Download Social Stratification - Mrs. Silverman: Social Studies

Social
Stratification
Hot Button Question:
Is homelessness a
problem that should
concern the American
public? If so, what
should be done to
remedy the issue of
homelessness?
Student Responses…YES!
• Yes because homeless people are part of the American
public. We have to live together peacefully. We need
to set up more shelters and be more generally
welcoming and friendly towards homeless people,
meaning get them food and water and places to stay.
We put much more emphasis on victims of disasters
than we do people who are homeless all the time,
which makes no sense.
Student Responses…YES!
• Homelessness is a pressing issue to the American
public. Therefore, in order to combat this problem,
the government needs to do more to help lift these
people out of poverty. For example, creating and
implementing a program aimed at training and hiring
the homeless to work on public works projects around
the nation.
Student Responses…YES!
• Homelessness is the elephant in the room of society.
We as Americans know its there but do not want to
talk about it. I am not sure what can be done since
homeless people do not get the opportunity to
succeed because people in society look down on them.
Student Responses…YES!
• Yes, homelessness should concern the public. The
distribution of wealth is messed up when someone
can drive out of a mansion in a BMW and pass
someone on the side of the road who is homeless. The
fact that most Americans don’t care IS the problem.
There are numerous organizations that money can be
donated to in order to help the homeless and the
impoverished.
Student Responses…YES!
• I think homelessness should concern the American
public. I think we should continue with soup kitchens
and make more places for them to stay, and create
programs that help them on their feet.
Student Responses…UMM…
• Yes, but we should not spoon feed them. It wasn’t
by chance that they are homeless.
• I think homelessness is a problem but I don’t think
we can do any more than we are doing now because
most homeless people want to be like that so they
don’t have to deal with the real world.
Student Responses…UMM…
• I don’t think it’s necessarily a problem. I wish there
were more ways to help them pick up their lives and
maybe the American public can help out in such ways.
In other ways, it shows the younger generations of
maybe what could happen if life isn’t managed the
right way before it’s too late.
Student Responses…NO!
• No, it’s called Social Darwinism
• I don’t think homelessness is an issue. I think that it
is their decision to be homeless or not.
• I don’t think homelessness is a major issue in the U.S.
because our definition of poverty is nothing compared
to that of 3rd world countries. A homeless person
here can drink clean, free water at any water
fountain or public restroom sink and go to a soup
kitchen. A homeless person in a country like
Guatemala or Tanzania may not even have clean
water or government assistance
Part ONE: The Basics
Social Stratification
• DEFINITION: the ranking
of individuals based on the
unequal distribution of
power, prestige & property
• Access to scarce resources & social rewards
• Resources & Rewards:
• Education, stable job and bank loan
Social Stratification
• In most cases, power, prestige
& property occur together;
however, this is not
always true
• EXAMPLES?
Social Stratification
•
•
•
•
•
Property:
Net worth and/or wealth
Objective measurement
Power:
Capacity to influence people & events in order
to obtain wealth & prestige
• Objective measurement
Social Stratification
• Prestige:
• An individual’s status
among his peers and
in society
• Subjective measurement
Social Stratification
• Which careers do you think are most prestigious?
• Least prestigious?
Socioeconomic Status
• DEFINITION: a rating that determines an
individual’s relative position within the system
of stratification
• Three Factors:
• Education
• Occupation
• Income
Part TWO: Systems of
Stratification
Caste System
• Position based on ascribed status
• Fixed, closed boundaries
• Not much potential for social
mobility
• Endogamy; exogamy not permitted
• Status consistency
Class System
• Position based
on achieved
status
• Open boundaries
• Greater potential for social mobility
• Endogamy not required; exogamy allowed
• Less status consistency
Social Class
• DEFINITION: a group
of people who share
similar levels of wealth,
influence and status (SES)
• Sociologists use THREE methods to determine
one’s social class
Social Class
• Objective Method: analyzes
“hard” facts
• Subjective Method: asks
people what they think of
themselves
• Reputational Method: asks what people think of
others
Part THREE: Social
Stratification in the US
Hot Button Question:
Why are wealthy
people wealthy?
Why are poor people
poor?
Student Responses…Wealthy
people are wealthy because…
• They work hard and do not expect things to be handed to
them.
• They are smart, lucky, or both.
• They either inherited their wealth or worked very hard
for it.
• From a young age they work hard or are born into that
lifestyle.
• They are successful and very capable.
• They are motivated to show and prove their talents/skills
to be successful.
Student Responses…Wealthy
people are wealthy because…
• They went to very good colleges, studied hard, and set
themselves up for a successful future…the wealthy
families usually remain wealthy because they are able to
pay for better education for their children.
• They are born into money or made their way to the top,
often times by stepping on the people below them. Some
people make it there on hard work, but it’s not all that
common.
Student Responses…Poor
people are poor because…
• They are lazy or just unlucky.
• They are not very capable and have positioned themselves
to be poor.
• They are lazy and unmotivated.
• Either they were negligent with their money or Obama’s
horrible economy caused them to lose large sums of
money.
• They are lazy and do not have good work ethic.
• They either have a lack of education and skill or they are
too in pity about money that they have no real motivation.
Student Responses…Poor
people are poor because…
• Young adults whose families are poor may have to leave school
to get a job to support their family, never getting a proper
education and never being able to move up in life.
• Their past generations may have been poor or the person could
have been laid off of a job or such. Honestly, it truly depends.
• They were born into a situation with less opportunity, and
while they may work hard, they may lack the financial
resources for higher education.
• They were born into poverty and are trapped at the bottom, or
they have had some misfortune that has set them up for
poverty.
Lower Class
• 15–20% of population
• Less than $19,000/year
Lower Class
•
•
•
•
•
Characteristics:
Poverty, homelessness, unemployment
(Absolute poverty v. relative poverty)
Most do not have high school diplomas
Lack of adequate housing, food, clothing,
safety, medical care, etc.
Working Class
• 30–40% of population
• Median: males ($40,000) &
females ($26,000)
• Minimally educated,
though generally have high
school diplomas
• Manual labor
Working Class
• Working poor:
• Unskilled workers
• Dishwashers, cashiers,
maids, servers, etc.
• Minimum wage; underpaid
• No opportunity for career advancement; “deadend job”
Working Class
• Blue Collar:
• Skilled workers;
trade
• Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, truck drivers,
police officers, etc.
• Better wages than the working poor
Middle Class, “Sandwich”
•
•
•
•
•
•
40–50% of population
Median: males ($70,000) & females ($50,000)
Lower Middle:
Less education (B.A.) with lower incomes
Upper Middle:
Highly educated (M.A, PhD) with higher incomes
Upper Class
• 1–3% of population
• $350,000+
• 25% of total wealth
Upper Class
• Lower-Upper:
• “New” money
• Made from investments,
business ventures, etc.
Upper Class
• Upper-Upper:
• “Old” money
• Aristocratic,
high-society,
inheritance
Generally have an M.A. or higher
Manual, though skilled labor
Generally have a B.A.
May or may not have a high school education
Characterized by “new” money
Part FOUR: Theory
Stratification: Theory
Structural-Functionalism
vs.
Conflict Theory
Stratification: Theory
• Functionalism:
• Social stratification is a
necessary component of
society; the linkage of
greater rewards to more
important social
positions benefits
society as a whole;
USEFUL & INEVITABLE
• Conflict:
• Social stratification is
the result of social
conflict; differences in
social rewards serve the
interests of some while
harming the interests of
others; ONLY USEFUL TO
SOME PEOPLE
Stratification: Theory
• Functionalism:
• Matches talents &
abilities to appropriate
occupational positions
• Values & beliefs that
legitimize social
inequality are shared
throughout society
• Conflict:
• Ensures that large
amounts of talent &
ability will not be
developed
• Values & beliefs tend to
reflect the interests of
the more powerful
members of society
Stratification: Theory
• Functionalism:
• Because systems of
stratification are useful
& supported by cultural
values and beliefs, they
are usually stable over
time
• Conflict:
• Because systems of
stratification reflect the
interests of only a small
part of society, they are
unlikely to remain
stable over time
Stratification: Theory
• Functionalism (CRIT):
• Many highly paid
positions do not truly
reflect their functional
importance
• Social class is a stronger
predictor of high
rewards than is
talent/ability
• Conflict (CRIT):
• Based on the fact that
people are unequal to
begin with