Sociology A

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Social Stratification
Section 1: Systems of
Stratification
Section 2: The American Class
System
Section 3: Poverty
Section 1: Systems of Stratification
Objectives:
Identify the characteristics of
caste systems and class
systems.
Contrast the major theories of
social stratification.

Characteristics of Caste and
Class Systems
 social stratification – division of society
into categories, ranks, or classes
can be based on either achieved or
ascribed status
can be open or closed
 social inequality – the unequal sharing
of scarce resources and social rewards

Characteristics of Caste and Class
Systems
Caste System: Class System:
 Closed and lifelong  Open and mobile
 Immobility and  Reward is determined
inherited status by achieved status
 Based on specific  Property, prestige,
occupations and power are
 Ascribed status important (Weber)
 bourgeoisie,
 exogamy, endogamy
proletariat
Dimensions of Social Stratification

 social class – grouping of people with similar
levels of wealth, power, and prestige
 wealth – made up of assets (value of
everything one owns) and income (money
earned through salaries, investments, or
capital gains
 in the U.S. the richest 1% of the population
controls more than 1/3 of the wealth
 chart page 208

Dimensions of Social Stratification
 power – the ability to control the behavior of others, with or
without their consent
 based on force, possession of special skills, knowledge, social
status, personal characteristics, custom/tradition
 prestige – respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy an individual
receives from other members of society
 based on income, occupation , education, family, residences,
possessions, club memberships
 chart page 209
 socioeconomic status – SES, rating that combines social factors
such as educational level, occupational prestige, residence,
income, used to determine an individual’s relative position in
the stratification system

Major Theories of Social Stratification
 Functionalist Theorists – view stratification as a
necessary feature of the social structure and argue
that the more important a role and the more skill
needed to perform it, the higher the reward, without
varying rewards may jobs would not be filled and
society could not function
 fails to recognize not everyone has equal access
to resources, ignores the talented in lower classes
that because of stratification may not be able to
contribute to society, cannot explain why rewards
sometimes do not reflect the social value of a role

Major Theories of Social Stratification
 Conflict Theorists – view stratification
as a result of conflict over scarce
resources and argue that groups gain
power then use that power to
maintain it, based on Marx
fails to recognize that unequal
rewards are based on differences in
talent, skill, and desire
Section 2: The American Class System
Objectives:
Identify the characteristics of the
American class system.
Explain how different motivations
and cultural values influence the
American class system.

The American Class System
 open system
 law forbids discrimination based on
ascribed characteristics such as race or
gender
 in theory, all have equal access to
resources
 rate of social mobility is not equal for
all segments of society

Determining Social Class
 reputational method – individuals are asked
to rank other community members based
on what they know of their character and
lifestyle
 subjective method – individuals are asked
to determine their own social rank
 objective method – sociologists define
social class by income, occupation, and
education

Social Classes in the United States
 1% upper class
 14% upper-middle class
 30% lower-middle class
 30% working class
 22% working poor
 3% underclass
 major difference in classes is income, lifestyle,
beliefs
 chart page 214

 Upper Class – attend prestigious universities;
owners of large businesses, investors, heirs to
family fortunes, top business executives; 1
percent of population
 Upper Middle Class – attend college or
university, business executives, professionals;
14 percent of population
 Lower Middle Class – high school, some college;
lower-level managers skilled craftworkers,
supervisors; 30 percent of population

 Working Class – high school education;
factory workers, clerical workers, lower
level salespeople, some craft-workers; 30
percent of population
 Working Poor – some high school; laborers,
service workers; 22 percent of population
 Underclass – some high school;
undesirable, low-paying jobs, unemployed,
on welfare; 3 percent of population

Social Mobility
 social mobility – the movement between or within
social classes or strata
 horizontal mobility – movement within a social
class
 vertical mobility – movement between social
classes, upward or downward
 intergenerational mobility – status differences
between generations in the same family
(parent’s social class vs. their own current class)
 structural factors that affect upward mobility
include advances in technology, changes in
merchandising patterns, and increase in education

Motivations and Cultural Values
Influence the American Class
System
 Values influence Americans to try to
do better financially than their
parents and to help their children do
the same
 Most Americans remain in the same
social class as their parents
Section 3: Poverty
Objectives:
Identify the groups of Americans
that are affected by poverty.
Describe the steps that have
been taken by the federal
government to lessen the effects
of poverty.
Section 3: Poverty
Defining Poverty
 More than 31 million people (11% of the
population) live below the poverty level.
 poverty – a standard of living that is
below the minimum level considered
adequate by society, a relative measure
 poverty level – defined by the U.S. Bureau
of Census, the minimum annual income
needed by a family to survive
Section 3: Poverty
Defining Poverty
Poverty Level:
 determined by calculating the cost of providing an
adequate diet, based on the U.S. Dept. of
Agriculture’s minimum nutritional standards
 this number is then multiplied by three (research
has indicated that poor people spend 1/3 of their
income on food)
 adjusted each year to reflect the cost of living
 usually stated for a family of 4
 chart page 221
 reconsiderations based on changes in spending
habits since the 1960s
Section 3: Poverty
Groups Affected By Poverty

 Age – children are the largest group
(37%); three times more African American
and Hispanic children are poor than whites
 Gender – women are the largest segment
(57%); female-headed households
account for about half of all poor families
 Race and Ethnicity – African Americans
and Hispanics are far more likely than
white Americans to be poor
Section 3: Poverty
The Effects of Poverty
 Poor and wealthy members of society differ in the
range of their life chances and behavior patterns.
 life chances – the likelihood that individuals have of
sharing in the opportunities and benefits of society
 health, life expectancy, housing, education
 the lower the social class, the less opportunity to
share in the benefit of society
 life expectancy – the average number of years a
person born in a particular year can expect to live
 inadequate nutrition and less access to medial
care
Section 3: Poverty
The Effects of Poverty
 patterns of behavior
 higher divorce rate
 committing crime
people living in poverty are more likely
to commit crimes that police pursue
more aggressively
 victims of crime
Section 3: Poverty
Government Responses To Poverty
 Government attempts to reduce inequality through
various social-welfare programs using two approaches:
 Transfer Payments – redistribution of money among
various segments of society; taking a percentage of
the money collected through taxes and funneling it to
groups that need public assistance (poor,
unemployed, elderly, disabled
 Supplemental Security Income (SSI): provides
income support for people age 65 and older, the
blind, and disabled with children
 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF):
cash payments to families with children
Section 3: Poverty
Government Responses To Poverty

 Subsidies - transfer goods and services rather
than cash
Food Stamp Program: people receive
coupons or cards that can be used to buy
food
housing, school lunches
Medicaid: health insurance program for the
poor
Medicare: government-sponsored health
insurance program for people 65 and older

Sociology A

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Sociology A

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SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

Section 1: Systems of Stratification

Section 1: Systems of Stratification

Section 1: Systems of Stratification

Section 1: Systems of Stratification

Dimensions of Social Stratification

Section 1: Systems of Stratification

Section 1: Systems of Stratification

Section 1: Systems of Stratification

Section 2: The American Class System

Section 2: The American Class System

Section 2: The American Class System

Section 2: The American Class System

Section 2: The American Class System

Section 2: The American Class System

The American Class System

Section 2: The American Class System

Section 2: The American Class System

Groups Affected By Poverty

Government Responses To Poverty

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