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Social StratificationSocial Stratification
Ranking of individuals or categories of individuals on the basis of unequal access to scarce resources & social rewards
Social InequalitySocial Inequality
The unequal sharing of social rewards & resources
Why haven’t large ‘unstratified’ societies existed?
What criteria would you use to stratify a society if it were up to you?
How would you distribute scarce resources & social rewards?
CasteCaste
Distribute resources & rewards on ascribed ascribed characteristics
ClassClass
Distribute resources & rewards on achievedachieved characteristics
U.S.
Class system US law forbids discrimination based
on ascribed characteristics (race, sex, ethnicity, religion, etc.) Therefore, all Americans have equal access to resources needed for social advancement.
Does everyone have equal access?Does everyone have equal access?
Social ClassSocial Class
Grouping people with similar levels of wealth, power, and prestige
Upper, middle, lower
Wealth Made up of his or her assets (value of
belongings) and income (money earned through salary, returns, and gains)
In the US…
Wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small percent of the population.
-Richest 1% of population controls 1/3 of wealth
-Top 1/5th of income earners receive 50% of the national income
-Average executive makes 419x the average worker
Power
The ability to control the behaviors of others with or without their consent
Based on:
FORCE POSSESSION OF A SPECIAL SKILL
SOCIAL STATUS SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE
CUSTOMS PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Prestige
Respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy an individual receives from the other members of society
Income Occupation Education
Family Background Area of Residence
Possessions Club Memberships
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
Combines social factors such as educational level, occupational prestige, place of residence, and income
Prestige Ratings
On the next page in your packet, there are
20 occupations. By yourself, please rank
the occupations based on Prestige. There
are no right or wrong answers, just
opinions.
Explaining Stratification
Functionalist Theory Social Stratification is a necessary feature of
Social Structure
Certain roles must be performed in order to maintain society
Opposition to the Functionalist Theory
-Not everyone has equal access to education
-Unrecognized talent in lower classes
-Some rewards don’t reflect social values of the role
Explaining Stratification
Conflict Theory Competition over resources as the cause of
social inequality
Stratification comes from class exploitation
6 Classes
Upper-upper- UPPER CLASS Lower-upper- UPPER MIDDLE CLASS Upper-middle- LOWER MIDDLE CLASS Lower-middle- WORKING CLASS Upper-lower- WORKING POOR Lower-lower- UNDERCLASS
UPPER CLASS
1% of population Old money vs. New Money
-wealthy for gen. - Newly rich
-Family name - Not as respected
-Upper class holds power and influence
-Usually associated with Charity work and philanthropy
-Pay their dues to society
UPPER MIDDLE CLASS
High income businesspeople and professionals
Status based on income rather than assets
Have more influence in community
LOWER MIDDLE CLASS
White collar jobs (Do not require manual labor) Require less education and receive less
income Have comfortable life, but must work hard to
maintain traditional values
WORKING CLASS
Jobs require more manual labor Blue collar Factory workers, trades-people Don’t carry much prestige
Few financial reserves If emergencies happen…
WORKING POOR
Lowest paying jobs Often temporary or seasonal
Housecleaning, migrant farmers, day laborers
Barely make a living wage Depend on government assistance
UNDERCLASS
Families have been poor or unemployed for generations
Chief source of income is public assistance
50% of children make it to a higher class Life is a day to day struggle
3 ways to rank individuals3 ways to rank individuals
1. Reputational Indiv. In the community rank others
2. Subjective Indiv. rank themselves (middle)
3. Objective Sociologists define class based on
occupation, income & education
