Download Unit 1: Approaches to Psychology

Unit 3: Social
Inequality
Ch 8: Social Stratification
Ch 9: Inequalities of Race and
Ethnicity
Ch 10: Inequalities of Gender
and Old Age
Ch 8 – Social Stratification
• Social
stratification
• The creation of layers (or ______) of people
who ____________________ of scarce
resources (ex. Income, wealth, power, +
prestige).
• Each layer in the social stratification system
is a social class (a segment of society whose
members hold ____________ of resources +
shared values, norms, + an identifiable
lifestyle).
• The # of social classes a society has
varies.
• Most _______________ have 3 broad
classes (upper, middle, + lower)
subdivided into smaller categories.
• Some societies may only have __.
• The political + • _________ observed the plight of the workers
economic
during the Industrial Revolution + wrote The
ramifications
_____________________ (along w/ Friedrich
of social
Engels) in response.
stratification
• He believed that history was an ongoing
struggle b/w the ______ – the haves vs.
the have nots.
• _______________ controlled the legal,
educational, economic, + gov.’t systems.
They used those systems to maintain or
their power.
• He believed that the ___________ (the
proletariat) would rise up against the
_________ (the bourgeoisie) in a violent
revolution. These violent revolutions
would continue until eventually the
capitalist system would by _________ +
everyone would work for the benefit of
society + share in its ______________.
• His ideas led to the rise of _________ +
he became known as the father of
communism (+ socialism).
• Communist countries today – China,
Vietnam, Laos, North Korea + Cuba.
• Extremes in
• Income is the amount of $ __________
income + wealth
an individual or group over a specific
in the US
time period.
• It’s what you _______.
• Wealth is the total amount of economic
resources _________ a person or group.
• It’s what you _______.
* In new edition
• In 2004, approximately __ mil Americans
were living in poverty (more than ___%),
but there were only about _____ mil
millionaires + 341 billionaires.
• The richest 20% of American households
received over __% of the nation’s income
+ the lowest 20% received less than 4%.
• Income inequality is ____________!
• The top __% of Americans have ___% of
the total wealth.
• Power +
prestige
• Power is the ability to _______________
of others, even against their will.
• Not always related to ____.
• Can come from knowledge, fame,
social position, leadership abilities,
etc…
• Prestige is the recognition, respect, +
admiration attached to ______________.
• Defined by one’s culture + society.
• Must be _____________ – cannot be
taken.
• Social positions that are considered
the most important have the most
______ – in America it’s often those
positions that accumulate _______ +
power b/c they are valued highly w/in
our society, but ____________. (Ex.
priests or ministers).
Is it an example of wealth, power, or
prestige?
_________ 1. Mr. Chamblee’s Swiss bank account
_________ 2. Anna Rose is voted “Most Likeable”
_________ 3. A politician giving in to the interests of a lobby
_________ 4. Ms. Griggs wins the Teacher of the Year award
_________ 5. Mr. Bowen’s stock market holdings
_________ 6. A Supreme Court ruling
_________ 7. The respect given to Officer Hill
_________ 8. A wife makes her husband carry her purse
End Section 1
• Explanations of
stratification:
The functionalist
theory
• Believes stratification guarantees
that the most ____________ fill the
most ________________, that they
perform their tasks competently, +
that they are rewarded for their
efforts.
• They recognize that _________
exits b/c certain jobs are more
important than others + those
jobs often require __________
+/or training.
• Explanations of
stratification:
The conflict
theory
• Believes _______________ b/c some
people are willing to ________ others.
• So they believe stratification
occurs more b/c of ______ than
b/c most people willingly accept
it.
• More accepting of Marx’s
ideas about ___________.
• People who own the means of
production are able to spread
their ______________ through
schools, churches, the gov.’t, the
media, etc…
• False consciousness refers
to the working-class
_________ of those ideas
+ values.
• Explanations of • Believes people are _______________
stratification:
the existing stratification structure.
The symbolic
• We are taught to believe that a person’s
interactionism
________ is a result of talent + effort.
theory
So those on the top _______________
+ those on the bottom deserve to be
there as well.
• So we shouldn’t ___________ the
system.
• This can often result in people at
the ________________ from
self-esteem + those at the top
have
self-esteem.
• Goes back to the lookingglass self (your image of
yourself based on what you
believe others think of you).
End Section 2
• Social classes • Class consciousness is a sense of identification w/ the
goals + interests of a social class.
in the US
• Never __________________ in the US.
• Changeable + full of exceptions.
• The Upper Class – ____% of pop.
• Upper-upper class or “_________” – old
$, _________________
• Lower-upper class – new $, _________,
may have more $ than upper-upper, but
still not accepted into the more
exclusive groups.
• The Middle Class – _________% of pop.
• Upper-middle class – (14%) successful in
business, politics, military, etc… Can live
well + save $, are usually __________
________, + often active in voluntary +
political organizations.
• Middle-middle class – (30%) _________
group. Includes small business owners,
low-level managers, teachers, cops, etc…
Earn around the national ___________.
• The Working Class - _____% of pop.
• “Lower-middle class” includes truck
drivers, machine operators, clerical
workers, etc… Paid ____________.
Have below average income +
_______________. Generally lack
medical insurance + retirement
benefits. Worry about illnesses +
unemployment. Except for ______,
not likely to belong to organizations.
Rarely enter the ______________.
• The Working Poor – ____% of pop.
• People employed in ___________ w/
the lowest pay who don’t earn enough
to get out of _________. Include
manual laborers, fast-food workers,
etc… Often lack steady employment.
Rarely belong to organizations or
participate in politics.
• The Underclass – ____% of pop.
• People who are usually unemployed +
often come from families w/ a
history of ______________. Either
work part-time menial jobs or are on
public assistance. Lack education +
skills. Commonly have physical +
mental _________. Many are single
mothers w/ little or no income.
• Can be born into working poor or underclass or
come into them w/ _______, loss of a spouse,
lack of education or training, addiction, or
through acquiring a ___________.
• Very difficult to ______________.
Social classes
people selfidentified with.
End Section 3
• What is
poverty?
* In new edition
• Absolute poverty is the absence of enough $ to
secure ____________________.
• Relative poverty is a measure of poverty based
on the _______________ b/w those at the
bottom of a society + the rest of the society.
• In other words, it’s how poor a person
feels by _________________ to others
in their society.
• Relative poverty ___________ from one
society to another (ex. US vs. Nigeria or
even the poorest person in a _______
neighborhood).
• The US gov.’t measures poverty by setting an
_________________ that anyone making less
than would be considered poor.
• In 2004, the poverty line for a family of
4 was $_______ + _____% of Americans
were living in poverty.
• Identifying
the poor
• Groups most likely to be poor are _____________
households, children, the elderly, people w/
___________, + people who live alone or w/
nonrelatives.
• Approx. ___% of the poor are white; however, only
about 7.5% of whites are poor, compare w/ 23% of
blacks and Latinos.
• So although blacks + Latinos only make up
about ¼ of Americans, they make up about ½
of the poor.
• Children under 6 yrs old make up _________ of all
age groups living in poverty at around 22%.
• Women have become ________________ to live in
poverty since the 1960s as well. The trend of
women + children making up an increasing proportion
of the poor is known as the feminization of poverty.
• Why is this occurring?
• B/c women _______ then men, those
w/ kids find it harder to keep longterm employment, + a lack of good
___________.
• Fighting poverty
• The US didn’t really begin _______
_______ until the mid-1960s under
President Lyndon Johnson’s “_____
_________” programs.
• Most American programs fighting
poverty focus on ______________
through youth opportunity programs
+ work experience programs.
• Some programs have been criticized
for _______ + fears that they’re
causing people to become _______
upon the gov.’t to help them longer
than needed.
End Section 4
• Social mobility • The movement of people b/w ________________.
• Horizontal mobility involves changing from one job to
another in the _________________ (ex: soldier to
teacher, waitress to cashier, etc…).
• Vertical mobility involves ____________________
___________ in job status or social class
• When vertical mobility takes place over a
____________, it’s called intergenerational
mobility.
• In a caste system (a stratification structure that
_____________ for social mobility – a closed-class
system) social status is _______ + can’t be changed
through individual effort. Careers choices +
interactions w/ people of other castes are _______.
One doesn’t ________ outside their caste.
• Ex. include South Africa under apartheid
(castes based on ____) + India (castes based
on _______________ according to the Hindu
religion).
• In a _________________ individuals can move b/w
classes + their social class is based on merit + effort.
Is it an example of intergenerational,
vertical, or horizontal mobility ?
_________ 1. A paramedic becomes a fireman
_________ 2. A businessman is laid off and becomes a waiter
_________ 3. A factory worker becomes a the manager
_________ 4. The daughter of a janitor becomes a professor
_________ 5. A highly decorated general is elected governor
_________ 6. A doctor quits medicine and becomes a trucker
_________ 7. A taxi driver whose father was an executive
_________ 8. A cop’s wife quits teaching to become aEndnurse
Section 5
Ch 9 and 10 Quiz
•
Ch 9 – Inequalities of Race and
Ethnicity
Minorities
•
•
Groups of people w/ physical or cultural traits different
from those of the ___________________ in the society.
• In sociology, it is NOT necessarily a group that
makes up a __________________________. Ex:
• __________ are a minority.
• In South Africa, _______ are a minority.
Key features of minorities:
• Distinctive physical or cultural characteristics
which can ________________ from the majority.
• ________ by the majority – it has a lesser share of
the society's desired goods, services, + privileges.
• Often believed by the majority to be _________ often used to justify discrimination.
• Have a common sense of identity w/ strong group
___________.
• The majority determines who is in the
minority through ______________ – so they
• Race
• People sharing certain ______________________
characteristics that are considered important w/in a
society.
• Biologists use characteristics like _______, eye
color, hair color, ___________, facial features,
head form, + height to determine race.
• The most common system classifies races into 3
major categories: Caucasian, ___________, +
Negroid.
• There is NO such thing as a “______” race. Genetic
markers typical of one race show up in other races
quite ____________. Most scientists consider racial
classifications arbitrary + _____________.
• Also, __________ is only determined by about 6
genes while ________ is controlled by dozens of
genes. So… a 5’7” white woman may be more
______________ to a 5’7” black woman than to
a 5’1” white woman.
• ______________ + characteristics that relate to race
are more important than physical differences for
sociologists.
• Ethnic
minorities
• Groups indentified by cultural, religious, or
national characteristics.
• So they are __________ defined by
their language, religion, values,
beliefs, norms, + customs.
• So _________ characteristics define
racial minorities + _________
differences define ethnic minorities.
• Though part of the larger culture, they’re
also separate b/c the ethnic majority puts
up barriers to _______________ +/or b/c
the minority wishes to _______ its cultural
+ national origins.
• Ethnocentrism is judging others in terms of
one’s own ________________. It creates
feelings of “us” vs. “them”. Can lead to
prejudice + discrimination.
End Section 1
•
Patterns of
assimilation
•
•
•
Minority groups are either _______ (leading to assimilation)
or ________ (leading to conflict).
Assimilation is the _________ of minority groups into the
dominant society. The minority groups are given full
______________ in all aspects of the society.
In the US, assimilation has been Anglo-conformity, melting
pot, cultural pluralism, + accommodation.
• _______________is the most prevalent pattern of
assimilation in the US. (Anglo meaning “of _______
descent”). This involves minorities accepting
traditional Anglo values + customs.
• __________ b/c minorities are required to
conform.
• “Melting pot” is when all ethnic + racial minorities
__________________________.
• Common myth in many US history textbooks.
• Cultural pluralism is when cultures exist side by side
+ maintain a ______________________________.
• More like a “tossed salad”.
• Accommodation is when a minority maintains its own
culturally unique way of life + accommodates the
majority culture ____________________.
• Ex. The Amish
• Patterns of
conflict
• 3 main ways in which dominant cultures have
__________ minority groups:
1. Genocide – The systematic effort to destroy
an _____________ (Ex. The Nazi efforts to
kill off Jews during The Holocaust).
2. __________________ – When a minority is
forced to move to a remote location or to
leave the territory controlled by the
majority (Ex. American Indians forced to
move on to reservations).
3. Subjugation – Process by which a minority
group is _______________ to the benefits
of a society. This is the most common
pattern of conflict. 2 types:
• De jure segregation is denial of equal
access based on ___________ (Ex.
Segregation of US schools prior to
Brown vs. The Board of Education).
• De facto segregation is denial of equal
access based on ________________
(Ex. Refusing to hire a minority as an
executive).
End Section 2
•
•
Prejudice,
stereotypes, racism,
+ discrimination
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Prejudice is widely held negative or positive ________
toward a group (minority or majority) + its individual
members.
• __________________.
• Although your book only says negative attitudes,
prejudice can include positive attitudes as well.
Prejudice is a generalization based on biased or
___________________. These attitudes come from
strong emotions, so they’re difficult to change, even
when faced w/ overwhelming __________________.
• When people meet someone who doesn’t fit in
to their stereotypes, they usually believe that
person is the exception to the rule instead of
________________________.
People tend to be prejudice in favor of those they see
as __________________ + against those they see as
different.
A stereotype is an oversimplified, hard to change way
of seeing people who belong to _______________.
Racism is an extreme form of prejudice that assumes
_____________ of one group over others. So racists
believe that discrimination +/or exclusion is justified
b/c of their own superiority.
Discrimination is the _____________ of members of
certain groups.
Prejudice is an attitude + discrimination is an ______.
A person may be prejudice, but not discriminate. Also,
a person may discriminate (due to something like social
pressure) but not be prejudice.
•
Why do prejudice •
+ discrimination
exist?
•
•
•
Hate crimes
•
•
•
Functionalists stress how ethnocentrism (which leads
to prejudice + discrimination) helps hold the _______
________________.
Conflict theorists stress the _________ b/w various
groups for power - even b/w minorities.
Symbolic interactionists stress how certain words or
symbols can _________________________ (Ex. to
“blacklist” someone or give them a “black eye”) or how
minorities may begin to believe negative stereotypes
which can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy (having an
expectation that leads to behavior that then causes
the expectation to ___________________).
Criminal acts that are motivated by extreme
_____________.
________________ someone based on race, religion,
sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry.
People who commit hate crimes have vocabularies
filled w/ demeaning stereotypes that attempt to
__________________ against their victims.
End Section 3
• Institutionalized
discrimination
• ______________ that grow out of common
behaviors/attitudes + are a part of the
_____________________.
• May or may not be ___________.
• Intentional ex: Many realtors used to steer
prospective minority homeowners to certain
neighborhoods + away from others.
• Unintentional ex: Many urban areas are
predominately made up of minorities
(especially blacks) + b/c they don’t average
as high a wage as predominately white
suburbanites, their schools receive ______
$, so many of those minority children have
to attend schools w/ fewer resources.
•
How has
•
institutionalized
discrimination
affected
different
minorities?
Blacks: Barriers include skin color + features which make it
____________ people of this minority + America’s history
of slavery + segregation which have contributed to a _____
________ for many creating an underclass (people typically
unemployed who come from families that have been poor
for generations).
• The average black family earns ____% of what the
average white family earns.
• Are also much more likely to work in __________
service jobs.
• Have approximately _______ as high unemployment
rate which doesn’t even factor in the hidden
unemployment (unemployment that includes people
who have become _________ + given up looking for
a job + part-time workers who want full-time jobs)
which would
the gap even more.
• The high school graduation rate was 77% (84% for
whites) + college was 15% (25% for whites) in 1999.
• Although still widely ______________, blacks have
made major gains in the last 50 yrs in professional,
technical, + political careers.
•
•
•
•
Latinos (ethnic minorities from ______________ including
Mexico, Central America, South America + the Caribbean):
They are the largest + _____________ minority in the US.
• Just over ½ have completed ______________.
• Many work in low-paying, low-status jobs.
• Are becoming much more ______________.
American Indians: There are over 2 mil consisting of about
______ separate tribes + bands which makes them a much
more ___________________ than most people realize.
• Over ¼ live below the ____________.
• Lowest graduation rate.
• Lowest annual _________.
• About ¼ of Indians live on ___________. Poverty +
lack of education are about twice as bad for Indians
who live on reservations as for those who do not.
Asian Americans: Most ____________________ minority
due in large part to their use of the educational system for
upward mobility.
• ______% have completed college.
________________ (includes descendents from Eastern +
Southern Europe) typically blue-collar workers in large
eastern US cities. Tend to favor more integration + _____
support of the poor. Don’t typically experience the
_____________ affecting other minorities.
End Section 4
Ch 10 – Inequalities of Gender and
Old Age
• How gender
shapes us
• A person’s sex is his/her classification as male or
female based on _____________________.
• Biological determinism is the belief that _________
_____________ are the result of inherited physical
characteristics.
• So if men are believed to be more intelligent +
women more emotional b/c of their sex, this
would need to be true in __________ in order
to be correct.
• However, significant behavior differences b/w
men + women haven’t been causally linked to
biological characteristics. Though biology may
create some behavioral tendencies in the
sexes, they are so weak that they’re easily
overridden by ________________________.
• Our gender identity is ____________ of being
masculine or feminine, based on our ________.
• Research indicates that male + female brains
are __________________ in structure. Ex.
Women are more likely to use both halves of
their brain at the same time + show more
activity in the newer more highly developed
region of the brain thought to be linked to
_____________________.
• Most sociologists believe that ___________
_______ isn’t primarily the result of biology,
but of culture + socialization.
• Researchers often look at how men + women
are different instead of how similar they are.
End Section 1
• Sociological
views of
gender roles
• Functionalism: Believes that any pattern of
behavior that ______________________ will
become unimportant. Division of male/female
responsibilities used to be ____________ back
when humans hunted + gathered (men were
bigger + stronger, + so were better hunters –
they were also more expendable). Today,
traditional division of labor b/w men + women
has created ____________ (problems).
• Conflict Theory: Men ______ by keeping women
politically, economically, + socially __________.
• Symbolic Interactionism: Focuses on how boys +
girls learn to act the way they are “_________
___”. The social process of learning to act as a
boy or a girl is called gender socialization.
Gender is acquired in large part from
interaction w/ ______, teachers, peers, + mass
media.
• Children are given gender specific
____________________.
• Studies show that girls are __________,
talked to more, + handled more gently
than boys. Boys are expected to be more
assertive + discouraged from ________.
• Teachers also (often inadvertently)
encourage boys to be more __________
__________ + girls to be more passive.
• Peers reinforce gender roles by typically
giving ________________ to those who
exemplify traditional gender roles (Ex.
Boys as football players + girls as
cheerleaders).
End Section 2
• Sexism
in the
workplace
• Sexism is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms + values
used to ________________________.
• Attempts to justify men’s leadership + power
positions.
• Although women are more active in the labor force,
they are concentrated in ___________ occupations.
This is known as occupational sex segregation. For
ex, women occupy almost all “_________” jobs (such
as secretaries, clerks, stenographers) whose job it is
to support those higher up the occupational ladder.
• Even in ___________ jobs, women typically in
the lower-prestige, lower-paid jobs.
• For every dollar a man makes, a woman averages
about _________. This is known as the gender wage
gap.
• Over 1/3 of the gap is due to the differences
in _____________________.
• Ex: Many women leave the labor force
to start a family.
• Less than 1/3 of the gap is due to the ______
_____________ of men + women in certain
positions (meaning more men tend to be
employed in higher level positions).
• Over 1/3 of the gap is due to ____________.
Ratified --- Red
Ratified, then rescinded ---- Yellow
Ratified in 1 house of legislature --- Green
Not ratified --- Blue
• The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment)
would have assured that women
enjoyed the same rights +
protections __________. It passed
in Congress in 1972, but
Conservatives feared that it disrupt
America’s ____________ + launched
a Stop-ERA campaign. The
amendment was _____________ by
enough states.
• Some ___________________ have
been passed however.
• In addition, women + minorities have
greater difficulties in getting _____
___________. This invisible barrier
that obstructs their advancement up
the _____________ is known as the
glass ceiling.
End Section 3
• Ageism
• A set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, + values
used to ________________ prejudice +
discrimination.
• Age stratification is the unequal distribution
of ___________________ based on age.
• Age can be an advantage or disadvantage for
any group, but sociologists are particularly
interested in studying the inequality among
_________. As America’s median age is ,
this affects ______________.
• Sociological views
of ageism
• Functionalism: Believes that elderly people in a
society are ______________________ they
play in that society. Ageism isn’t an issue in
_____________. In some societies, w/ age
comes respect + the view that they have much
knowledge to share. W/ ____________, the
elderly are often _______ b/c they are seen
as no long contributing to the common good
through work + b/c change occurs so quickly,
younger workers are more likely to possess
the _____________ needed in the workplace.
• Conflict Theory: Ageism is used to _____ the
elderly (thus making them a __________). By
stereotyping the elderly as intellectually dull,
inflexible, + unproductive, younger people
benefit in the __________________ against
older workers + employers can pay them ____
than older workers.
• Symbolic Interactionism: Like racism, ageism
is _____. Stereotypes are created + through
_______________________, children learn
ageism.
End Section 4
• Economics of
the elderly
• _________ among the elderly is difficult to
measure b/c of several factors:
• They have to spend proportionally more
on ___________________, but the
federal gov.’t assumes they require less
$ to live (thus, _________________).
• Many are “near poor” – ____________.
• The “_________” are older people who
either live in institutions or w/ relatives
b/c they can’t ________ to live alone.
• Also, the median income is distorted by
the fewer older people w/ __________.
• Older people who are a racial or ethnic
minority are ________ to be poor than white
older people.
• Elderly women are __________ to be poor as
men, particularly those who aren’t ________.
• Politics +
the elderly
• The older Americans get, the more likely they are to
____. However, they are a very diverse population +
don’t vote as a bloc, even on issues directly related
to them.
• This _____________ weakens their political
power, but as their #s , they may become
an ________________________.
• Some interest groups have formed to assist the
elderly such as the AARP (___________________
____________). Interest groups are organizations
formed to influence political decision making.
End Section 5