Transcript Unit 1 - Anderson School District 5

Unit 3: Social
Inequality
Ch 8: Social Stratification
Ch 9: Inequalities of Race and
Ethnicity
Ch 10: Inequalities of Gender
and Old Age
Ch 8 – Social Stratification
• Social
stratification
• The creation of layers (or strata) of people
who possess unequal shares of scarce
resources (ex. Income, wealth, power, +
prestige).
• Each layer in the social stratification system
is a social class (a segment of society whose
members hold similar amounts of resources +
shared values, norms, + an identifiable
lifestyle).
• The # of social classes a society has
varies.
• Most developed countries have 3 broad
classes (upper, middle, + lower)
subdivided into smaller categories.
• Some societies may only have 2.
• The political + • Karl Marx observed the plight of the workers
economic
during the Industrial Revolution + wrote The
ramifications
Communist Manifesto (along w/ Friedrich
of social
Engels) in response.
stratification
• He believed that history was an ongoing
struggle b/w the classes – the haves vs.
the have nots.
• Those in power controlled the legal,
educational, economic, + gov.’t systems.
They used those systems to maintain or
their power.
• He believed that the workers (the
proletariat) would rise up against the
capitalists (the bourgeoisie) in a violent
revolution. These violent revolutions
would continue until eventually the
capitalist system would by overthrown +
everyone would work for the benefit of
society + share in its rewards equally.
• His ideas led to the rise of communism +
he became known as the father of
communism (+ socialism).
• Communist countries today – China,
Vietnam, Laos, North Korea + Cuba.
• Extremes in
• Income is the amount of $ received by
income + wealth
an individual or group over a specific
in the US
time period.
• It’s what you earn.
• Wealth is the total amount of economic
resources held by a person or group.
• It’s what you have.
• In 2004, approximately 37 mil Americans
were living in poverty (more than 10%),
but there were only about 2.5 mil
millionaires + 341 billionaires.
• The richest 20% of American households
received over 50% of the nation’s income
+ the lowest 20% received less than 4%.
• Income inequality is GROWING!
• The top 1% of Americans have 33% of
the total wealth.
• Power +
prestige
• Power is the ability to control the behavior
of others, even against their will.
• Not always related to $.
• Can come from knowledge, fame,
social position, leadership abilities,
etc…
• Prestige is the recognition, respect, +
admiration attached to social positions.
• Defined by one’s culture + society.
• Must be voluntarily given – cannot be
taken.
• Social positions that are considered
the most important have the most
prestige – in America it’s often those
positions that accumulate wealth +
power b/c they are valued highly w/in
our society, but not always. (Ex.
priests or ministers).
Is it an example of wealth, power, or
prestige?
Wealth 1. Mr. Chamblee’s Swiss bank account
_________
_________
Prestige 2. Anna Rose is voted “Most Likeable”
Power
_________
3. A politician giving in to the interests of a lobby
Prestige 4. Ms. Griggs wins the Teacher of the Year award
_________
Wealth 5. Mr. Bowen’s stock market holdings
_________
Power
_________
6. A Supreme Court ruling
Prestige 7. The respect given to Officer Hill
_________
Power
_________
8. A wife makes her husband carry her purse
End Section 1
• Explanations of
stratification:
The functionalist
theory
• Believes stratification guarantees
that the most qualified people fill the
most important positions, that they
perform their tasks competently, +
that they are rewarded for their
efforts.
• They recognize that inequality
exits b/c certain jobs are more
important than others + those
jobs often require special talent
+/or training.
• Explanations of
stratification:
The conflict
theory
• Believes inequality exists b/c some
people are willing to exploit others.
• So they believe stratification
occurs more b/c of force than
b/c most people willingly accept
it.
• More accepting of Marx’s
ideas about class conflict.
• People who own the means of
production are able to spread
their ideas + values through
schools, churches, the gov.’t, the
media, etc…
• False consciousness refers
to the working-class
acceptance of those ideas
+ values.
• Explanations of • Believes people are socialized to accept
stratification:
the existing stratification structure.
The symbolic
• We are taught to believe that a person’s
interactionism
social class is a result of talent + effort.
theory
So those on the top deserve to be there
+ those on the bottom deserve to be
there as well.
• So we shouldn’t challenge the
system.
• This can often result in people at
the bottom suffering from
self-esteem + those at the top
have
self-esteem.
• Goes back to the lookingglass self (your image of
yourself based on what you
believe others think of you).
End Section 2
• Social classes • Class consciousness is a sense of identification w/ the
goals + interests of a social class.
in the US
• Never fully developed in the US.
• Changeable + full of exceptions.
• The Upper Class – 1% of pop.
• Upper-upper class or “Aristocracy” – old
$, born into it
• Lower-upper class – new $, earned it,
may have more $ than upper-upper, but
still not accepted into the more
exclusive groups.
• The Middle Class – 40-50% of pop.
• Upper-middle class – (14%) successful in
business, politics, military, etc… Can live
well + save $, are usually college
educated, + often active in voluntary +
political organizations.
• Middle-middle class – (30%) very mixed
group. Includes small business owners,
low-level managers, teachers, cops, etc…
Earn around the national average income.
• The Working Class - 33% of pop.
• “Lower-middle class” includes truck
drivers, machine operators, clerical
workers, etc… Paid by the hour.
Have below average income +
unstable employment. Generally lack
medical insurance + retirement
benefits. Worry about illnesses +
unemployment. Except for unions,
not likely to belong to organizations.
Rarely enter the middle class.
• The Working Poor – 13% of pop.
• People employed in low-skill jobs w/
the lowest pay who don’t earn enough
to get out of poverty. Include
manual laborers, fast-food workers,
etc… Often lack steady employment.
Rarely belong to organizations or
participate in politics.
• The Underclass – 12% of pop.
• People who are usually unemployed +
often come from families w/ a
history of unemployment. Either
work part-time menial jobs or are on
public assistance. Lack education +
skills. Commonly have physical +
mental disabilities. Many are single
mothers w/ little or no income.
• Can be born into working poor or underclass or
come into them w/ old age, loss of a spouse,
lack of education or training, addiction, or
through acquiring a disability.
• Very difficult to get out of.
Social classes
people selfidentified with.
End Section 3
• What is
poverty?
• Absolute poverty is the absence of enough $ to
secure life’s necessities.
• Relative poverty is a measure of poverty based
on the economic disparity b/w those at the
bottom of a society + the rest of the society.
• In other words, it’s how poor a person
feels by comparing themselves to others
in their society.
• Relative poverty varies widely from one
society to another (ex. US vs. Nigeria or
even the poorest person in a rich
neighborhood).
• The US gov.’t measures poverty by setting an
annual income level that anyone making less
than would be considered poor.
• In 2004, the poverty line for a family of
4 was $19,484 + 12.7% of Americans
were living in poverty.
• Identifying
the poor
• Groups most likely to be poor are female-headed
households, children, the elderly, people w/
disabilities, + people who live alone or w/
nonrelatives.
• Approx. 47% of the poor are white; however, only
about 7.5% of whites are poor, compare w/ 23% of
blacks and Latinos.
• So although blacks + Latinos only make up
about ¼ of Americans, they make up about ½
of the poor.
• Children under 6 yrs old make up highest rate of all
age groups living in poverty at around 22%.
• Women have become increasingly likely to live in
poverty since the 1960s as well. The trend of
women + children making up an increasing proportion
of the poor is known as the feminization of poverty.
• Why is this occurring?
• B/c women earn less then men, those
w/ kids find it harder to keep longterm employment, + a lack of good
daycare.
• Fighting poverty
• The US didn’t really begin fighting
poverty until the mid-1960s under
President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great
Society” programs.
• Most American programs fighting
poverty focus on self-improvement
through youth opportunity programs
+ work experience programs.
• Some programs have been criticized
for abuses + fears that they’re
causing people to become dependent
upon the gov.’t to help them longer
than needed.
End Section 4
• Social mobility • The movement of people b/w social classes.
• Horizontal mobility involves changing from one job to
another in the same social class (ex: soldier to
teacher, waitress to cashier, etc…).
• Vertical mobility involves changing upward or
downward in job status or social class
• When vertical mobility takes place over a
generation, it’s called intergenerational
mobility.
• In a caste system (a stratification structure that
doesn’t allow for social mobility – a closed-class
system) social status is inherited + can’t be changed
through individual effort. Careers choices +
interactions w/ people of other castes are limited.
One doesn’t marry outside his/her caste.
• Ex. include South Africa under apartheid
(castes based on race) + India (castes based
on religious purity according to the Hindu
religion).
• In a open-class system individuals can move b/w
classes + their social class is based on merit + effort.
Is it an example of intergenerational,
vertical, or horizontal mobility ?
Horizontal
_________ 1. A paramedic becomes a fireman
_________
Vertical 2. A businessman is laid off and becomes a waiter
Vertical 3. A factory worker becomes the manager
_________
_________
Intergenerational
4. The daughter of a janitor becomes a professor
Horizontal
_________ 5. A highly decorated general is elected governor
Vertical 6. A doctor quits medicine and becomes a trucker
_________
Intergenerational
_________
7. A taxi driver whose father was an executive
Horizontal
_________ 8. A cop’s wife quits teaching to become aEndnurse
Section 5
Ch 9 and 10 Quiz
•
Ch 9 – Inequalities of Race and
Ethnicity
Minorities
•
•
Groups of people w/ physical or cultural traits different
from those of the dominant group in the society.
• In sociology, it is NOT necessarily a group that
makes up a minority of the population. Ex:
• Women are a minority.
• In South Africa, blacks are a minority.
Key features of minorities:
• Distinctive physical or cultural characteristics
which can separate it from the majority.
• Dominated by the majority – it has a lesser share of
the society's desired goods, services, + privileges.
• Often believed by the majority to be inferior often used to justify discrimination.
• Have a common sense of identity w/ strong group
loyalty.
• The majority determines who is in the
minority through ascribed status – so they
• Race
• People sharing certain inherited physical
characteristics that are considered important w/in a
society.
• Biologists use characteristics like skin color, eye
color, hair color, hair texture, facial features,
head form, + height to determine race.
• The most common system classifies races into 3
major categories: Caucasian, Mongoloid, +
Negroid.
• There is NO such thing as a “pure” race. Genetic
markers typical of one race show up in other races
quite frequently. Most scientists consider racial
classifications arbitrary + misleading.
• Also, skin color is only determined by about 6
genes while height is controlled by dozens of
genes. So… a 5’7” white woman may be more
closer genetically to a 5’7” black woman than to
a 5’1” white woman.
• Social attitudes + characteristics that relate to race
are more important than physical differences for
sociologists.
• Ethnic
minorities
• Groups identified by cultural, religious, or
national characteristics.
• So they are subcultures defined by
their language, religion, values,
beliefs, norms, + customs.
• So physical characteristics define
racial minorities + cultural
differences define ethnic minorities.
• Though part of the larger culture, they’re
also separate b/c the ethnic majority puts
up barriers to prevent assimilation +/or b/c
the minority wishes to maintain its cultural
+ national origins.
• Ethnocentrism is judging others in terms of
one’s own cultural standards. It creates
feelings of “us” vs. “them”. Can lead to
prejudice + discrimination.
End Section 1
•
Patterns of
assimilation
•
•
•
Minority groups are either accepted (leading to assimilation)
or rejected (leading to conflict).
Assimilation is the blending of minority groups into the
dominant society. The minority groups are given full
participation in all aspects of the society.
In the US, assimilation has been Anglo-conformity, melting
pot, cultural pluralism, + accommodation.
• Anglo-conformity is the most prevalent pattern of
assimilation in the US. (Anglo meaning “of English
descent”). This involves minorities accepting
traditional Anglo values + customs.
• Least equal b/c minorities are required to
conform.
• “Melting pot” is when all ethnic + racial minorities
voluntarily blend together.
• Common myth in many US history textbooks.
• Cultural pluralism is when cultures exist side by side
+ maintain a separate sense of identity.
• More like a “tossed salad”.
• Accommodation is when a minority maintains its own
culturally unique way of life + accommodates the
majority culture when necessary.
• Ex. The Amish
• Patterns of
conflict
• 3 main ways in which dominant cultures have
rejected minority groups:
1. Genocide – The systematic effort to destroy
an entire population (Ex. The Nazi efforts to
kill off Jews during The Holocaust).
2. Population transfer – When a minority is
forced to move to a remote location or to
leave the territory controlled by the
majority (Ex. American Indians forced to
move on to reservations).
3. Subjugation – Process by which a minority
group is denied equal access to the benefits
of a society. This is the most common
pattern of conflict. 2 types:
• De jure segregation is denial of equal
access based on the law (Ex.
Segregation of US schools prior to
Brown vs. The Board of Education).
• De facto segregation is denial of equal
access based on everyday practice
(Ex. Refusing to hire a minority as an
executive).
End Section 2
•
•
Prejudice,
stereotypes, racism,
+ discrimination
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Prejudice is widely held negative or positive attitudes
toward a group (minority or majority) + its individual
members.
• PREJUDGEMENT.
• Although your book only says negative attitudes,
prejudice can include positive attitudes as well.
Prejudice is a generalization based on biased or
insufficient information. These attitudes come from
strong emotions, so they’re difficult to change, even
when faced w/ overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
• When people meet someone who doesn’t fit in
to their stereotypes, they usually believe that
person is the exception to the rule instead of
changing their beliefs.
People tend to be prejudice in favor of those they see
as similar to themselves + against those they see as
different.
A stereotype is an oversimplified, hard to change way
of seeing people who belong to some group.
Racism is an extreme form of prejudice that assumes
superiority of one group over others. So racists
believe that discrimination +/or exclusion is justified
b/c of their own superiority.
Discrimination is the unequal treatment of members of
certain groups.
Prejudice is an attitude + discrimination is an action.
A person may be prejudice, but not discriminate. Also,
a person may discriminate (due to something like social
pressure) but not be prejudice.
•
Why do prejudice •
+ discrimination
exist?
•
•
•
Hate crimes
•
•
•
Functionalists stress how ethnocentrism (which leads
to prejudice + discrimination) helps hold the majority
group together.
Conflict theorists stress the competition b/w various
groups for power - even b/w minorities.
Symbolic interactionists stress how certain words or
symbols can perpetuate negative feelings (Ex. to
“blacklist” someone or give them a “black eye”) or how
minorities may begin to believe negative stereotypes
which can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy (having an
expectation that leads to behavior that then causes
the expectation to become a reality).
Criminal acts that are motivated by extreme
prejudice.
Involve bias against someone based on race, religion,
sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry.
People who commit hate crimes have vocabularies
filled w/ demeaning stereotypes that attempt to
justify violence against their victims.
End Section 3
• Institutionalized
discrimination
• Unfair practices that grow out of common
behaviors/attitudes + are a part of the
structure of a society.
• May or may not be intentional.
• Intentional ex: Many realtors used to steer
prospective minority homeowners to certain
neighborhoods + away from others.
• Unintentional ex: Many urban areas are
predominately made up of minorities
(especially blacks) + b/c they don’t average
as high a wage as predominately white
suburbanites, their schools receive less tax
$, so many of those minority children have
to attend schools w/ fewer resources.
•
How has
•
institutionalized
discrimination
affected
different
minorities?
Blacks: Barriers include skin color + features which make it
easy to identify people of this minority + America’s history
of slavery + segregation which have contributed to a cycle
of poverty for many creating an underclass (people typically
unemployed who come from families that have been poor
for generations).
• The average black family earns 64% of what the
average white family earns.
• Are also much more likely to work in low-level
service jobs.
• Have approximately twice as high unemployment
rate which doesn’t even factor in the hidden
unemployment (unemployment that includes people
who have become discouraged + given up looking for
a job + part-time workers who want full-time jobs)
which would
the gap even more.
• The high school graduation rate was 77% (84% for
whites) + college was 15% (25% for whites) in 1999.
• Although still widely underrepresented, blacks have
made major gains in the last 50 yrs in professional,
technical, + political careers.
•
•
•
•
Latinos (ethnic minorities from Latin America including
Mexico, Central America, South America + the Caribbean):
They are the largest + fasting growing minority in the US.
• Just over ½ have completed high school.
• Many work in low-paying, low-status jobs.
• Are becoming much more politically active.
American Indians: There are over 2 mil consisting of about
500 separate tribes + bands which makes them a much
more diverse minority than most people realize.
• Over ¼ live below the poverty line.
• Lowest graduation rate.
• Lowest annual income.
• About ¼ of Indians live on reservations. Poverty +
lack of education are about twice as bad for Indians
who live on reservations as for those who do not.
Asian Americans: Most successfully assimilated minority
due in large part to their use of the educational system for
upward mobility.
• 42% have completed college.
White minorities (includes descendants from Eastern +
Southern Europe) typically blue-collar workers in large
eastern US cities. Tend to favor more integration + gov.’t
support of the poor. Don’t typically experience the
discrimination affecting other minorities.
End Section 4
Ch 10 – Inequalities of Gender and
Old Age
• How gender
shapes us
• A person’s sex is his/her classification as male or
female based on biological characteristics.
• Biological determinism is the belief that behavioral
differences are the result of inherited physical
characteristics.
• So if men are believed to be more intelligent +
women more emotional b/c of their sex, this
would need to be true in every society in order
to be correct.
• However, significant behavior differences b/w
men + women haven’t been causally linked to
biological characteristics. Though biology may
create some behavioral tendencies in the
sexes, they are so weak that they’re easily
overridden by cultural + social influences.
• Our gender identity is our awareness of being
masculine or feminine, based on our culture.
• Research indicates that male + female brains
are slightly different in structure. Ex.
Women are more likely to use both halves of
their brain at the same time + show more
activity in the newer more highly developed
region of the brain thought to be linked to
emotional expression.
• Most sociologists believe that gender-related
behavior isn’t primarily the result of biology,
but of culture + socialization.
• Researchers often look at how men + women
are different instead of how similar they are.
End Section 1
• Sociological
views of
gender roles
• Functionalism: Believes that any pattern of
behavior that doesn’t benefit society will
become unimportant. Division of male/female
responsibilities used to be very necessary back
when humans hunted + gathered (men were
bigger + stronger, + so were better hunters –
they were also more expendable). Today,
traditional division of labor b/w men + women
has created dysfunctions (problems).
• Conflict Theory: Men benefit by keeping women
politically, economically, + socially oppressed.
• Symbolic Interactionism: Focuses on how boys +
girls learn to act the way they are “supposed
to”. The social process of learning to act as a
boy or a girl is called gender socialization.
Gender is acquired in large part from
interaction w/ parents, teachers, peers, + mass
media.
• Children are given gender specific
clothes + toys.
• Studies show that girls are cuddled more,
talked to more, + handled more gently
than boys. Boys are expected to be more
assertive + discouraged from clinging.
• Teachers also (often inadvertently)
encourage boys to be more academically
aggressive + girls to be more passive.
• Peers reinforce gender roles by typically
giving greatest respect to those who
exemplify traditional gender roles (Ex.
Boys as football players + girls as
cheerleaders).
End Section 2
• Sexism
in the
workplace
• Sexism is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms + values
used to justify sexual inequality.
• Attempts to justify men’s leadership + power
positions.
• Although women are more active in the labor force,
they are concentrated in lower-status occupations.
This is known as occupational sex segregation. For
ex, women occupy almost all “pink-collar” jobs (such
as secretaries, clerks, stenographers) whose job it is
to support those higher up the occupational ladder.
• Even in higher status jobs, women typically in
the lower-prestige, lower-paid jobs.
• For every dollar a man makes, a woman averages
about 75 cents. This is known as the gender wage
gap.
• Over 1/3 of the gap is due to the differences
in skills + experience.
• Ex: Many women leave the labor force
to start a family.
• Less than 1/3 of the gap is due to the uneven
distribution of men + women in certain
positions (meaning more men tend to be
employed in higher level positions).
• Over 1/3 of the gap is due to discrimination.
Ratified --- Red
Ratified, then rescinded ---- Yellow
Ratified in 1 house of legislature --- Green
Not ratified --- Blue
• The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment)
would have assured that women
enjoyed the same rights +
protections under the law. It passed
in Congress in 1972, but
Conservatives feared that it disrupt
America’s social structure + launched
a Stop-ERA campaign. The
amendment was never ratified by
enough states.
• Some anti-discrimination laws have
been passed however.
• In addition, women + minorities have
greater difficulties in getting raises
+ promotions. This invisible barrier
that obstructs their advancement up
the corporate ladder is known as the
glass ceiling.
End Section 3
• Ageism
• A set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, + values
used to justify age-based prejudice +
discrimination.
• Age stratification is the unequal distribution
of scarce resources based on age.
• Age can be an advantage or disadvantage for
any group, but sociologists are particularly
interested in studying the inequality among
older people. As America’s median age is ,
this affects more people.
• Sociological views
of ageism
• Functionalism: Believes that elderly people in a
society are treated according to the role they
play in that society. Ageism isn’t an issue in
every society. In some societies, w/ age
comes respect + the view that they have much
knowledge to share. W/ industrialization, the
elderly are often devalued b/c they are seen
as no long contributing to the common good
through work + b/c change occurs so quickly,
younger workers are more likely to possess
the current skills needed in the workplace.
• Conflict Theory: Ageism is used to oppress the
elderly (thus making them a minority). By
stereotyping the elderly as intellectually dull,
inflexible, + unproductive, younger people
benefit in the competition for jobs against
older workers + employers can pay them less
than older workers.
• Symbolic Interactionism: Like racism, ageism
is learned. Stereotypes are created + through
negative images + language, children learn
ageism.
End Section 4
• Economics of
the elderly
• Poverty among the elderly is difficult to
measure b/c of several factors:
• They have to spend proportionally more
on health care + housing, but the
federal gov.’t assumes they require less
$ to live (thus, distorting statistics).
• Many are “near poor” – borderline.
• The “hidden poor” are older people who
either live in institutions or w/ relatives
b/c they can’t afford to live alone.
• Also, the median income is distorted by
the fewer older people w/ high incomes.
• Older people who are a racial or ethnic
minority are more likely to be poor than white
older people.
• Elderly women are twice as likely to be poor as
men, particularly those who aren’t married.
• Politics +
the elderly
• The older Americans get, the more likely they are to
vote. However, they are a very diverse population +
don’t vote as a bloc, even on issues directly related
to them.
• This lack of unity weakens their political
power, but as their #s , they may become
an important political force.
• Some interest groups have formed to assist the
elderly such as the AARP (American Association of
Retired Persons). Interest groups are organizations
formed to influence political decision making.
End Section 5