Transcript Unit 7: Social Stratification

Unit 7: Social Stratification
Social Stratification
 Social Stratification: Division of society into categories,
ranks, or classes based on certain characteristics
 Levels and types of characteristics vary from society to society
 Statuses (achieved and ascribed) determine position as well as
other thinks like talent and effort
 Social Inequality: Unequal sharing of scarce resources and
social rewards
Think about this….
What criteria would you use to stratify a
society if it were up to you to decide how
best to distribute scarce resources and
social rewards?
Types of Stratification Systems
 Closed System: Movement between the strata (status
levels) is impossible
 Open System: Movement between strata is possible
 Ease of movement between strata depends on openness in the
system
 There are 2 basic types of systems: Caste and Class
Caste System
 Caste System: Scarce resources and social rewards are distributed
on bases of ascribed statuses (assigned at birth) and lasts forever
 Child’s status is determined by parent
 People can move up within caste, but not to a different caste
 Marriage
 Forbid exogamy (marriage outside one’s own social category)
 Allows endogamy (marriage within one’s own social category)
 Common in South Asia
 India is best example
India’s Caste System
Caste
Occupation
Brahmans
Priests, scholars
Kshatriyas
Rulers, nobles, soldiers
Vaisyas
Merchants, bankers, businesspeople
Sudras
Laborers, artisans (skilled craftsman)
Harijans or Dalits (Outcast)
Limited to the most undesirable tasks
Indian Caste System Segment
 This segment is about the traditional caste system in India, which the
reporter indicates is fading slowly. The caste system is an ancient form
of social ranking into which people are born. The reporter explains that
the lower castes were historically considered to be “untouchables” by
the higher castes and had no way of changing their lot in life. Now,
however, the lower castes are seeking reform. They want access to
education and the ability to better themselves. India’s social structure is
changing in an evolutionary way, with caste-based notions of people’s
rights and social status giving way gradually to the democratic ideals of
equal opportunity and the rights of individuals.
Indian Caste System Segment
 While viewing take a mental note of the following things:
 Describe the nature of India’s caste system
 Explain why members of the lower castes are seeking reform
 Name 3 or more of the demands put forth by lower caste
reformers
 Predict how India’s social structure is likely to change over the
coming decades
Class System
 Class System: Distribution of scarce resources and rewards is
determined on the basis of achieved status (status that is
attained)
 People can easily move up or down
 Marx defines social class in terms of who owns the means of
production (materials and methods used to produce goods and
services)
 Society is divided into 2 groups:
 Bourgeoisie: Those who own means of production in a capitalist society
 Proletariat: Those who own only their labor and sell that labor in exchange for
wages
 Bourgeoisie profit while proletariat do all the work
Discussion
Now that you know the difference between caste system and class
system:
Which system do you think is better?
What are the pros and cons of each
system?
Dimensions of Social Stratification
 Weber expanded on Marx’s ideas about the class systems and
believed class consists of 3 major factors (prosperity, prestige,
and power)
 Social class: Grouping of people with a similar levels of wealth,
power, and prestige
Social Class: Wealth
 Wealth: Made up of a person’s assets (value of everything a
person owns) and income ($ earned)
Social Class: Power
 Power: Ability to control the behavior of others, with or
without their consent
 Can be based on force, possession of a special skill, or type of
knowledge
Social Class: Prestige
 Prestige: Respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy an individual receives
from other members of society
 Can be based on any characteristics a society or group considers
important
 Common factors that determine prestige: income, occupation, education,
family background, area of residence, possessions, and club membership
 Occupation is the most important
 Socioeconomic Status (SES): Rating that combines social factors such
as educational level, occupational prestige, and place of residence with the
economic factor of income in order to determine an individual’s relative
position in the stratification system
Which would you rather
have:
Wealth
Power
Prestige
Explaining Stratification: Functionalist
 View stratification as a necessary feature of the social structure
 Assumes that certain roles inn society must be performed if the system is to be
maintained
 The more important the role and the more skill needed to perform the role, the
higher the reward
 Claim that without varying rewards, many jobs would not be filled and society
could not function smoothly
 Critiques
 Fails to consider that not everyone in society has equal access to such resources as
education and without this access people are unlikely to obtain high-status occupations
 Ignores the likelihood that there may be many talented people in lower classes and
because of stratification these people may be prevented from making a contribution to
society
 It cannot explain why rewards sometimes do not reflect the social value of the role
(Why should movie stars command such high incomes?)
Explaining Stratification: Conflict
 See competition over scarce resources as cause of social inequality
 Base work on Marxist theory
 Stratification comes from class exploitation (owners of means of production
control working class in order to make a profit and keep power)
 Many theorists take a broader view
 Various groups within society compete with one another for scarce resources
 When a group gains power, it is able to shape public policy and public opinion
to its own advantage (maintains position of power)
 Critiques:
 Fails to recognize that unequal rewards are based, in part, on differences in talent,
skill, and desire
 Not everyone is suited for every position in the social structure
Explaining Stratification: Both
 Some sociologists try to blend functionalist and conflict theory
 Ralf Dahrendorf
 Each approach may be used to explain specific aspects of stratification
 Functionalist: Helps explain why people are willing to spend years training to become
doctors and lawyers
 Conflict: Helps explain why children of wealthy people tend to go to the best colleges
 Gerhard Lenski
 Asserts that usefulness of theory depends on the society under study
 Functionalist: State that stratification system functions because members of society accept it
(apply to simple societies where survival depends on cooperation)
 Conflict: Ruling group emerges from struggle and social inequality develops as this groups
takes steps to maintain its position (apply to more complex societies where people struggle
to control wealth and power)
Explaining Stratification: Symbolic
Interaction
 Social inequality determines how people interact with each other
 Higher status people tend to show off their power and show
disrespect to the poor
Activity: Songs of Stratification
 Consider the following concepts and issues that relate to social stratification in
America: wealth, poverty, welfare, slums, mansions, the work ethic, the American
dream
 Many of these concepts may be found in your favorite songs
 For the assignment:
 Select a piece of music that expresses a concept of social stratification
 You will need to write on a sheet of paper the following:
1.
Name of Song
2.
Artist/Group
3.
Type of Music (Genre)
4.
Social Stratification Concept(s) Presented in Lyrics
5.
Analyze How the Lyrics Express This Concept
6.
Quote a Lyric or Phrase From the Song That Best Represents The Social Stratification Concept
of Your Song
We maylisten to some of the songs in class, so please pick appropriate music
Think about this…
 Consider social stratification in the school.
 What social classes are found in the school?
 What are some of the characteristics used to distinguish
those classes?
The American Class System
Determining Social Class
 Sociologists on 3 basic techniques to rank individuals according to social
class
 Reputational Method: Individuals in community are asked to rank other
community members based on what they know of their characters and
lifestyles
 Suitable only when studying small communities
 Subjective Method: Individuals asked to determine their own social rank
 Objective Method: Sociologists define social class by income, occupation,
and education
 Statistical bases of this method makes it the least biased
 Problem involves the selection and measurement of social factors
 What are the strengths and weaknesses of each method?
Social Classes in US: Upper Class
 Makes up 1% of the population and controls most of the country’s wealth
 Can be divided into 2 groups:
 Old Money
 Families whose bulk of wealth comes from inheritance and have been wealthy for
generation (Rockefellers, Kennedys, etc)
 Name, accomplishments, and fortune are important to social rank
 New Money
 Newly rich
 Acquired wealth through their own efforts
 Not as prestigious as old money because it is not backed by a long family heritage, but it
does allow for most of the same privileges
 Membership sometimes carries great power and influence
Social Class in the US: Upper Middle Class
 Primarily high-income business people and professionals
 Most have college education
 Class membership generally based on income rather than assets
 Many are career oriented
 Politically and socially active
 Power and influence are limited to the community level
Social Class in the US: Lower Middle Class
 Hold white-collar jobs (work that doesn’t involve manual labor)
 Jobs require less education and provide lower income than jobs of
upper middle class
 Include owners of small businesses, nurses, middle management,
and sales professionals
 Live comfortable life, but most work hard to keep what they have
and many hold traditional values and are conservatives
Social Class in the US: Working Class
 Many hold jobs that require manual labor
 Factory workers, tradespeople, less skilled workers, some service
workers (blue-collar jobs)
 Jobs pay well, but do not hold much prestige
 Others hold jobs that do not require manual labor
 Clerical , lower-level sales, service jobs (pink-collar jobs – b/c
traditionally held by women)
 Many have few financial reserves and unexpected crises can push
working-class individuals into lower class levels
Social Class in the US: Working Poor
 Work at lowest-paying jobs
 Often seasonal or temporary
 Housecleaning, migrant farmwork, and day laboring
 Work very hard, yet hardly make a living wage
 Many depend on government support programs to make ends
meet
 Most are high school dropouts and future prospects are bleak
 Most no politically involved because they believe situation will stay
the same regardless of which party is in power
Social Class in the US: Underclass
 Families that have experienced unemployment and poverty over
several generations
 Some do work, but usually only at undesirable, low-paying jobs
 Chief source of income is often public assistance
 Day-to-day struggle
American Class System Graphic Organizer
 Complete the following table :
Class
Description
Occupations (2-3)
Upper Class
Upper Middle Class
Lower Middle Class
Working Class
Working Poor
Underclass
 Be prepared to explain why you put those occupations in those
categories
 Each group will be assigned a class, and you will create a collage
representing that social class
Social Mobility
 Social Mobility: Movement between or within social classes or strata
 Important feature of open class system
 There are 3 types
1.
Horizontal Mobility: Movement within a social class or stratum


Vertical Mobility: Movement between social classes or strata
2.


Either upward or downward
Ex: Monetary and social rewards of promotion from a secretarial to management position which
moves person from working class to lower middle
Intergenerational Mobility: Status differences between generations of the same
family
3.




Move does not involve major change to wealth, power, or prestige
Ex: Moves from 1 job to another
Special form of vertical mobility
Focus on differences between people’s class origin (parent’s social class) and their current social
position
Ex: Son/daughter of a mechanic becomes a doctor or lawyer
Although most people achieve a higher occupational status than their parents, most
remain within the same social class
Structural Causes of Upward Mobility
 Structural factors that affect upward mobility include:
 Advances in technology
 When technologies change, jobs available to workers also change which can result in
downward mobility for individuals caught in the shift, but means upward mobility for the
next generation workers
 Changes in merchandising patterns
 Changes include:
 explosion in credit industry
 greater emphasis on insurance
 rise in real-estate transactions
 extraordinary growth in personal services
 This created a larger white-collar workforce
 Rise in population’s general level of education
 Mobility increases with education
Structural Causes of Downward Mobility
 Downward mobility can result from:
 Personal factors:
 Illness
 Divorce
 Widowhood
 Retirement
 Changes in economy (primary cause)
 Ex: Technological advances have put many people out of work
 Economic changes can affect intergenerational mobility
 Ex: In hard economic times, even highly qualified recent college graduates
have difficulty finding a job in their chosen jobs
 Raleigh’s Invisible Homeless
 The New Poor of Fresno
 In New Orleans Blighted Houses
Journal Activity:
 Analyze the patterns of stratification in your own family
 Develop a chart that compares aspects of social stratification mobility between:




You grandparents
Your parents
Yourself today
Yourself in 2023
 For each generation write down:
 Education level
 Economic level
 Occupation
 Life-style
 Important ascribed statuses
 Important achieved statuses
 Amount of mobility taking place (for the year 2023 write down what you feel you will
have at that time)
Journal Activity
 Compare the patterns of stratification and mobility between generations
and analyze why any changes between generations have occurred. See if
levels of mobility, occupation, stratification, and education have changed
 Analyze the reasons why changes have occurred.
 What factors seem to promote or discourage mobility and the change in stratification
patterns?
 What theory of stratification seems best to explain these changes?
Poverty
Poverty
What are some words that come to mind when you
think of “poverty”?
Poverty
 Poverty: Standard of living that is below the minimum level
considered adequate by society
 Changes from society to society
Defining Poverty in the US
 US Bureau of the Census defines poverty in terms of the poverty
line (minimum annual income needed by a family to survive)
 Poverty level is determined by calculating cost of providing an
adequate diet then multiplying by 3 because research says poor
spend 1/3 of income on food
 Poverty line changes from year to year
2014 Poverty Guidelines for 48
Contiguous States and the D.C.
Family Size
Poverty Level ($)
1 person
11,670
2 persons
15,730
3 persons
19,790
4 persons
23,850
5 persons
27,910
6 persons
31,970
7 persons
36,030
8 persons
40,090
>8 persons
add 4,060 per person
http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm
American Poverty
 Characteristics that affect poverty
 Age
 Children have largest % of poverty
 Sex
 Women make up larger segments
 Women head about ½ of all poor families
 Race and Ethnicity
 Blacks and Hispanics are more likely than whites to live in poverty
The Effects of Poverty
 Life Chances = Likelihood that individuals have of sharing in
opportunities and benefits of society
Include: health, length of life, housing, education
The lower the social class, the lower the life chances
Poor are at a disadvantage of health and length of life
Life Expectancy = Average number of years a person born in a particular
year can expect to live
 Differences in life expectancy are dramatic in the case of infants
 Reasons for ill health and a shorter life expectancy among poor




 Inadequate nutrition
 Less access to medical care
 Educational life chances are also limited
The Effects of Poverty
 Patterns of behavior
 Certain factors vary depending on social class
 Divorce rates are higher
 More likely to be arrested, convicted, and sent to prison
 Police pursue them more aggressively because they are more likely to commit
crimes
 More likely to be victims because crimes usually happen in those areas
Government Response to Poverty
 In 1964, President LBJ declared a “war on poverty” to improve the lives of the
poor, since then the government has taken an active role in attempting to
decrease inequality
 Poverty rate for 65 and older is lower due to an increase in Social Security and
Medicare
 Government attempts to decrease inequality through social welfare programs
 Government programs use 2 approaches
 Transfer payments = Redistribute $ among various segments of society
Involves taking % of $ collected through taxes and funneling it to groups that need public
assistance
 Subsidies = Transfer goods and services rather than $
 Ex: Food Stamps, School lunch programs, Medicaid

 From 1980s to now people have wanted reform to social welfare because critics
argue that the system created a permanent “welfare class” who live off assistance
rather than work
Discussion
What is the relationship
between class and
language?