Poverty: measure varies across countries: based on relative deprivation = poverty condition defined based on the economic environment of different countries. For example: $1 vs $2, $4, $14.40 Poverty threshold: 50% of middle class in industrial countries Cf. America: 33% of middle class Multidimensional poverty: three measures of deprivation = Human Poverty Index: education, decent living, health.

43. The Extent of Poverty 2.8 billion below $2 1.2 billion below $1 1 in 5 worldwide hungry 1 in 4 in South Asia 1 in 3 in sub-Saharan Africa

44. International response to poverty Millenium Development Goals Promoting economic growth Investing in Human capital Providing Financial Aid and Debt Cancellation

46. International Stratification Different nations are ranked in a hierarchical order based on the Human Development Index and Power. the Three Worlds Social Development level Industrialization the Global System

47. Industrialization and Urbanization in the third world countries: The third phase of urbanization/industrialization Characteristics: low industrial level, Inadequate infrastructure Without plan

48. The World System Theory Nations in the divided into three categories: core nations semi-peripheral nations peripheral nations economic characteristics: primary economy secondary economy tertiary economy Consequences: the gap between countries larger only 15 countries� share of the world income up.

49. Problems concerning the Global System: Inequality Worldwide: multidimensional: Between nations vs within nations Empirical information: Points: Colonialism neoclonialism dependency theory Gender inequality the world system theory

50. Human development indicators:  Income GDP population distribution urbanization agriculture/industrial Health education

52. Inequality Within Nations: Points: Inequality level high in all nations Industrializing nations highest postindustrial society: women position higher. Inequality ratio: Discussion: �

53. Relative Deprivation HPI-1 HPI-2 for industrialized countries (17) United States: 15.8: highest