1.Why do you think stereotypes are so easily interchanged between groups? Do you believe that our society is becoming more or less racist? How effective were previous movements to attain equality?

Class & Stratification

Class

1. Social stratification is a relatively fixed, hierarchical arrangement in society by which groups have different access to resources, power, and perceived social worth.

   1. Social stratification is a system of structured social inequality.

      1. Social Status- ex. Shopping structurally different experiences

         1. Social class and sports

         2. How you see the world

2. Types

   1. estate system of stratification, the ownership of property and the exercise of power are monopolized by an elite class who have total control over societal resources.

   2. caste system, one’s place in the stratification system is an ascribed status meaning it is a quality given to an individual by circumstances of birth.

   3. class systems, stratification exists, but a person’s placement in the class system can change according to personal achievements.

      1. Life Chances (Weber)

      2. Labels/Status symbols

         1. Conspicuous Consumption (Veblen)

Inequality

1. Economic restructuring refers to the decline of manufacturing jobs in the United States, the transformation of the economy by technological change, and the process of globalization.

2. Wealth & Income

   1. Income is the amount of money brought into a household from various sources (wages, investment income, dividends, and so on) during a given period. (Wine Glass)

   2. Wealth is the monetary value of everything one actually owns. Wealth is calculated by adding all financial assets (stocks, bonds, property, insurance, savings, value of investments, and so on) and subtracting debts, resulting in one’s net worth.

      1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM

      2. Student debt

      3. Bankruptcy and the fall of the middle of the class

         1. Ladder

         2. US “Open” Class system

         3. Status attainment

   3. socioeconomic status (SES) is derived from certain factors. Income, occupational prestige, and education are the three measures of socioeconomic status that have been found to be most significant in determining people’s placement in the stratification system.

   4. Class system

      1. urban underclass- includes those who are likely to be permanently unemployed and without much means of economic support. The underclass has little or no opportunity for movement out of the worst poverty.

   5. Class conflict

      1. Inequality is the result of stratification from resources

         1. Race, gender, age, etc.

   6. Race vs. Class

3. Mobility: Myth Vs. Reality

   1. meritocracy—that is, a system in which one’s status is based on merit or accomplishments, not other social characteristics.

   2. Social mobility is a person’s movement over time from one class to another.

   3. Class consciousness is the perception that a class structure exists along with a feeling of shared identification with others in one’s class—that is, those with whom you share life chances (Centers 1949).

      1. two dimensions to class consciousness: (1) the idea that a class structure exists; and (2) one’s class identification.

   4. false consciousness to describe the class consciousness of subordinate classes who had internalized the view of the dominant class.

4. Theory

   1. Marx- Ideology refers to belief systems that support the status quo

   2. Weber- Class, Status, Party

   3. Structural Functionalism

      1. Rewards based on

         1. importance of task

         2. pleasantness of task

         3. scarcity of talent

      2. Criticism

         1. Scarcity can be artificially created

         2. social class influence

         3. many high rewards come from unnecessary jobs (rock star, plastic surgeon)

   4. Conflict theory

      1. Power relationships create inequality

      2. Criticisms

         1. even without unequal power relations people would achieve differently

         2. organizations work better with authority models.

      3. Loss of talent

   5. Symbolic Interaction theory

      1. Self-fulfilling prophecy

5. Poverty

   1. culture of poverty argument attributes the major causes of poverty to the absence of work values and the irresponsibility of the poor.

   2. Structural causes- changing economy & labor market

   3. Concentrated poverty

   4. Feminization of poverty

   5. Extreme poverty