Unit 3: Social Inequality

Ch 8: Social StratificationCh 9: Inequalities of Race and

EthnicityCh 10: Inequalities of Gender

and Old Age

Ch 8 – Social Stratification• Social

stratification• The creation of layers (or ______) of

people who ____________________ of scarce resources (ex. Income, wealth, power, + prestige).

• Each layer in the social stratification system is a social class (a segment of society whose members hold ____________ of resources + shared values, norms, + an identifiable lifestyle).

• The # of social classes a society has varies.

• Most _______________ have 3 broad classes (upper, middle, + lower) subdivided into smaller categories.

• Some societies may only have __.

• The political + economic ramifications of social stratification

• _________ observed the plight of the workers during the Industrial Revolution + wrote The _____________________ (along w/ Friedrich Engels) in response.

• He believed that history was an ongoing struggle b/w the ______ – the haves vs. the have nots.

• _______________ controlled the legal, educational, economic, + gov.’t systems. They used those systems to maintain or their power.

• He believed that the ___________ (the proletariat) would rise up against the _________ (the bourgeoisie) in a violent revolution. These violent revolutions would continue until eventually the capitalist system would by _________ + everyone would work for the benefit of society + share in its ______________.

• His ideas led to the rise of _________ + he became known as the father of communism (+ socialism).

• Communist countries today – China, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea + Cuba.

• Extremes in income + wealth in the US

* In new edition

• Income is the amount of $ __________ an individual or group over a specific time period.

• It’s what you _______.• Wealth is the total amount of economic

resources _________ a person or group. • It’s what you _______.

• In 2004, approximately __ mil Americans were living in poverty (more than ___%), but there were only about _____ mil millionaires + 341 billionaires.

• The richest 20% of American households received over __% of the nation’s income + the lowest 20% received less than 4%.

• Income inequality is ____________!• The top __% of Americans have ___% of

the total wealth.

• Power + prestige

• Power is the ability to _______________ of others, even against their will.

• Not always related to ____.• Can come from knowledge, fame,

social position, leadership abilities, etc…

• Prestige is the recognition, respect, + admiration attached to ______________.

• Defined by one’s culture + society.• Must be _____________ – cannot be

taken.• Social positions that are considered

the most important have the most ______ – in America it’s often those positions that accumulate _______ + power b/c they are valued highly w/in our society, but ____________. (Ex. priests or ministers).

Is it an example of wealth, power, or Is it an example of wealth, power, or prestige?prestige?

_________ 1. Mr. Chamblee’s Swiss bank account

_________ 2. Anna Rose is voted “Most Likeable”

_________ 3. A politician giving in to the interests of a lobby

_________ 4. Ms. Griggs wins the Teacher of the Year award

_________ 5. Mr. Bowen’s stock market holdings

_________ 6. A Supreme Court ruling

_________ 7. The respect given to Officer Hill

_________ 8. A wife makes her husband carry her purseEnd Section 1

• Explanations of stratification: The functionalist theory

• Believes stratification guarantees that the most ____________ fill the most ________________, that they perform their tasks competently, + that they are rewarded for their efforts.

• They recognize that _________ exits b/c certain jobs are more important than others + those jobs often require __________ +/or training.

• Explanations of stratification: The conflict theory

• Believes _______________ b/c some people are willing to ________ others.

• So they believe stratification occurs more b/c of ______ than b/c most people willingly accept it.

• More accepting of Marx’s ideas about ___________.

• People who own the means of production are able to spread their ______________ through schools, churches, the gov.’t, the media, etc…

• False consciousness refers to the working-class _________ of those ideas + values.

• Explanations of stratification: The symbolic interactionism theory

• Believes people are _______________ the existing stratification structure.

• We are taught to believe that a person’s ________ is a result of talent + effort. So those on the top _______________ + those on the bottom deserve to be there as well.

• So we shouldn’t ___________ the system.

• This can often result in people at the ________________ from self-esteem + those at the top have self-esteem.

• Goes back to the looking-glass self (your image of yourself based on what you believe others think of you). End Section

2

• Social classes in the US

• Class consciousness is a sense of identification w/ the goals + interests of a social class.

• Never __________________ in the US.• Changeable + full of exceptions.

• The Upper Class – ____% of pop.• Upper-upper class or “_________” – old

$, _________________• Lower-upper class – new $, _________,

may have more $ than upper-upper, but still not accepted into the more exclusive groups.

• The Middle Class – _________% of pop.• Upper-middle class – (14%)

successful in business, politics, military, etc… Can live well + save $, are usually __________ ________, + often active in voluntary + political organizations.

• Middle-middle class – (30%) _________ group. Includes small business owners, low-level managers, teachers, cops, etc… Earn around the national ___________.

• The Working Class - _____% of pop.• “Lower-middle class” includes truck

drivers, machine operators, clerical workers, etc… Paid ____________. Have below average income + _______________. Generally lack medical insurance + retirement benefits. Worry about illnesses + unemployment. Except for ______, not likely to belong to organizations. Rarely enter the ______________.

• The Working Poor – ____% of pop.• People employed in ___________ w/

the lowest pay who don’t earn enough to get out of _________. Include manual laborers, fast-food workers, etc… Often lack steady employment. Rarely belong to organizations or participate in politics.

• The Underclass – ____% of pop.• People who are usually

unemployed + often come from families w/ a history of ______________. Either work part-time menial jobs or are on public assistance. Lack education + skills. Commonly have physical + mental _________. Many are single mothers w/ little or no income.

• Can be born into working poor or underclass or come into them w/ _______, loss of a spouse, lack of education or training, addiction, or through acquiring a ___________.

• Very difficult to ______________.

End Section 3

Social classes people self-identified with.

• What is poverty?

* In new edition

• Absolute poverty is the absence of enough $ to secure ____________________.

• Relative poverty is a measure of poverty based on the _______________ b/w those at the bottom of a society + the rest of the society.

• In other words, it’s how poor a person feels by _________________ to others in their society.

• Relative poverty ___________ from one society to another (ex. US vs. Nigeria or even the poorest person in a _______ neighborhood).

• The US gov.’t measures poverty by setting an _________________ that anyone making less than would be considered poor.

• In 2004, the poverty line for a family of 4 was $_______ + _____% of Americans were living in poverty.

• Identifying the poor

• Groups most likely to be poor are _____________ households, children, the elderly, people w/ ___________, + people who live alone or w/ nonrelatives.

• Approx. ___% of the poor are white; however, only about 7.5% of whites are poor, compare w/ 23% of blacks and Latinos.

• So although blacks + Latinos only make up about ¼ of Americans, they make up about ½ of the poor.

• Children under 6 yrs old make up _________ of all age groups living in poverty at around 22%.

• Women have become ________________ to live in poverty since the 1960s as well. The trend of women + children making up an increasing proportion of the poor is known as the feminization of poverty.

• Why is this occurring? • B/c women _______ then men, those

w/ kids find it harder to keep long-term employment, + a lack of good ___________.

• Fighting poverty • The US didn’t really begin _______ _______ until the mid-1960s under President Lyndon Johnson’s “_____ _________” programs.

• Most American programs fighting poverty focus on ______________ through youth opportunity programs + work experience programs.

• Some programs have been criticized for _______ + fears that they’re causing people to become _______ upon the gov.’t to help them longer than needed.

End Section 4

• Social mobility

• The movement of people b/w ________________.• Horizontal mobility involves changing from one job

to another in the _________________ (ex: soldier to teacher, waitress to cashier, etc…).

• Vertical mobility involves ____________________ ___________ in job status or social class

• When vertical mobility takes place over a ____________, it’s called intergenerational mobility.

• In a caste system (a stratification structure that _____________ for social mobility – a closed-class system) social status is _______ + can’t be changed through individual effort. Careers choices + interactions w/ people of other castes are _______. One doesn’t ________ outside their caste.

• Ex. include South Africa under apartheid (castes based on ____) + India (castes based on _______________ according to the Hindu religion).

• In a _________________ individuals can move b/w classes + their social class is based on merit + effort.

Is it an example of Is it an example of intergenerational, vertical, or intergenerational, vertical, or

horizontal mobility ?horizontal mobility ?

_________ 1. A paramedic becomes a fireman

_________ 2. A businessman is laid off and becomes a waiter

_________ 3. A factory worker becomes a the manager

_________ 4. The daughter of a janitor becomes a professor

_________ 5. A highly decorated general is elected governor

_________ 6. A doctor quits medicine and becomes a trucker

_________ 7. A taxi driver whose father was an executive

_________ 8. A cop’s wife quits teaching to become a nurse

End Section 5

Ch 9 and 10 Quiz

Ch 9 – Inequalities of Race and Ethnicity

• Minorities • Groups of people w/ physical or cultural traits different from those of the ___________________ in the society.

• In sociology, it is NOT necessarily a group that makes up a __________________________. Ex:

• __________ are a minority.• In South Africa, _______ are a minority.

• Key features of minorities:• Distinctive physical or cultural characteristics

which can ________________ from the majority.• ________ by the majority – it has a lesser share of

the society's desired goods, services, + privileges. • Often believed by the majority to be _________ -

often used to justify discrimination.• Have a common sense of identity w/ strong group

___________.• The majority determines who is in the

minority through ______________ – so they are a minority at birth.

• Race • People sharing certain ______________________ characteristics that are considered important w/in a society.

• Biologists use characteristics like _______, eye color, hair color, ___________, facial features, head form, + height to determine race.

• The most common system classifies races into 3 major categories: Caucasian, ___________, + Negroid.

• There is NO such thing as a “______” race. Genetic markers typical of one race show up in other races quite ____________. Most scientists consider racial classifications arbitrary + _____________.

• Also, __________ is only determined by about 6 genes while ________ is controlled by dozens of genes. So… a 5’7” white woman may be more ______________ to a 5’7” black woman than to a 5’1” white woman.

• ______________ + characteristics that relate to race are more important than physical differences for sociologists.

• Ethnic minorities

• Groups indentified by cultural, religious, or national characteristics.

• So they are __________ defined by their language, religion, values, beliefs, norms, + customs.

• So _________ characteristics define racial minorities + _________ differences define ethnic minorities.

• Though part of the larger culture, they’re also separate b/c the ethnic majority puts up barriers to _______________ +/or b/c the minority wishes to _______ its cultural + national origins.

• Ethnocentrism is judging others in terms of one’s own ________________. It creates feelings of “us” vs. “them”. Can lead to prejudice + discrimination.

End Section 1

• Patterns of assimilation

• Minority groups are either _______ (leading to assimilation) or ________ (leading to conflict).

• Assimilation is the _________ of minority groups into the dominant society. The minority groups are given full ______________ in all aspects of the society.

• In the US, assimilation has been Anglo-conformity, melting pot, cultural pluralism, + accommodation.

• _______________is the most prevalent pattern of assimilation in the US. (Anglo meaning “of _______ descent”). This involves minorities accepting traditional Anglo values + customs.

• __________ b/c minorities are required to conform.

• “Melting pot” is when all ethnic + racial minorities __________________________.

• Common myth in many US history textbooks.

• Cultural pluralism is when cultures exist side by side + maintain a ______________________________.

• More like a “tossed salad”.• Accommodation is when a minority maintains its

own culturally unique way of life + accommodates the majority culture ____________________.

• Ex. The Amish

• Patterns of conflict

• 3 main ways in which dominant cultures have __________ minority groups:1. Genocide – The systematic effort to destroy

an _____________ (Ex. The Nazi efforts to kill off Jews during The Holocaust).

2. __________________ – When a minority is forced to move to a remote location or to leave the territory controlled by the majority (Ex. American Indians forced to move on to reservations).

3. Subjugation – Process by which a minority group is _______________ to the benefits of a society. This is the most common pattern of conflict. 2 types:

• De jure segregation is denial of equal access based on ___________ (Ex. Segregation of US schools prior to Brown vs. The Board of Education).

• De facto segregation is denial of equal access based on ________________ (Ex. Refusing to hire a minority as an executive).

End Section 2

• Prejudice, stereotypes, racism, + discrimination

• Prejudice is widely held negative or positive ________ toward a group (minority or majority) + its individual members.

• __________________.__________________.• Although your book only says negative attitudes,

prejudice can include positive attitudes as well.• Prejudice is a generalization based on biased or

___________________. These attitudes come from strong emotions, so they’re difficult to change, even when faced w/ overwhelming __________________.

• When people meet someone who doesn’t fit in to their stereotypes, they usually believe that person is the exception to the rule instead of ________________________.

• People tend to be prejudice in favor of those they see as __________________ + against those they see as different.

• A stereotype is an oversimplified, hard to change way of seeing people who belong to _______________.

• Racism is an extreme form of prejudice that assumes _____________ of one group over others. So racists believe that discrimination +/or exclusion is justified b/c of their own superiority.

• Discrimination is the _____________ of members of certain groups.

• Prejudice is an attitude + discrimination is an ______.Prejudice is an attitude + discrimination is an ______.• A person may be prejudice, but not discriminate.

Also, a person may discriminate (due to something like social pressure) but not be prejudice.

• Why do prejudice + discrimination exist?

• Hate crimes

• Functionalists stress how ethnocentrism (which leads to prejudice + discrimination) helps hold the _______ ________________.

• Conflict theorists stress the _________ b/w various groups for power - even b/w minorities.

• Symbolic interactionists stress how certain words or symbols can _________________________ (Ex. to “blacklist” someone or give them a “black eye”) or how minorities may begin to believe negative stereotypes which can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy (having an expectation that leads to behavior that then causes the expectation to ___________________).

• Criminal acts that are motivated by extreme _____________.

• ________________ someone based on race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry.

• People who commit hate crimes have vocabularies filled w/ demeaning stereotypes that attempt to __________________ against their victims. End Section

3

• Institutionalized discrimination

• ______________ that grow out of common behaviors/attitudes + are a part of the _____________________.

• May or may not be ___________.• Intentional ex: Many realtors used to

steer prospective minority homeowners to certain neighborhoods + away from others.

• Unintentional ex: Many urban areas are predominately made up of minorities (especially blacks) + b/c they don’t average as high a wage as predominately white suburbanites, their schools receive ______ $, so many of those minority children have to attend schools w/ fewer resources.

• How has institutionalized discrimination affected different minorities?

• Blacks: Barriers include skin color + features which make it ____________ people of this minority + America’s history of slavery + segregation which have contributed to a _____ ________ for many creating an underclass (people typically unemployed who come from families that have been poor for generations).

• The average black family earns ____% of what the average white family earns.

• Are also much more likely to work in __________ service jobs.

• Have approximately _______ as high unemployment rate which doesn’t even factor in the hidden unemployment (unemployment that includes people who have become _________ + given up looking for a job + part-time workers who want full-time jobs) which would the gap even more.

• The high school graduation rate was 77% (84% for whites) + college was 15% (25% for whites) in 1999.

• Although still widely ______________, blacks have made major gains in the last 50 yrs in professional, technical, + political careers.

• Latinos (ethnic minorities from ______________ including Mexico, Central America, South America + the Caribbean): They are the largest + _____________ minority in the US.

• Just over ½ have completed ______________.• Many work in low-paying, low-status jobs.• Are becoming much more ______________.

• American Indians: There are over 2 mil consisting of about ______ separate tribes + bands which makes them a much more ___________________ than most people realize.

• Over ¼ live below the ____________.• Lowest graduation rate.• Lowest annual _________.• About ¼ of Indians live on ___________. Poverty +

lack of education are about twice as bad for Indians who live on reservations as for those who do not.

• Asian Americans: Most ____________________ minority due in large part to their use of the educational system for upward mobility.

• ______% have completed college.• ________________ (includes descendents from Eastern +

Southern Europe) typically blue-collar workers in large eastern US cities. Tend to favor more integration + _____ support of the poor. Don’t typically experience the _____________ affecting other minorities.

End Section 4

Ch 10 – Inequalities of Gender and Old Age

• How gender shapes us

• A person’s sex is his/her classification as male or female based on _____________________.

• Biological determinism is the belief that _________ _____________ are the result of inherited physical characteristics.

• So if men are believed to be more intelligent + women more emotional b/c of their sex, this would need to be true in __________ in order to be correct.

• However, significant behavior differences b/w men + women haven’t been causally linked to biological characteristics. Though biology may create some behavioral tendencies in the sexes, they are so weak that they’re easily overridden by ________________________.

• Our gender identity is ____________ of being masculine or feminine, based on our ________.

• Research indicates that male + female brains are __________________ in structure. Ex. Women are more likely to use both halves of their brain at the same time + show more activity in the newer more highly developed region of the brain thought to be linked to _____________________.

• Most sociologists believe that ___________ _______ isn’t primarily the result of biology, but of culture + socialization.

• Researchers often look at how men + women are different instead of how similar they are.

End Section 1

• Sociological views of gender roles

• Functionalism: Believes that any pattern of behavior that ______________________ will become unimportant. Division of male/female responsibilities used to be ____________ back when humans hunted + gathered (men were bigger + stronger, + so were better hunters – they were also more expendable). Today, traditional division of labor b/w men + women has created ____________ (problems).

• Conflict Theory: Men ______ by keeping women politically, economically, + socially __________.

• Symbolic Interactionism: Focuses on how boys + girls learn to act the way they are “_________ ___”. The social process of learning to act as a boy or a girl is called gender socialization. Gender is acquired in large part from interaction w/ ______, teachers, peers, + mass media.

• Children are given gender specific ____________________.

• Studies show that girls are __________, talked to more, + handled more gently than boys. Boys are expected to be more assertive + discouraged from ________.

• Teachers also (often inadvertently) encourage boys to be more __________ __________ + girls to be more passive.

• Peers reinforce gender roles by typically giving ________________ to those who exemplify traditional gender roles (Ex. Boys as football players + girls as cheerleaders).End Section

2

• Sexism in the workplace

• Sexism is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms + values used to ________________________.

• Attempts to justify men’s leadership + power positions.

• Although women are more active in the labor force, they are concentrated in ___________ occupations. This is known as occupational sex segregation. For ex, women occupy almost all “_________” jobs (such as secretaries, clerks, stenographers) whose job it is to support those higher up the occupational ladder.

• Even in ___________ jobs, women typically in the lower-prestige, lower-paid jobs.

• For every dollar a man makes, a woman averages about _________. This is known as the gender wage gap.

• Over 1/3 of the gap is due to the differences in _____________________.

• Ex: Many women leave the labor force to start a family.

• Less than 1/3 of the gap is due to the ______ _____________ of men + women in certain positions (meaning more men tend to be employed in higher level positions).

• Over 1/3 of the gap is due to ____________.

• The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) would have assured that women enjoyed the same rights + protections __________. It passed in Congress in 1972, but Conservatives feared that it disrupt America’s ____________ + launched a Stop-ERA campaign. The amendment was _____________ by enough states.

• Some ___________________ have been passed however.

• In addition, women + minorities have greater difficulties in getting _____ ___________. This invisible barrier that obstructs their advancement up the _____________ is known as the glass ceiling.

Ratified --- RedRatified, then rescinded  ---- Yellow   Ratified in 1 house of legislature   --- Green  Not ratified --- Blue

End Section 3

• Ageism • A set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, + values used to ________________ prejudice + discrimination.

• Age stratification is the unequal distribution of ___________________ based on age.

• Age can be an advantage or disadvantage for any group, but sociologists are particularly interested in studying the inequality among _________. As America’s median age is , this affects ______________.

• Sociological views of ageism

• Functionalism: Believes that elderly people in a society are ______________________ they play in that society. Ageism isn’t an issue in _____________. In some societies, w/ age comes respect + the view that they have much knowledge to share. W/ ____________, the elderly are often _______ b/c they are seen as no long contributing to the common good through work + b/c change occurs so quickly, younger workers are more likely to possess the _____________ needed in the workplace.

• Conflict Theory: Ageism is used to _____ the elderly (thus making them a __________). By stereotyping the elderly as intellectually dull, inflexible, + unproductive, younger people benefit in the __________________ against older workers + employers can pay them ____ than older workers.

• Symbolic Interactionism: Like racism, ageism is _____. Stereotypes are created + through _______________________, children learn ageism. End Section

4

• Economics of the elderly

• _________ among the elderly is difficult to measure b/c of several factors:

• They have to spend proportionally more on ___________________, but the federal gov.’t assumes they require less $ to live (thus, _________________).

• Many are “near poor” – ____________.• The “_________” are older people who

either live in institutions or w/ relatives b/c they can’t ________ to live alone.

• Also, the median income is distorted by the fewer older people w/ __________.

• Older people who are a racial or ethnic minority are ________ to be poor than white older people.

• Elderly women are __________ to be poor as men, particularly those who aren’t ________.

• Politics + the elderly

• The older Americans get, the more likely they are to ____. However, they are a very diverse population + don’t vote as a bloc, even on issues directly related to them.

• This _____________ weakens their political power, but as their #s , they may become an ________________________.

• Some interest groups have formed to assist the elderly such as the AARP (___________________ ____________). Interest groups are organizations formed to influence political decision making.

End Section 5