SOCIAL CLASS and STRATIFICATION

3. SOCIAL CLASS and STRATIFICATION • Stratification system: Rank some kinds of people as more deserving than others, or "...all animals are equal here, but some are more equal than others." [G,Orwell, Animal Farm]

4. A. Sociology's Gift: An Introduction • 1. A universal? • 2. Study consequences of ranking

5. 3. Life chances: The fate one may expect in society • a. Age at marriage and birth of first child • b. Chances of divorce, separation or desertion • c. Chance of voting

6. d. Level of political awareness and involvement • e. How long you will live & how healthy you will be • f. Moral worth in the E. R. • g. Summary: Life chances: The fate on may expect in society

7. 4. Social class reflects desirables • a. Wealth • b. Power • 1.Personal • 2.Social • c. Prestige

8. d. In addition to desirables, reward system needs: • 1.consensus • 2.limited supply

9. e. People in different levels or strata of a hierarchy can claim or are given differing amounts of power, prestige and property.

10. 5.Everyday social class ranking

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15. a.Provides identity • b.Provides evaluation: "What's your major?" • c.Provides a structure to: • 1. categorize • 2. aspire within

16. B.How do we measure social class • 1. Objective • a. Advantage: • 1. Simple and cheap • b. Disadvantage: • 1. Social class is more

17. 2.Subjective or Self-Placement • a. Advantage: • 1. Usable with large units • b. Disadvantage: • 1. People deny class exists • 2. Identification vs. Aspiration

18. 3. What Class do you identify with: Which would you say you belong to? • Lower Class? • Lower Middle Class? • Middle Class? • Upper Middle Class? • Upper Class?

19. Most identify themselves as Middle Class • Lower or Upper Class 6% • Working Class 24% • Upper Middle or Middle Class 69% • No Opinion 1% • Source Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll, Sept. 8-10, 2000, 1,216 adults. From New York Times, Oct. 29, 2000 Sec 4, p. 5

20. 3.Reputational • a. Advantage: • 1. Socio-metric patterns • b. Disadvantage: • 1. Size Limitation • 2. Dimensions of social class differ

21. C. Davis and Moore: A Structural Functional Theory of Stratification[Henslin pp 239-240]

22. 1. The key equation (the only one in the course), 1945 version A D E + B and C

23. a. A = Differential degrees of functional importance • b. B = Differential amounts of talent and training • c. C = Talent and training are scarce

24. d. D = Societies exhibit stratification • e. E = Mobility of talented and trained into highly rewarded positions

25. The key equation, once again, 1945 version A D E + B and C

26. f. Complex economies involve division of labor with some tasks being considered more important than others and rewards reflect this differential importance or inequality in reward.

27. 2. The 1948 Modification • a.Condition E (above) describes analytically pure achievement order (meritocracy or open society) • b.Condition E interfered with by status ascription • c.Cause of status ascription: the Family (Recall Scott’s article)

28. 3. Basic Assumptions • a.Functional importance and talent and training • b.Great functional importance and great reward, unless interfered with by: • 1. ascription • 2. power

29. 4.Best Parts • a.Unequal rewards and mobility • b.Family and ascription • c.Differential scarcity and stratification

30. D.Tumin's Criticisms, 1953 [Henslin p 239] • 1.Justifies "status quo" • 2.No search for talent and ascription • 3.More than money: • a. intrinsic job satisfaction • b. social service motivation

31. 4.No sacrifice for training • 5.Unequal resources • 6.Morally toned rationalization • 7.Inequality creates hostility, suspicion and conflict • 8.Greatest rewards for conformity

32. E.Summary

33. Herbert Gans, “The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All”or the functions of the poor • 1. Do the dirty work • 2.Low wages subsidize activities of affluent • 3. Creates jobs for professionals

34. 4.Buy discards and services of incompetents • 5.Deviants serve to uphold norms • 6.Vicarious participation in deviance

35. 7.Provide cultural artifacts to be adopted • 8.Guarantee status of the not poor • 9.Aid upward mobility of those just above • 10.Provide a place for "good deeds"

36. 11.Absorb cost of social change • 12.Stabilize political process, captive • 13.Laissez faire ideology requires moral deviance, e.g. the lazy,spendthrift,dishonest and promiscuous

38. Age and Gender Stratification • Social Hierarchy: "...people who differ in their ascribed and achieved traits are evaluated differently." • Ranked statuses built on definitions of social worth is transformed into a hierarchy of control over societal resources

39. A. Age and Gender are ascribed characteristics • 1. Both have biological basis • a. Aging process: Changes in vital capacity, morbidity and mortality • b. Sex differences: Reproductive organs, facial hair, body mass

40. 2. Age Stratification: Structured inequality created on the basis of age • a. Transitional status-Rites of Passage • b. Command over valued resources

41. 3. Gender Stratification: Power, prestige and property are unequally distributed on the basis of sex [Henslin p 290]

42. 4. Both are constructed • a. Gender as being appropriately feminine or masculine behaviors • b. Age norms socially constructed expectations

43. B. Age and Gender interact with other hierarchies • 1. Age and Gender interact with religion, race and ethnicity • 2. Age and Gender interact with family, education, occupation, political and income hierarchies

44. 3. Gender Pay Gap by Education 91% 58% 53% 60% 56% 56% 51% Copyright 1999 Allyn & Bacon

46. C. Process of Constructive Stratification & Social Consequences • 1. Race, Ethnicity and Religion • 2. Social Class [achieved and ascribed] • 3. Age • 4. Gender

47. D. Summary