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Chapter 7
Social Class and Social Stratification
Key terms

status
A socially defined position in a group or society.

social differentiation
The process by which different statuses in any
group, organization or society develop.

social stratification
The fixed, hierarchical arrangements of status
differences by which groups have different
access to power, resources, and perceived
social worth.

estate systems
Ownership of property and exercise of power is
monopolized by an elite who have total control
over societal resources.

caste system
Rigid hierarchy of classes, often preserved
through formal law and cultural practices that
present free association and movement
between classes.

class system
Status is partially achieved and there is some
potential for movement from one class to
another.

social class
The social structural position a group holds
relative to the economic, social, political, and
cultural resources of society.

life chances
The opportunities that people have in common
by virtue of belonging to a particular class.

social mobility
A person's movement over time from one class
to another.

socioeconomic status (SES)
Derived from income, occupational prestige,
and education.

income
Amount of money brought into a household
from various sources.

median income
Midpoint of all household incomes.

occupational prestige
Refers to the subjective evaluation people tie
to jobs.

educational attainment.
Total years of formal education.

urban underclass
Those left behind by contemporary economic
developments and who are likely to be
unemployed and therefore dependent on public
assistance or crime for economic support.

wealth
Monetary value of everything one owns.

class consciousness
Perception that a class structure exists and the
feeling of shared identification with others in
one's class.

false consciousness
Class-consciousness of subordinate classes
who have internalized the view of the dominant
class.

culture of poverty
Contends that poverty is its own cause.