Vocabulary
Social stratification
Social stratification is the creation of layers (or strata) of people who possess unequal shares of scarce resources
What is the difference between absolute and relative poverty?
absolute poverty inoloves the absense of resources, relative is being in "poverty" relative to where you live.
Horizontal mobility
changing from one occupation to another at the same social class level. No real change in occupational status or social class
Open-class system
an individual’s social class is based on merit and individual effort and people can move up and down the stratification structure as their abilities, education and resources permit.
identified two main classes in capitalist societies
Karl Marx
Social Class
is a segment of the population who members hold similar amounts of scarce resources and share values, norms and an identifiable lifestyle
Name an aspect of welfare reform
Limits the amount of times those able to work can receive welfare payments.
Reduces welfare spending, increases state and local power to oversee welfare rules, and it adds new restrictions on welfare eligibility.
Vertical mobility
person’s occupational status or social class moves upward or downward.
Intergenerational mobility
when changes take place over a generation
argued that while having money certainly helps, economic success and power are not the same
Max Weber
Power
Power is the ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will
was enacted during the Great Depression of the 1920s but did not usually reach the lowest levels of needy citizens
Social Security and Aid to Families with Dependent Children
What is the difference between horizontal and verticle mobility
answers will vary
Name an example of intergenerational mobility
answers will vary
Name the theory : Recognizes the inequality that exists because certain jobs are more important than others and these jobs require special talent and training.
Functionalist theory
Class Consciousness
What was a goal of the war on poverty?
To help poor people help themselves
What is a caste system
no social mobility because the social status is inherited and cannot be changed
Social mobility
the movement of people between the social classes.
Name the theory: nequality exists because some people are willing to exploit others. Stratification is based on force rather than on voluntarily agreeing to it.
Conflict theory
Globalization
he process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.
Name a criticism of the war on poverty
wide-spread abuses and the fear that the system encourages people to become dependent upon the government
_______ country is famous for its traditional caste system
India
Why did the increase in upward mobility after WW2 stop ?
companies are shipping jobs overseas to pay lower salaries thus people who lack education needed to perform more sophisticated jobs are forced to take lower-paying jobs
Helps us understand how people are socialized to accept the existing stratification structure.
For example, American children are taught that a person’s social class is the result of talent and effort
Symbolic interactionism