1. Chapter 8

2. Outline
 Social Stratification and Inequality
 Slavery, Caste system and Social Class
 Social Classes Categories
 Theories of Social Class
 Socioeconomic Status and Life Chances
 Social Mobility
 Is there a culture of poverty?

3. Social Stratification and Social
Inequality
 Social Stratification-division of society into groups
arranged in a social hierarchy
 Higher level groups will enjoy better access to rewards
and resources and lower levels will have worse access
 Leads to social inequality (unequal distribution of
wealth, power, prestige)
 1. Characteristic of society
 2. Persists over generations
 3. Different societies have different ways of ranking
 4. Stratification maintained through widely shared
beliefs

4. Systems of Stratification
 Slavery, Caste system, Social Class
 Slavery-most extreme form of social stratification-
based on legal ownership of people-provide labor
 No rights-bought and sold like commodities
 Became enslaved through owing a debt, warfare,
committing a crime, or being captured and kidnapped
 Illegal all over the world now but still continues in India,
South Asia, West Africa
 Child slavery, serfdom, human trafficking, sex slaves

5. Caste System
 Caste system-form of social stratification in which
status is determined by one’s family history and
background and can’t be changed
 Must marry within group-caste ranking passed to kids
 India-reflection of Hindu religion-Brahman, ksatriya,
chhetri, vaisya, sudra, untouchables
 South Africa-Apartheid-system of segregation and
racial groups that was legal in South Africa 1948-91

6. Social Class Categories
 Social class-system of stratification based on access to
resources such as wealth, property, power and prestige
[also referred to as socioeconomic status(SES)]
 Practiced primarily in capitalist countries
 Upper class-largely self-sustaining, wealthiest people
in a class system; in U.S., comprise about 1% of the
population and possess most of the wealth; $250,000+
 Upper-middle class-mostly professionals and
managers who enjoy considerable financial stability;
about 14% of U.S. population

7. Social Class
 Middle-class-comprised of mostly white-collar
workers with a broad range of incomes; 30% of U.S.
population; $55,000-$88,000
 White collar-workers and skilled laborers in technical
and lower management jobs
 Working class-(lower-middle class)-mostly blue-
collar or service industry workers who are less likely to
have a college degree; 30% of population; $23,000-
$54,000
 Blue collar-workers who perform manual labor

8. Social Class
 Working poor-poorly educated workers who work full
time but remain below the poverty line; comprise
about 20% of U.S. population
 Many are high school dropouts; get unskilled, temporary
and seasonal jobs
 Underclass-poorest Americans who are chronically
unemployed and may depend on public or private
assistance; 5% of U.S. population
 Earn less than $7,500 a year; substandard housing or are
homeless
 Status inconsistency-situation where there are
different elements of an individual’s SES

9. Theories of Social Class
 Karl Marx-theory came out during Industrial
Revolution in 19th century Europe when class was
emerging out of the collapsing feudal system
 *Argued that economic relationships were quickly
becoming the only social relationships what mattered
 New social inequality was b/w bourgeoisie and
proletariat
 Max Weber-believed class position came out of a
combination of wealth, power, and prestige (pg. 203)
 Prestige-social honor people are given because of their
membership in well-regarded social groups
 Can affect how people are perceived: doctor vs. janitor

10. Theories of Social Class
 Pierre Bordieu-studied social reproduction-tendency of
social classes to remain relatively stable as social class
status is passed down from one generation to the next
 Cultural capital-the tastes, habits expectations, skills,
knowledge, and other cultural dispositions that help us gain
advantages in society
 Can shape others’ perceptions of us
 Erving Goffman-we read identity by interpreting behavior
of others
 Our clothing, speech, cars, what we do on vacation are all part
of our presentation of self

11. Socioeconomic Status & Life Chances
 Belonging to a certain class brings with it either certain
privileges or hardships that members will endure
 Education- $78,200 (advanced); $49,900 (bachelor’s);
$30,800 (high school) and $21,600 (non-graduates)
 Schools don’t always meet needs of all students
 Work – Lower class people have more problems with
jobs – unemployment, underemployment
 Loss of “Blue Collar” jobs
 Two income households
 Widening income gap between those at the top and
bottom of the scale

12. SES and Life Chances
 Criminal Justice – people of low SES are more likely to
have experience with the criminal justice system –
more likely to be arrested, sentenced, and even the
victims
 Family – higher social class – older when they get
married and less children
 Health – poor least likely to be get adequate nutrition,
shelter, clothing, healthcare-more prone to illness-
shorter life spans
 We can’t take for granted the advantages and
disadvantages individuals deal with

13. Social Mobility
 Social Mobility-movement of individuals or groups
within the hierarchal system of social classes
 Closed system-system with very little opportunity to
move from one class to another (caste system)
 Open system-system with ample opportunities to
move from one class to another (U.S.)
 Intergenerational mobility-movement between
social classes that occurs from one generation to the
next
 Intragenerational mobility-movement that occurs
between classes over the course of an individual’s
lifetime

14. Social Mobility
 Horizontal Mobility-the occupational movement of
individuals or groups within a social class
 Vertical Mobility-the movement between different
class statuses, often called either upward mobility or
downward mobility
 Structural Mobility-changes in the social status of
large numbers of people due to structural changes in
society

15. Defining Poverty
 Relative Deprivation-comparative measure of
poverty based on the standard of living in a particular
society
 Absolute Deprivation- and objective measure of
poverty; defined by inability to meet minimal
standards for food, shelter, clothing, or healthcare

16. Culture of Poverty
 Culture of Poverty – attitudes that develop among
poor that lead the poor to accept their fate and not
attempt to change their place in society
 Controversial because it blames victims of poverty
 Just World Hypothesis – see world as predictable &
fair – thus the poor “deserve” what they get
 Melvin Lerner
 Meritocracy-system in which rewards are distributed
based on merit

17. Invisibility of Poverty
 Residential Segregation-
geographic separation of
the poor from the rest of
the population
 Disenfranchisement-
poor are less likely to vote
 Hide the homeless – get
them out of sight
 About 2.5 mil. people will
experience homelessness
at least once during a given
year