SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

1. SOCIAL STRATIFICATION Let’s explore social inequality

2. SECTION 1: DIMENSIONS AND EXPLANATIONS OF STRATIFICATION Society is divided into classes that have unequal levels of income, wealth, power, and prestige

3. SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND SOCIAL CLASS • SOCIAL STRATIFICATION: the ranking of people or groups according to their unequal access to scarce resources • In each layer is a SOCIAL CLASS: a segment of society whose members have similar economic circumstances, norms, and status • Usually 3 broad classes---upper, middle, lower

4. KARL MARX AND THE ECONOMIC DIMENSION • Marx identified several social classes in 19th century industrial society • Predicted capitalist societies would be reduced to 2 social classes • BOURGEOSIE: class that owns the means of production • PROLETARIAT: class that labors without owning the means of production • Marx said b/c the capitalist owned the means of production, they would rule and exploit the working class • Therefore, the economy determined the nature of society

5. INCOME VERSUS WEALTH • Income is the amount of money received within a given time period by an individual or group (your paycheck) • WEALTH: total economic resources held by a person or group (what you own)

6. EXTREMES OF INCOME AND WEALTH IN THE UNITED STATES • C. 50 million Americans live in poverty • U.S. poverty line: Family of 4 living off household income of $22,541 or lower (varies slightly from state to state) • There are 11 million millionaires and roughly 400 billionaires • Richest 20% of American households received over 50% of nation’s income • Poorest 20% received less than 3.5% • Over last 30 years: income of top 1% has increased by 277%; poorest has increased by only 18%

7. EXTREMES CONTINUED • Top 1% has nearly 35% of total wealth in the U.S. • Next 9% own 39% • So, top 10% have 73% of nation’s wealth • Everyone else (90%) has 27% of nation’s wealth

8. POWER DIMENSION • POWER: the ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will • According to Marx, the Bourgeosie have the power • Max Weber believed money and means of production are not the only sources of power • Expert knowledge can be used to gain positions of power • Social positions are also attached to power • Large numbers of people also hold power

9. PRESTIGE DIMENSION • PRESTIGE: recognition, respect, and admiration, attached to social positions • Defined by your culture and society • Given by others, not yourself • Can be related to wealth and power or your occupation

10. THEORIES OF STRATIFICATION

11. FUNCTIONALIST THEORY OF STRATIFICATION • Stratification ensures that the most qualified people fill the most important positions, perform their tasks competently, and are rewarded for their efforts • Inequality exists b/c certain jobs are more important than others • Society remains stable b/c everyone accepts the social order---family, religion, education, and government help ensure everyone adheres to the same norms and values • What are some problems with this?

12. CONFLICT THEORY OF STRATIFICATION • Stratification occurs as a result of the struggle for scarce resources • Inequality exists b/c some ppl are willing to exploit others (based on Marx) • Those with power are able to spread ideas easier • This creates a FALSE CONSCIOUSNESS: according to Karl Marx, working-class acceptance of capitalist ideas and values • Conflict theory, today, focuses more on power than property ownership

13. Symbolic interactionism and stratification • Children are taught that a person’s social class is the result of talent and effort • Those “on top” have earned it; those “on the bottom” lack talent and motivation • Therefore, it’s unfair to question the system • Social class has an impact on self-esteem • People’s self-concept preserves the status quo

14. SECTION 2: SOCIAL CLASS AND POVERTY IN AMERICA

15. CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS • Def: identification with the goals and interests of a social class • America has never develop a strong sense of it • We speak of equality but put focus on individualism • Because of this, studies of inequality started relatively late

16. THE UPPER CLASS • 1% of the population • Divided into upper-upper and lower-upper class • Upper-upper is the aristocracy; membership is heritage, not accomplishment • Lower-upper class is more based on achievement

17. THE MIDDLE CLASS • Less than 50% of population • Upper-middle class: 14% of pop.; typically college educated; earn enough to live well and save • Middle-middle class: 30% of pop.; many have only high school education; small business owners, teachers, police officers, etc…)

18. THE WORKING CLASS • AKA: lower-middle class • 1/3 of pop. • Below average income; unstable employment

19. THE WORKING POOR • Def: ppl employed in low-skill jobs with the lowest pay who do not earn enough to rise out of poverty • 13% of population • Struggle to survive consumes most of their time and energy

20. THE UNDERCLASS • Def: ppl typically unemployed who come from families that have been poor for generations • 12% of population • Lack skills to obtain jobs that pay enough to meet basic needs

21. POVERTY IN AMERICA

22. 2 different ways to look at poverty • ABSOLUTE POVERTY: the absence of enough money to secure life’s necessities • RELATIVE POVERTY: a measure of poverty based on the economic disparity between those at the bottom of a society and the rest of society • Creates a varying definition of poverty

23. MEASURING POVERTY IN THE U.S. • Poverty line: $22,314 income for family of 4 • Poor make up 15% of pop. • 43% of poor are non-Latino whites • Poverty for all whites is 9.9% • 25% of all African Americans and Latinos (that’s more than half of all poor in America)

24. Gender, age, disability, and poverty • FEMINIZATION OF POVERTY: a trend in U.S. society in which women and children make up an increasing proportion of the poor • Poverty rate for female-headed households: 32% • Poverty rate for children under 18: 22% • Poverty rate for ppl w/disabilities: 28% • Poverty rate for elderly: 9%

25. POVERTY AND HEALTH CARE • Health care costs are too high in the U.S. • Junk food is less expensive than healthy food • Poor people tend to be less healthy and live shorter lives

26. WAR ON POVERTY • Social Security and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) came from Great Depression • 1964: President Lyndon Johnson declared a “War on Poverty” • Idea was to end poverty through self-improvement as opposed to temporary relief • Created work and job-training programs designed for welfare recipients and unemployed • Critics: made people more dependent on government

27. WELFARE REFORM • 1996: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) replaces AFDC • Limits amount of time ppl receive welfare payments • Reduces welfare payments • Increases and local powers to oversee welfare rules • Adds new restrictions on welfare eligibility

28. Social mobility

29. TYPES OF SOCIAL MOBILITY • SOCIAL MOBILITY: the movement of individuals or groups between social classes • HORIZONTAL MOBILITY: a change in occupation within the same social class • VERTICAL MOBILITY: a change upward or downward in occupational status or social class • INTERGENERATIONAL MOBILITY: a change in status or class from one generation to the next

30. CASTE AND OPEN-CLASS SYSTEMS • CASTE SYSTEM: a stratification structure that does not allow for social mobility (closed-class system) • OPEN-CLASS SYSTEM: a system in which social class is based on merit and individual effort; movement between social classes is allowed

31. Global stratification

32. GLOBAL STRATIFICATION • GLOBAL STRATIFICATION: the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and resources among the countries of the world • World systems theory holds that relationships between nations is based on inequality • Nations are no longer “first” or “third-world” • They are now categorized as high-income, upper-middle income, lower-middle income, and lower-income

33. High-income countries • Gross National Income (GNI): total annual income earned by the people of a country divided by the number of people • H-I countries have a GNI per capita of $12,276 or higher • STANDARD OF LIVING: the necessities, comforts, and luxuries enjoyed by an individual or group

34. HIGH-INCOME CONTINUED • H-I nations are modern, urban, and industrialized • Included material wealth, education, health, life expectancy, and gender equality

35. MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES • 51% of the world • Upper-middle GNI: btwn $3,976 and $12,275 • Lower-middle GNI: btwn $1,006 and $3,975 • Nearly ¾ of world’s poor live in middle income countries

36. LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES • GNI per capita: $1,005 or less • 35 countries fall into this category • Human-development indicators that relate to quality of life (infant mortality rate, percentage of underweight children, life expectancy, literacy, education, etc…) are used to measure poverty • Some countries remain poor due to traditionalist societies • Some remain poor due to being dominated by industrialized countries (enjoy your Starbucks)

37. GLOBALIZATION • Def: the development of an increasingly integrated global economy • Some argue this contributes to global stratification • Corporations use cheap labor to reduce manufacturing costs • Argument: this exploits the poor as the rich get richer