Download Social Stratification

Social Stratification
Discussion Outline
• Patterns of Social Stratification
• American Class Inequality
• Social Mobility and Life Chances
????
• What is meritocracy?
• What is the American Dream?
What is Social Stratification?
• Why are Sociologists interested in studying
social strata and social class?
Systems of Stratification
• Stratification-A structured ranking of entire
groups of people.
– perpetuates unequal economic rewards and
power in society-Some suffer while others benefit
– Social Inequality- members of society have
differing amounts of wealth, prestige, and power
Systems of Stratification
• Review:
– Ascribed status vs. Achieved status
• General Systems: Any stratification system
may include elements of more than one type
• (1) Slavery (2) castes (3) social classes
– Open vs. Closed systems
Dimensions of Stratification
• Wealth- money and other economic assets
that a person or family owns, including
property and income
– Income?
• Wealth is passed on to the next generation and
produces income
Dimensions of Stratification
• Prestige
• How do individuals and groups alert others of their
level of prestige?
• Power
• What does it mean that an individual or group is
powerful in society?
The American Class System
• The gap between the rich and the poor in U.S. is larger
than any other wealthy/industrialized nation
• Growing inequality since 1960’s and accelerated in
1980’s under president ______ and economic principle
of “trickle down economics”. What is it?
– The US economy expanded greatly in the 1990’s, however,
most of the profits and benefits went to those in the upper
class
– Inequality continues to grow- Income and wealth gaps
Economic Inequality (Income)
• A growing gap between rich and poor
– 90’s profits reaped by upper class
– Stagnant wages for 8/10 Americans
– CEO Compensation
– Trickle down-economics
Did it work?
Economic Inequality (Wealth)
• Importance of wealth?
• Greater than income inequality and expanding
• In 2007, the wealthiest 1% of household
owned more than the bottom 90% of
households combined
• Corporate Wealth
Growing Inequality in the U.S.
Poverty
• The wealthiest country in the world also has the
highest rates of poverty. What country?
– Absolute poverty—not having enough money to
afford the most basic necessities
– Relative poverty—not having enough money to
maintain an average standard of living
• Why is poverty such a problem in the richest nation in the
world?
• 1990’s: U.S. vs. other industrialized nations-Absolute poverty
• What is the poverty line at for a family of 4?
Poverty Line
• Poverty line—the minimal level of income
that the federal government considers
necessary for basic subsistence
– Used to determine eligibility for government
assistance
– In 2010, the poverty line was _______for a family
of four.
Who are the Poor?
• Children (35% of the poor)
• Women (57% of the poor)
• African Americans, American Indians, and Latinos
(Poverty rates are much higher than for whites.)
• The “new poor”
• How is poverty
Explained?
• Are high unemployment rates beneficial to
employers/corporations?
• How does the U.S. compare to other countries
in terms of giving welfare to the poor?
• Does everyone willing to work have a job?
Benefits? How does this illustrate the
sociological imagination?