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Social Stratification
Systems of Stratification
Questions to think about:
What
are characteristics of the
caste systems and class
systems?
How do major theories of
social stratification differ?
Social Stratification
 Divisions
of society into categories,
ranks or classes.
 Vary from society to society
 Ascribed and achieved statuses
 Social inequality – major factor –
unequal sharing of scarce resources
and social rewards.
Types of Stratification Systems
Varies according to degree to which
society’s system is open or closed.
 Closed system-movement between strata,
or status levels is impossible. (person is
assigned or ascribed social status at birth)
 Open system-movement between social
classes is possible depending upon the
flexibility of the system.
CASTE SYSTEMS VERSUS CLASS SYSTEMS

Caste Systems
Scarce resources and
social rewards are
distributed on the basis of
ascribed status.
 A newborn’s lifelong
status (or CASTE) is
determined by the status
of his or her parents.

India’s Caste System
Caste System Continued
Because status is inherited, there is a
system of elaborate norms governing
interaction among castes.
Exogamy or marriage outside of one’s social
category is strictly forbidden.
Endogamy or marriage within one’ s own
social category is practiced.

Castes were very common form of
stratification dating back 3,000 years ago.
 India is the best example, but is also
common in South Asia.
 In 1950, the Indian constitution outlawed
discrimination against the lowest social
class.
 Dismantling the caste system in India has
proven extremely hard.

India’s Caste System
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j31veR7
4gSo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM85zVt
6xCU&feature=related
Class Systems
Distribution of scarce resources and
rewards is based on ACHIEVED STATUS.
 Individuals have some control over their
place in the stratification system.
 Talent, effort, opportunity (and marriage)
can help individuals move up the social
ladder.

Karl Marx-Class System
Defined social class in terms of production.
 Means of production are the material used to
produce goods and services.
Social class is divided into two (2) groups:
 Those who own the means of production.
 Those who own only their labor.

Marx Social Stratification
(cont.)
2 GROUPS:
 Bourgeoisie-owners of the means of
production in a capitalist society.
 Proletariat-workers who sell their labor in
exchange for wages.
According to Marx the bourgeoisie reaps all
of the benefits and profits, the proletariat
does all the work.
‘Class’ is determined by ownership of
property.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtXF6bJ
UzMQ
Max Weber
Expanded on Marx’s ideas
Class consists of three (3) factors:
1. Property (same as Marx)
2. Prestige
3. Power

Dimensions of Social Stratification

Social Class – a grouping of people with
similar levels of wealth, power and
prestige.
WEALTH

Made up of assets and money:
– assets-the value of everything a person owns-and
income
– money earned through salaries, investment returns,
or other capital gains.
In the U.S., wealth is concentrated in the hands of a
small portion of the population.
Some interesting statistics for the USA:
1. 1% of population controls 1/3 of nations
wealth!
2. Top 1/5 of income earners receive over 50% of the
Power
Power is the ability to control the
behavior of others, with or without their
consent.
 Power can be based on: force, the
possession of a special skill, or type of
knowledge, a particular social status,
personal characteristics, or custom and
tradition.
 “power elite”-use position to influence

Prestige
Prestige is the respect, honor, recognition, or
courtesy an individual receives from other
members of society.
 Based on characteristics of a society or group
consider important.
 Income, occupation, education, family
background, area of residence, possessions, and
club membership are common factors that
determine prestige.
In the U.S. occupation tends to be the most
important determinant of prestige.

Socioeconomic Status
(SES) – way to rank people according to
wealth, power, and prestige.
 Combines social factors such as education
level, occupational prestige, and place of
residence with economic factor of income.

Functionalist Theory
Stratification is a necessary part of society
 Certain roles in society must be performed
in order for the system to be maintained.
 The more important the roles, the higher
reward.
 Without varying rewards, many jobs would
not be fulfilled.

Criticisms to Functionalist
Perspective of Social Stratification
Fails to recognize that not everyone has
access to resources such as education.
 Functionalist perspective also fails to
explain why rewards sometimes do not
reflect the social value of the role.
For instance: Why should movie stars and
professional athletes, whose importance to
society is LIMITED, command such high
incomes.

CONFLICT Theory
Competition over scarce resources as the
cause of social inequality. (classic Marx
theory – based on class exploitation)
American conflict theorists include: C Wright
Mills, Irving Louis Horowitz, and G.
William Domhoff – take a broader view on
social inequality.
 Various social groups compete for scarce
resources.
 Once a group gains power, it can shape
public opinion and public policy and
maintain power.

Criticism of Conflict
Fails
to acknowledge that
unequal rewards are based
in part, on differences in
talent, skill and desire.
Synthesizing the perspectives
Ralf Dahrendorf suggests that each
perspective can be used to explain
different aspects of stratification.
EX-Functionalist perspective explain why
people spend years to become doctors
and lawyers, while the conflict perspective
might explain why children of the wealthy
attend the best colleges.
The American Class System
9.2
Questions to think about:
What are characteristics of the American
class system?
 How do different motivations and cultural
values influence the American class
system?

The US is seen as a fairly open class
system.
 Laws forbid discrimination based on
ascribed characteristics such as race,
religion, ancestry and sex.
 However, the US does have a wide range
of social classes and the rate os social
mobility is not equal for all members of
society.

Sociologists rely on three (3) basic
techniques to rank individuals in a social
class:
Reputational method-individuals in the
community are asked to rank other
members based on what they know of
their characters and lifestyles.
Subjective method-individuals are asked to
determine their own social rank.
Objective method-defined by income,
occupation and education. Least biased in
determining class.
Social Classes of the United States
The Upper Class
 1% of the population
 “old money” and “new money”
 Education commonly at prestigious
universities.
 Occupations include owners of large
businesses, investors, heirs to family
fortunes, some top business
executives.
The Upper Middle Class
 14% percent of the population
 High-income business people and
professionals.
 Education: College or university,
many have advanced degrees.
 Business executives and
professionals
Lower Middle Class
 30% of the population
 Education: High school, some
college
 Occupations: Lower level
managers, skilled craft workers,
some supervisors
Working class:
 30% of the population
 Education: High School
 Occupations: Factory workers,
clerical workers, lower-level sales
people, some craftworkers.
Working poor
22% of the population
EDUC: Some HS
Laborers, service workers,
gardeners, house cleaners
Underclass
3%
Some HS
Undesirable, low-paying jobs.
Unemployed, on welfare
Many families have
experienced poverty for
generations.
Social Mobility
 Social
Mobility-the movement
between or within social classes or
strata.
Types of social mobility:
Horizontal mobility-movement within a
social class of stratum. EX-when an
individual moves from one job to
another of equal social ranking.
Types of social mobility:
Vertical mobility-movement
between social classes or strata.
Upward or downward.
Types of social mobility:
Intergenerational mobility-special
form of vertical mobility between
generations. EX-daughter of a
mechanic becomes a doctor.
Structural Causes of Upward Mobility
 Technology
changes
–Farming in the early 1900s led
to changes in employment and
specialization
Structural Causes of Upward
Mobility
 Changes
in merchandising
patterns
–Growth of credit industry,
greater emphasis on insurance,
increase in real-estate
transactions, growth of personal
services.
Structural Causes of Upward
Mobility
 Changes
in general level of education
–1940: 75% of the population did
not finish HS, today that is 9%
–1940: 5% of the population had a
college education, today +26% has
completed bachelor’s degree or
higher.
Causes of Downward Mobility
 Changes
in the economy:
– Changes in technology-if new
technology comes out and a worker
may no longer find themselves
marketable.
– Changes in the economy: during times
of economic recession many desirable
jobs are not as plentiful.
Chapter 9.3 Poverty
Think about:
 What groups of Americans are affected by
poverty?
 What steps have been taken by the
federal government to lessen the effects
of poverty?
Poverty
Classification of the state of being poor.
 Defined as a standard of living is below
the minimum level considered to be
adequate by society.

US Standard of Living

Many people in poverty in the US live
much more comfortably than the majority
of people in other industrialized nations
because the US has a high standard of
living.
Defining Poverty in the US
Poverty Level US Bureau of the Census defines poverty
in terms of the minimum annual
income needed by a family to
survive.
Poverty level cont.
Determined by calculating the cost of
providing an adequate diet, based on the
US Department of Agriculture’s minimum
nutrition standards.
(This figure multiplied by 3 b/c research has
indicated that poor people spend about
1/3 of their money on food).

American Poverty
Age-Children make up 25% of poverty,
but represent 35% of the people who live
in poverty.
(The level of poverty among AfricanAmerican and Hispanic children is three
times that of whites)
American Poverty
Sex-About 57% of the poor are
women.
 Women head about one half (1/2) of
all poor families.
American Poverty
Race and Ethnicity- African
Americans and Hispanics are more likely
than whites to live in poverty (they have
rates that are about twice that of the US
as a whole).
Percentage living in poverty
The Effects of Poverty
Life Chances-the likelihood that individuals
have sharing in the opportunities of
society.
 (Ex-health, length of life, housing,
education)
 Health poses a serious disadvantage –
rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer,
arthritis, pneumonia are highest among
those living in poverty.

The Effects of Poverty
Life expectancy-refers to the average
number of years a person born into a
particular year can expect to live.
 Differences are particularly dramatic in the
case of infants-poor children are more
likely to die in the first year than children
not born into poverty.

The Effects of Poverty
Reasons for shorter life span:
 Inadequate nutrition
 Less access to medical care-health care
*Poor people have less money to spend on
food and are less informed about good
nutrition.
The Effects of Poverty
The working poor are more likely to have
jobs that involve considerable health and
safety risks.
 Educational life chances are often limited
because school funding is based in part by
local property taxes = low-income areas =
inadequately funded schools=negative
effect on future chances.

Patterns of Behavior
Divorce rates are higher in low-income
families
 Poor Americans are more likely to be
arrested, convicted of, sent to prison
 People in poverty are more likely to
commit violent crimes and crimes against
property (burglary and auto theft)

Government Responses to Poverty
1964
– Lyndon B. Johnson
declared a “War on Poverty.”
Federal government has taken
steps to reduce inequality.
Government’s Response
Mixed Results
31 million people in the US
live in poverty.
Poverty rate itself is the same
as in the 1970s
Government’s Response
Improvements:
Poverty for 65 and older is
lower than the country as a
whole
Credited towards Social
Security and Medicare
Social-Welfare Programs
Two approaches:
1. Transfer payments- redistributes money
to various segments of society (takes %
of money collected from taxes and
funnels it into public assistance)
2. Subsidies- transfer goods and services
rather than cash. EX- Food stamps,
school lunches, Medicaid.
Criticism of Welfare System
Critics
have charged that
the social-welfare system
has created a permanent
“welfare class” who choose
to live off the government
rather than work.
Government Reaction to Critics
 Government
responded by
passing the Personal
Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act.
–Has moved people off of welfare
to work