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CHAPTER 8 Social Stratification
Chapter Outline
Dimensions of Stratification
 Explanations of Stratification
 Stratification in American Society
 Poverty in America
 Consequences of Stratification
 Social Mobility
 Global Stratification

Questions for Consideration




What are the major social classes in the U.S.?
For which class is inherited wealth most
important?
How are one’s education and occupation related to
one’s social class?
In what ways does television shape our ideas
about social class?
Dimensions of Stratification


Social Stratification – layers created within the
population that ranks individuals by unequal
shares of scarce desirables: wealth, prestige, and
power.
A stratification structure is composed of:
 Social classes – segments of a population
whose members hold a similar share of
resources.
Economic Dimension

Marx believed the economic factor was an
independent variable explaining the existence of
social classes.

Weber saw the economic dimension as a
dependent variable; more concerned with the
economic consequences of stratification.
Economic Dimension - Marx

Marx predicted that capitalist societies would
ultimately be reduced to two social classes:
 Bourgeoisie – the rulers
 Proletariat – those who are ruled

All of capitalist society was a superstructure
resting on an economic foundation; the economy
determined the nature of the society.
Economic Dimension - Weber

Weber envisioned several social classes and
examined the consequences (life chances) of
people’s relationships to the economic institution.

Distinguished income (amount of money received)
from wealth (all economic resources possessed
by an individual or group).
Questions for Consideration
What are the life chances identified in this
video?
 How do life chances change for the Guerry
family?
 In what ways do their life chances impact
their income and wealth?
 What are the pros and cons of selfemployment?

Economic Inequality in America

For the past 30 years income inequality has been
increasing.

The top 1% of the population has accumulated
over 70% of all earnings growth.

The U.S. is now the most economically polarized
and unequal of the major Western countries.
Change in Average Real AfterTax Income 1979-2005
Shares of Wealth
Shares of Aggregate Income
by Percentile
Distribution of Wealth in the
United States
Power Dimension - Marx


Power – the ability to control the behavior of
others, even against their will.
Marx: people in a society who own and control
capital have the power.
Power Dimension - Weber

Weber: economic success and power do not
necessarily overlap.
 money can be used to exert power, but not
necessarily
 money and ownership of the means of
production are not the only resources for power
Prestige Dimension - Weber

Prestige – recognition, respect, and admiration
attached to social positions. It is defined by one’s
culture and society.
 Favorable social evaluation is based on norms
and values within a group.
 Prestige is voluntarily given, not claimed.
 Those accorded similar levels share identifiable
lifestyles.
Occupational Prestige

Occupational prestige scores vary according
to:
 compensation
 education
 skills
 ability
required
 power associated
 importance to society
 nature of work
Explanations of Stratification

Functionalist Theory of Stratification
 Functionalist theory views inequality as
rendering a service.
 The most qualified people fill the most important
positions and perform their tasks competently.
 Society attaches special monetary rewards and
prestige to these positions in order to encourage
people to fill these jobs of prestige.
Weaknesses of Functionalist Theory
1.
There are many people who have power, prestige
and wealth whose contributions to society do not
seem very important (e.g., top athletes, film stars).
2.
Ignores barriers to competition faced the poor,
women, the aged, African Americans, etc.
Weaknesses of Functionalist Theory
3.
Overlooks the inheritance of social class level.
4.
Has an ethnocentric basis. It assumes that all
people in all societies will be motivated to compete
for a greater portion of the scarce desirables.
Conflict Theory of Stratification

Inequality exists because some people are
willing to exploit others.

Stratification is then based on force rather than
consent. Those with wealth, power, and
prestige are able to maintain their share of
desirables in society.
Symbolic Interactionism and
Stratification

Social stratification persists only as long as its
legitimacy is accepted.

Symbols explain the existence of stratification
to the young and the reasons for people being
located in particular strata.

Views of legitimacy are incorporated into an
individual’s self-concept as well.
Stratification in American Society

Class consciousness – a sense of
identification with the goals and interests of
the members of one’s own social class.
Theoretical Perspectives: Social
Stratification
Identification of Social Classes
Social classes are fluid and abstract.
 American class structure:

 Upper
Class (about 1% of population)
 Upper Middle Class (about 14%)
 Middle Class (about 30%)
 Working Class (about 30%)
 Lower Class (about 25%)
American Class Structure
Questions for Consideration
Are members of the upper class all alike?
 What is the composition of the middle class?
 What is unique about the working class?
 What is the most common shared
characteristic of the lower class?

Poverty in America

Measuring Poverty
poverty – absence of enough money
to secure life’s necessities.
 Absolute
poverty – measured by comparing
economic condition of those at the bottom with
that of other strata
 Relative
The Poverty Line


Poverty line – an annual income level
below which people are considered poor.
The poor, as measured by this standard in
the U.S., comprises over 14% of the
population (2009).
Identifying the Poor


Nearly 43% of the poor in America are non-Latino
white.
Poverty Rates (2006)
 White = 12.3%
 African American & Latino = 25% +
Percentage of the U.S. Population in
Poverty
The Distribution of Poverty in the
United States
Questions for Consideration
What other conclusions can you make from
the figure?
 In what ways do you think gender and/or
age are related to poverty?

Feminization of Poverty
½ of poor households are female-headed
 17.4% of children are living in poverty
 Feminization of poverty – women and
children make up a larger proportion of
the poor than other groups.

Ideology of Individualism
1.
2.
3.
4.
Each individual should work hard to
succeed in competition with others.
Those who work hard should be
rewarded with success.
Because of widespread and equal
opportunity, those who work hard will be
rewarded with success.
Economic failure is an individual’s own
fault and reveals lack of effort.
Perceived Reasons for Poverty in
the United States
Questions for Consideration
Do you agree with any of the
perceptions/reasons listed?
 What factors do you think impact individuals’
perception of the poor?
 Does race influence attitudes toward the
poor?
 Does gender influence attitudes toward the
poor?

Responses to the Problem of
Poverty



In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson marshaled the
forces of the federal government to begin a War on
Poverty.
Prior to this time fighting poverty was not a major
goal of the federal government.
Aid to Families with Dependent Children and
Social Security did not reach the lowest levels of
needy citizens.
Goals of War on Poverty
President John F. Kennedy believed the
chains of poverty were to be broken through
self-improvement, not temporary relief.
 Overall goal was to help poor people help
themselves.

Welfare Reform
Prior to 1996 the main source of welfare
assistance was Aid to Families with
Dependent Children (AFDC).
 In 1996, AFDC was replaced with Temporary
Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).

Three Elements to Welfare Reform
Legislation
1.
2.
3.
Reduces welfare spending.
Increases state and local power to oversee
welfare rules.
Adds new restrictions on welfare eligibility.

lifetime limit of 5 years
Is welfare reform working?
Yes


According to the
Administration of Children
and Families, welfare rolls
have decreased
substantially since TANF
was enacted.
Only a small number have
been removed due to new
time limits.
No

Most of the people who left the
rolls could find only low-wage
jobs in industries such as food
service, home health care, and
retail sales.

Wages grew more slowly or fell
since 1996.

Many of those who left the
welfare rolls continue to life in or
near poverty.
Consequences of Stratification

Life Chances – the likelihood of possessing the
good things in life: health, happiness, education,
wealth, legal production, and even life itself.


Power, prestige, and economic (and education) rewards
increase with social class level.
Lifestyle – social class differences in lifestyle can
be observed in many areas of American life,
including education, material and family relations,
child rearing, political attitudes and behavior, and
religious affiliation.
Social Mobility

Social mobility – the movement of individuals or
groups within a stratification structure.
mobility – social class
movement within the career of an individual.
 Intragenerational
mobility – social class
movement from one generation to the next.
 Intergenerational
Social Mobility

Social mobility – the movement of individuals or
groups within a stratification structure.
mobility – change from one
occupation to another at same status.
 Horizontal
mobility – occupational or social class
moves upward or downward.
 Vertical
Questions for Consideration
What type of mobility can be used to
described Elaine Bell Kaplan’s mobility?
What level did she rise to?
 What was the major factor that made her
mobility possible?
 What are some indicators of her socioeconomic status as a child and today?

Caste Stratification System

In a caste system
 there
is no social mobility
 social status is inherited
 statuses are ascribed or assigned at birth.

Example – India
Open Class Stratification System


In an open class system
 an individual’s social status is based on merit and
individual effort
 individuals move up and down the stratification
structure as their abilities, education, resources, and
commitment to work permit
 inequality is based on differences in monetary worth
and personal accomplishment.
Example – United States
Global Inequality

The United States has greater income
inequality than most developed countries.

The gross domestic product (GDP) is a good
indicator of classifying a nation’s economic
category (high, upper-middle, lower-middle,
low).
Social Classes in World
Perspectives
Questions for Consideration
Where are the high-income economies?
 What pattern of global poverty do you see
demonstrated on this map?

Global Poverty


One quarter of the Earth’s population remains in
extreme poverty.
More than one half of the world’s population (3.3
billion) lives below the internationally established
poverty line of less than $2.50/day.
Global Poverty

Consequences of Global Poverty
 inadequate
access to water, basic sanitation,
disease, poor immunization, malnourishment

Causes of Global Poverty
 traditionalism
 dependency
theory
Questions for Consideration

How would a functional theorist and then conflict
theorist explain the reality of wage differences and
those countries where there are people living on
less than $1/day?

How can you analyze the social mobility that has
occurred in your family across as many
generations as you can?