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Chapter 8

Social Stratification and the U.S. Class System

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Slides by Michael Miller


Key Terms

Social Differentiation• Process by which we are set apart for differential treatment

Social Inequality• Condition under which we have unequal access to resources

Social Stratification• Form of inequality based on our access to valued resources


Slave System• Two distinct strata:

category of free people and a category who are the legal property of others

Caste System• Rank is heredity and

permanent• Marriage between

members of different categories is prohibited

Systems of Stratification


Estate System• Centered on

monopoly of power and ownership of land

Class System• Achieved statuses

are the principal means of ranking

Systems of Stratification


Determining Social Class Ranking

Power

Prestige

Wealth

IncomeAuthority


Measuring social class• Reputational method• Subjective method• Objective method (preferred by U.S. sociologists)

Socioeconomic status• A ranking that combines income, occupational prestige,

education, and neighborhood to define social class

Socioeconomic Status


U.S. Social Classes

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Absolute Poverty• Being below the minimum level of subsistence and

unable to function as members of society

Relative Poverty• A lack of resources relative to others and the overall

standards of society

Poverty


Media Images • Influence assumptions about who is poor

The Reality• In 2005, 33 million Americans (12%) had poverty incomes• Poverty rates vary by age, race, and gender• Feminization of poverty: women and girls are majority

Who Are U.S. Poor?



Culture of Poverty

• Set of norms, beliefs, values, and attitudes that trap poor in permanent cycle of poverty

• Most sociologists disagree with idea that poor people remain poor because of defective culture

Poverty and Culture




Class is a powerful predictor of life outcomes...

Opportunities for securing resources• Like eating nutritious food, getting decent housing,

going to college, etc.

Advantages begin early and persist throughout life

Life Chances


Vertical movement within class structure

Intergenerational & Intragenerational

Structural mobility • large-scale changes causing movement in hierarchy• major basis of movement in U.S.

Social Mobility


Functionalist

Davis and Moore

1. Inequality is created by needs of system

2. Some positions are more important to society and require more training and skills

3. Differential reward motivates people to fill important jobs

Sociological Perspectives


Conflict Marx

1. History = class struggle where elites gain most benefits

2. Bourgeoisie (capitalists) vs. Proletariat (working class)


Would you agree that mass media are instruments of ruling class?


Interactionist

We use symbols to differentiate ourselves from those in other classes

Lifestyle displays rank

VeblenWealth becomes prestige through conspicuous consumption
