Chapter 7

Stratification

Chapter Outline

Structures of Inequality Inequality in the United States Explanations of Inequality The Determinants of Social Class

Position Social Class and Social Life Social Class and Public Policy: Fighting

Poverty

Inequality and Stratification

Inequality becomes stratification when two conditions exist:– Inequality is institutionalized, backed up

both by social structures and social norms.– Inequality is based on membership in a

status (such as oldest son or blue collar worker) rather than on personal attributes.

Types of Stratification Structures

Caste systems - dramatically represented in India. Mates, occupations, and social place are determined by one’s caste.

Class systems permit social mobility through the attainment of achieved rather than ascribed statuses.

Marx

Two classes: Bourgeoisie control wealth. Proletariat are used by them as a labor

supply.

Weber

Class is a relationship to the means of production.

Status is related to lifestyle. Power is the ability to compel other

people’s behavior.

Weber’s Model of Social Class

 Measuring Social Class

Self-identification asks people to report their social class. Most people identify themselves as middle class.

Socioeconomic status, or SES, is determined by looking at measures of education, occupation, and income.

Economic Inequality

Especially pronounced in the United States.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

The richer 20% currently hold 84% of all wealth.

Occupational Prestige Ratings

Occupation Score Occupation Score

Physician 86 Sociologist 61

Lawyer 75 Editor or Reporter

60

Architect 73 Librarian 54

Dentist 72 Electrician 51

Judge 71 Mechanic 40

C.E.O. 70 Barber 36

Veterinarian 62 Sales Clerk 34

Conflict Explanation of Inequality

Statuses and scarce resources are distributed on the basis of class struggle.

Social inequality is rooted in the private ownership of the means of production.

Modern conflict theory considers non-economic factors.

Income Inequality in the UnitedStates, 2001

Changes in Lifestyles by Social Class in Middletown

1924 1977 1999

% of mothers rising before 6 a.m. on workdays

Business class 15% 13% 50%

Working class 93 27 53

% of mothers who work

Business class 3 42 77

Working class 45 58 87

Structural-functional Explanation of Inequality

Rewards are distributed based on:

1. The social importance of the task.

2. The pleasantness of the task.

3. The scarcity of the talent and ability necessary to perform the task.

The Changing OccupationalStructure, 1900–2000

Synthesis of Conflict and Structural-functional Theory

Leonard Beeghley:

1. Power is the main determinant of the distribution of scarce resources.

2. Distribution is socially structured.

3. Individual qualities, like achievement motivation and intelligence can alter the relationships of power.

The Rich, the Middle Class, the Working Class, and the Poor

Upper class - (5% of the population) make more than $130,000 per year.

Middle class - hold relatively stable jobs and have access to benefits.

Working class - values and lifestyles are dissimilar to the middle class, but income levels may be higher.

Distinctions of Working Class

Education is not valued as an end in itself.

Lower job security and less access to benefits like health insurance.

Leisure is valued above work, since work is seldom pleasant.

Traditional gender roles are more often accepted and adhered to.

Who Are the Poor?

Homeless - former mental patients, drug-abusers, and alcoholics, 25% are women with children.

Disadvantaged, unemployed, unemployable, and caught in lives of misery.

% of State Residents Living Below Poverty Line, 2000–01