Stratification and Inequality

1. Stratificationand Inequality

2. Sources Textbook: >>> Ch. 4 Social Structure >>> Ch. 9 Social Stratification Additional : • Sociology and You, Ch. 5, 6, 8, and 13. • World History: Connections to Today, Ch. 32. • “Poverty and Inequality” by Jonathan Turner

3. societies evolve…

4. Focus Question How did the evolution of societies over time lead to stratification (the hierarchical division of society based on caste, rank, or class)?

5. Subsistence strategies The way society uses technology to provide for the needs of its members

6. Pre-Industrial Societies

7. The primary sector, in which the natural environment is used to produce economic goods, is dominant. • Durkheim: the social structure is characterized by mechanical solidarity, Gemeinschaft (community)

8. Hunting and gathering • Nomadic • Small (usually < 50 people) • Cooperative, survival of group is top priority • Family provides for all needs

9. Horticultural and pastoral • Transitional (move less frequently, longer-term villages) • Multi-community (1-2 thousand people each) • Providing for household unit is top priority • Food surplus creates some trade, division of labor, status, inequality

10. Agricultural • Plows and domesticated animals increase productivity so non-farming, even non-economic activities can be pursued • New political, economic, and social institutions emerge • Trade and monetary systems become more important • Distinct social classes appear, with wealth in the hands of the landowners

11. Modern Societies

12. Industrial Societies • The secondary sector, in which manufactured goods are made from raw materials, is dominant. • Durkheim: the social structure is characterized by organic solidarity, Gesellshaft(society)

13. Use of mechanization creates surplus that allows people to move away from farms and villages, causing urbanization • Workforce skills require a broader education and training that must be gotten outside the home • Blood relationships decline in importance as families separate socially and physically; personal choice replaces arranged marriages • Social mobility increases, and social class is based more on occupational achievement than on the class of one’s parents

14. Post-Industrial Societies The tertiary, or service sector, is dominant.

15. For the first time, the majority of the workforce is employed in services rather than in agriculture or manufacturing • White-collar employment replaces much blue-collar work • Technical knowledge is the key organizational feature • Technological change is planned and assessed, especially using computer modeling

16. Summarize Make a flow chart to show how the evolution of societies led to stratification. Include terms from the notes and explain cause/effect.

17. stratification happens…

18. Focus Question What is the difference between wealth, power, and prestige?

19. Dimensions

20. Wealth • The sum total of a person’s economic resources, including but not limited to income. • Capital wealth is that which produces more wealth (M>M’).

21. Social Class = Segment of the population whose members hold similar amounts of scarce resources and share values, norms, and an identifiable lifestyle. • Class consciousness = a sense of identification with the goals and interests of the members of a particular social class • Absolute poverty = absence of enough money to secure life’s necessities • Relative poverty = comparing the economic condition of those at the bottom of a society with the conditions of other members of that society

22. Modern Economic Systems: • Socialism: The state, as the people’s representative, owns and controls the means of production to ensure equal distribution of resources and income • Capitalism: Individuals should own and control property and the means of production with unrestricted competition for profit and minimum government interference • Mixed economies: Strategic industries are owned and operated by the state; other industries are privately owned and operated, but are regulated by the government.

23. Power The ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will

24. Marx: Power is in the hands of those who control the capital (means of production) • Iron law of oligarchy: power increasingly becomes more and more concentrated in fewer and fewer members of any organization Weber: • Expert knowledge can also be converted into power • Coercion through physical force or threats • May or may not be based on legitimate authority:(1) Charismatic authority is based on a leader’s personal characteristics (ex. instrumental vs. expressive)(2) traditional authority is rooted in custom(3) in a bureaucratic system of rational-legal authority, power resides in a hierarchy of offices guided by rules and procedures and based on merit and qualifications

25. Modern Political Systems: • Totalitarian: Ruler with absolute power controls all aspects of society • Authoritarian: Monarchies and military dictatorships that allow some degree of individual freedoms and may also hold some kind of election • Democratic: Citizens elect representatives in government and vote on issues.

26. Prestige Recognition, respect, and admiration attached to social positions

27. Given voluntarily, not claimed • Defined by culture and society • Often by occupation • Usually, but not always, matches with highest levels of wealth and power (ex. College professor vs. banker) • See list on p. 209

28. Socioeconomic Status (SES) • To make rankings of people according to wealth, power, and prestige and determine place in the stratification system • The rating combines factors such as educational level, occupational prestige, place of residence, and income • People in each status tend to share outlooks, behaviors, and lifestyles

29. Summarize Make a web to show the different characteristics of Socioeconomic Status (SES): wealth, power, and prestige.

30. Mobility

31. Focus Question What are the causes and effects of social mobility (movement from one social class to another)?

32. Types • Horizontal mobility = moving from one occupation to another at the same social class level • Vertical mobility = a person’s occupational status moves them up or down in social class • Intergenerational mobility = a person’s child or grandchild moves up or down in social class

33. Systems • Caste system = no social mobility is possible because social status is inherited and cannot be changed • Open-class system = social class is based on merit and individual effort

34. Structural Causes • New technology: can cause upward or downward mobility (mechanization/manual labor jobs) • Changes in merchandising patterns: credit, insurance, real-estate, personal services • Education: public schools, college affordability, advanced degrees • Economic recessions: increase unemployment, decrease purchasing power; pull those who are borderline down • Changes in government policies: funding, rates, wages, assistance (ex. GI Bill)

35. Summarize Describe how social mobility in the U.S. has changed over time in 2-3 paragraphs. Use the terms from the notes and your knowledge of American history to provide examples.