Social Stratification &

Social Inequality

Social Differentiation• Different treatment

of people based on status, roles, social characteristics

Social Inequality• People have

unequal access to wealth, power, and prestige

Social Stratification• Form of

inequality in which people are systematically ranked based on their access to scarce but valued resources

• Transmitted generation to generation

Systems of Stratification

OClosed vs. open systemsO Whether social

mobility is possible or not

OSlaveryO free people and

property of others

OCaste System O Rank is hereditary

and permanent, marriage between different members is not allowed

Systems of Stratification

O Estates O Social hierarchy

based on power and land ownership by religious and political elites

O Social classes O Achieved status

(gained by ability and merit) are the principal means of ranking

Determining Social Class Ranking

OWealth O a person’s or

family’s total economic assets

OPower O Ability to realize

one’s will, even against resistance and the opposition of othersOPersonal v.

social power

Determining Social Class Ranking

OPrestigeO The respect and

admiration people attach to various social positions

OSocioeconomic statusO Combines income,

occupational prestige, education and neighborhood

American Social Classes

O The Upper Class “The Rich”O Around 1% of the

populationO ~$500,000 or more

per yearO Same schools,

camps, collegesO Old Money, New

Money, gov’t officials, celbrities

O Old MoneyO New MoneyO Gov’t officials,

celebritiesO “Rich” vs. “super-

rich”

American Social Classes

O Upper Middle ClassO ~15% of

populationO ~$100,000 or

more per yearO Professionals,

good occupational prestige

O Elite is some small towns

American Social Classes

O Lower-Middle ClassO 30-40% of

populationO ~$40,000 to

$75,000 per year

O Emulate the upper middle class but lack resources to reach it

American Social Classes

O Working ClassO $16,000-

$30,000 per year

O Few job benefits, dangerous work, long hours,

O threat of falling into poverty

American Social Classes

O Lower ClassO ~16-20%O $0 - 23,050 for

family of four ($11,000 for 1 person)

O Many have jobs (sometimes)

O Homeless, welfare- only is only around 1-2%

Poverty in AmericaMedia Images and Reality

What is poverty? O Absolute poverty:

when people fall below a minimum subsistence level and are unable to function as members of society

O Relative poverty: a lack of resources relative to others and the overall standards of a society

O U.S. poverty line is based on cost of living and family size—the absolute measure

Who is America’s Poor? According to 2012 Census Bureau Report

O The bottom 10 percent of earners made the same amount of money in 2011 as they did in 1994

O Women continued to earn 77 percent of what men earned

O 27.6 percent of Black Americans were in poverty

O 25.3 percent of Hispanic Americans were in poverty

O 9.8 percent of White Americans were in poverty

O More than one-fifth of those under 18 were in poverty

Types of PovertyO Situational

poverty: is generally caused by a sudden crisis or loss and is often temporary.O environmental

disasters, divorce, or severe health problems

O Generational poverty: occurs in families where at least two generations have been born into poverty.

O Families living in this type of poverty are not equipped with the tools to move out of their situations.

HomelessnessO Economic and

political factors are largely responsible O Closing of

mental institutions

O Turndown in manufacturing, jobs

Culture of PovertyO Culture of

poverty: a set of norms, beliefs, values and attitudes that trap a small number of the urban poor in a permanent cycle of povertyO Oscar Lewis,

sociologist

O Many sociologists point out that poor do respond to opportunities

O Also consider skills learned which could apply to legitimate jobs

The Pruitt-Igoe Myth

As you watch answer the following questions: 1. What factors led to the

development of the Pruitt-Igoe project?

2. What types of families originally lived there?

3. Why factors led to its failure?

Global Stratification

Global StratificationO Global

stratification system: where nations are ranked in hierarchy on the basis of their access to the world’s wealth, power and prestigeO Measured using

Human Development Index (HDI)

High-Income NationsO Advanced industrial

economies and high living standardsO Developed nationO Only about 20% of

population live in high-income nations, but use 75% of resources

Middle-Income NationsO Nations that are

newly industrialized and have moderate wealth and living standardsO High income elite,

but many people have access to basics

Low-Income NationsO Nations that are

poor, agrarian, and benefit least from their participation in the global economyO Average incomes

around $400O Used to benefit rich

countries more than themselves

Modernization TheoryO Global

development is a process in which advanced industrial nations and technology help poor nations advance

Old Modernization Theories: O Climate,

resourcesO Political

corruptionO Traditional

customsO Culture of

povertySingapore bucks the these ideas

SingaporeO Largely

authoritarian rule for more than 40 years

O Still kept traditional customs

O Went from agrarian to high-tech

O However, still had some outside help from wealthy nations

Conflict Approaches to Global Inequality

O Colonialism & Imperialism: more powerful nations dominate and exploit weaker ones in trade and other relations

Conflict Approaches to Global Inequality

ODependency Theory: rich industrialized nations keep poor nations from advancing through dependency relationshipsO TradeO IndustrialO Investment

Trade DependencyO Continuation of

ColonialismO Purchasing raw

materials at lowest possible prices

O MFN treaties not extended to poor nations

O High tariffs cost poor countries $700 billion a year (UN)

Industrial DependencyO Corporations take

advantage of cheap labor, access to local markets, tax advantages, and avoid environmental regulations

Investment Dependency

O World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) give liberal loans, then draconian austerity measures to recoup loans—preventing growth

World System TheoryO Maintains that all

nations are part of a worldwide division of laborO Core,

semiperiphery, periphery nations

O Depending on what they have to offer, they get more or less