Stratification and Inequality

1. Stratification and Inequality Stratification Stratification Systems

2. What is Social Stratification? • Social stratification refers to the division of a society into layers (or strata) whose occupants have unequal access to social opportunities and rewards

3. What is Social Stratification? • People in the top strata enjoy privileges that are not available to other members of society • People in the bottom strata endure penalties that other members of society escape

4. Stratification • In a stratified society, inequality is part of the social structure and passes from one generation to the next • Inequality describes a condition in which members of a society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power

5. Systems of Stratification • Slavery • Castes • Estates • Social classes

6. Slavery In Egypt This social stratification in ancient Egypt was like a pyramid

7. Slavery In Egypt • At the bottom Slaves and Farmers - they support the rest of the structure • Above were skilled Craftsmen • Scribes (the only Egyptians who knew how to read and write) • Priests and doctors (these priests did not preach, their duties were: perform material and ritually magic services to the god of his temple and Perform funeral rites for the dead) • High Priests and Nobles - they served as generals and administrators, and formed the government. • The Vizier was the Pharaoh's closest advisor. • Pharaoh was not simply a ruler, but was considered a god on the earth

8. Slavery (closed system) • Extreme form of legalized social inequality • People are owned by other people • CAUSES: • Pay off debt • Violation of the law • War and conquest • CONDITIONS • Slavery was not always inheritable

9. A caste system (closed system) • Castes are hereditary systems of occupation, social class, and political power • In other words, the assignment of individuals to places in the social hierarchy

10. A caste system (closed system) • Rigid system of inequality • Caste position is strictly defined • There is no social mobility from one caste to another • Caste relationships are relatively conflict free (powerful position of the upper caste and ideology that justifies caste position) • There is little deviance on the part of the lower castes because of fear of harsh punishment

11. Caste system of India • A well-known society with a caste system is India • People are born into a caste • Caste membership determines your occupation, social interaction, power, and education • No amount of achievement will change your caste position.

12. Example of caste system

13. Stratification Triangle

14. Inequalities among castes • Inequalities among castes are considered to be part of the divinely ordained natural order and are expressed in terms of purity and pollution

15. Rule of Interaction in a caste society • Endogamy- In a caste society, people have to marry within their own caste. • Ritual Pollution - Contact between members of the upper caste and the lower caste is inappropriate (seen by the members of the upper caste as unclean) • Upper caste individuals avoid even the shadow of an untouchable • The shadow of an untouchable's house is polluting to members of the upper castes.

16. Caste System • Caste System in India • The Untouchables (Part I) • The Untouchables (Part II)

17. The chastity of women • The chastity of women is strongly related to caste status • Generally, the higher ranking the caste, the more sexual control its women are expected to exhibit • Brahman brides should be virginal, faithful to one husband, and celibate in widowhood • By contrast, a Sweeper bride may or may not be a virgin, extramarital affairs may be tolerated, and, if widowed or divorced, the woman is encouraged to remarry

18. The chastity of women • For the higher castes, such control of female sexuality helps ensure purity of lineage--of crucial importance to maintenance of high status

19. Estates (Feudalism)-closed system • Middle ages • Nobility(5%)—own land and do not work • The mass, peasants required to work for military protection • Nobles inherited their titles/property

20. Social classes – open system • Class system is a social ranking based primary on economic position in which achieved characteristics can influence mobility • People who occupy the same layer of the socioeconomic hierarchy are known as a social class (Bassis, 1990) • or a group of people who rank closely to one another in wealth, power, and prestige

21. Social classes in the USA

22. Upper class • Upper-upper class (wealth is inherited rather than earned (old money) The term commonly includes all "blue bloods" (multi-generational wealth combined with leadership of high society) such as Roosevelt families • Lower-upper class (depend on earning rather than wealth (new rich), exceptional accomplishments (the athlete who accepts a million-dollar contract to play in a big leagues, the clever computer programmer who designs the anew program that sets a standard for the industry…

23. Upper class • Members of the upper class control and own significant portions of the corporate America and may exercise indirect power through the investment of capital. • Yet another important feature of the upper class is that of inherited privilege • Upper class persons do not need to work in order to maintain their status • Overall, the upper class is the financially best compensated and one of the most influential socio-economic classes in American society

24. Class Characteristics (Middle class) • Upper-middle class – comfortable house in a fairly expensive area, several cars, some investments, college education, and postgraduate degree. Many work in white collar fields – medicine, engineering, law, or business executives • Lower-middle class – might work as bank tellers, middle managers, sales clerks or highly skilled blue-collar jobs (electrical work or carpentry)

25. Class Characteristics (Working class) • Working class- mostly blue-collar occupations, live in lower-cost neighborhoods, few working class people can afford college education for themselves and their children

26. Class Characteristics (lower class) • Lower class – low-prestige jobs that provide minimal income. Only some complete high school, college degree is usually out of reach. Large number lives in deteriorating areas, in rental housing, work two or three jobs • Minorities • Single (female headed) parents • About 15% of population (40 mil.) 1994 • Poverty line--~$12,812 (1991)-- $15,141 (1994)--$16,400 (1997)--17,050 (2000).

27. How to measure Social Class? • Objective Measures (the researcher makes a determination about an individual's class position) • Education • Occupation (prestige ranking) • Income • Wealth • Residence (sometimes) • Subjective Measure (individual’s opinion)

28. Objective measure of social class • Prestige refers to the respect and admiration with which an occupation is regarded by society • National surveys are used to assign prestige ranking to more than 500 occupations (90 to 10 scores)

29. Prestige Ranking of Occupations (high)

30. Prestige Ranking of Occupations (low)

31. Ranking might change over time • Mass media impact (“Law and Order”) • Propaganda • Social movements

32. LIFE-CHANCES AND S.E.S. • HEALTH AND MEDICINE • ACCESS TO CULTURE • SOCIALIZATION (different orientations for children) • POLITICAL ORIENTATION • DATING/MARRIAGE • CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS • CHILD REARING • NUTRITION • SERVING IN ARMED FORCES • RESIDENTIAL LOCATION

33. Class and Life Chances • Education: upper 1/5--79% go to college, bottom 1/5-- 30% • Health: Infant mortality--70% higher in poor families, poorer more likely to suffer from serious illness (physical and psychological) • 15% of population has no health insurance and this is NOT the same group as the POOR. • Life expectancy 5-7 years less (environmental factors, occupation, nutrition)

34. Class and Life Chances • Crime: poorer--more likely to be victims (especially violence, including robbery • If accused--more likely to spend time in jail), more likely to receive harsher sentence. • Military: poorer--more likely to serve and get shot. • Poor--target of lotteries and alcohol advertising.

35. Social mobility • Intergenerational mobility refers to adult children ending up in a different social class • Upward social mobility-father (sells used cars)-son goes to college and then buys a Toyota dealership • Downward social mobility – father is a dealer, son drops out of college and ends up selling cars

36. Social mobility • Structural mobility refers to changes in the society that cause large number of people to move up or down the class ladder (computers and new types of jobs, coving companies oversees) • Exchange mobility – occurs when large number of people move up or down the social class ladder, but on balance, the proportions of the social classes remain about the same (many working-class people are trained in computers, moved to higher social class, then about the same number of foreigners occupied the lower positions)