Post on 18-Jan-2016
Sociology Per. 4 April 9th 2014End Time: 10:53Unit: Social Inequality
Warm-Up: In your IN (p. 74), respond to the prompt:
Who is responsible for solving the problems of economic inequality? (the government, businesses, individuals, etc.)
Explain why they are responsible.
HW: Prepare notes for quiz game tomorrow. Winning team will get extra points.
Social Class**2008 Statistics % of Population
Yearly Income
Upper 1% $1 Million +
Upper Middle 14% $100K +
Lower Middle 30% $35-100K
Working Class 30% $16-34 K
Working Poor 22% $less than 15K
Underclass 3%
Socioeconomic Status
- Income
- Occupational Prestige
- Level of Education
Sheldon Adelson
Social Mobility
A person’s movement over time from one class to another
Types of Social Mobility
Upward – moving to a higher class
Downward – moving to a lower class
Intragenerational – change in social position during a person’s lifetime- a well-paid athlete starting out in the working class
Intergenerational – upward or downward social mobility of children in relation to their parents
- the daughter of working-class parents is in the middle class
Horizontal – changing jobs but remaining within the same class- a doctor becomes a lawyer
Money vs. WealthIncome
- Earnings from work of investments
- Next paycheck
Wealth
- The total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts
-Savings- Investment- Possessions- House
Poverty- According to the government, 40 million people are poor
- 13.2% of the population
- Roughly 49% of the poor are young people - Under the age of 24
- About 70% of the poor are white, but in relation to their population, African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be poor
PovertyExplanations of Poverty
Blame Individuals – The “culture of poverty” thesis states that poverty is caused by shortcomings in the poor themselves
- Oscar Lewis
- In 1996, Congress changed welfare to address “culture of poverty”- Before, there was Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) - Changed to Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF)
- In most cases, benefits stop after two years on welfare- The change is designed to force people to be self-supporting
PovertyExplanations of Poverty
Blame Society – Poverty is caused by society’s unequal distribution of wealth and lack of good jobs
- William Julius Wilson
- Blaming individuals is blaming the victim- Government should fund jobs and provide affordable child-care- Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the income tax in 1935
- Introduced social security, welfare, and jobs program- The original income tax was 94% after $25,000- The highest income tax now is 35-39%
- $55 million in taxpayer money
- Going to DePaul University- For basketball arena in the
South Loop
PovertyRelative Poverty – the lack of resources of some people in relation to those who have more
Absolute Poverty – a lack of resources that is life-threatening
Feminization of Poverty – the trend of women making up an increasing proportion of the poor
PovertyFeminization of Poverty- The trend of women making up an increasing proportion of the poor
- In 1960, 25% of poor households were headed by women - In 2008, 48% of poor households were headed by single women
1. Women are paid less2. Occupational Segregation – jobs that women are socialized for, pay less3. Welfare has changed
- TANF replaced AFDC- Harder for single-parent families to receive aid
4. Divorce- 90% of women take care of children – support costs money- Only 50% of fathers pay court-ordered child-support- Child support doesn’t cover daycare