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Social Stratification in the United States

Social Stratification in the United States. Tahu Kukutai Department of Sociology Stanford University tkukutai@stanford.edu. What is social stratification?. The study of systematic inequality between groups of people. The 3 axis of inequality. RACE GENDER SOCIAL CLASS.

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Social Stratification in the United States

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  1. Social Stratification in the United States Tahu Kukutai Department of Sociology Stanford University tkukutai@stanford.edu

  2. What is social stratification? The study of systematicinequality between groups of people

  3. The 3 axis of inequality • RACE • GENDER • SOCIAL CLASS

  4. America the Beautiful

  5. What does the U.S. symbolize? • Land of opportunity • “rags to riches” : anyone can become rich, famous, the President (or at least the Governor of California) • Jobs and education are available to all (who want it) • Social class is achieved, not ascribed • Individuals decide what class to belong to • Open mobility between classes • Meritocracy skill + effort = rewards

  6. Rags to Riches ?

  7. What are the key features of social class? • WEALTH • Valued possessions : cash, land, buildings, property • Income : money from employment, shares etc. • Tends to be intergenerational • POWER • Ability to carry out one’s will, even if opposed by others • Who has power??? • PRESTIGE • Respect given to people with valued positions or resources

  8. Occupational Prestige • What kinds of jobs are prestigious and why? • Ratings by Americans about the prestige of different occupations Physician 82 Lawyer 76 School Teacher 60 Computer Programmer 51 Secretary 46 Baker 34 Taxi Driver 22 Shoe Shiner 9 ALC Professor ? Sociology Professor ? Class in the New York Times

  9. 5 social classes in the U.S. UPPER CLASS Alice Walton - Walmart Heir

  10. Upper Class Facts Q. What % of Americans belong to the upper class? • 0.5% • Extent of wealth? • Top 1% owns more than one third of ALL net worth in the U.S. • 50% U.S. stocks, 60% bonds; corporations, property, inheritances; income mostly from investments not employment • Source of power? • Ownership of resources - money makes money • Economic power and political power intertwined • Source of prestige? • family name & resources (old: Rockefeller, Carnegie, Walton, Getty; new: Gates)

  11. Corporate Class Ken Lay & Jeff Skilling Former Enron CEOs

  12. Corporate Class Facts Q. What % of Americans? • 0.5% • Extent of wealth? • A lot, but not as much as the upper class • Usually not major owners of companies • median CEO salary $10.8 million • President of the U.S. $400,000 (why do it then??) Q. Source of power? • Heads of companies, government Q. Source of prestige? • Position of influence

  13. Middle Class The Cosby Show America’s first black middle class TV family

  14. Middle Class Facts Q. What % of Americans? • 43% Q. Extent of wealth? • Some • Ownership—own home • Income—mid to high income • Engineer, $58,000 • Teacher, $34,000 • ALC Professor, ?? • Source of power? • Limited within context of occupation • Source of prestige? • Some more than others, White collar job

  15. Working Class Photograph from a book

  16. Working Class Facts Q. What % of Americans? • 43% Q. Extent of wealth? • Little • Ownership—little or no property • Income—mid to low • Factory worker, $24,000 • Machine operator, $23,000 Q. Source of power? • Limited, sometimes collective power through unions Q. Source of prestige? • Very little, Blue collar jobs

  17. Lower Class Homeless man in New York - one of thousands

  18. Lower Class Facts Q. What % of Americans? • 13% Q. Extent of wealth? • Very little, usually none • Ownership: none • Income: low • Poverty rate in 2001: 9.9% • Only about 1/3 of poor get welfare Q. Source of power? • Limited to none Q. Source of prestige? • Limited to none

  19. Distribution of Wealth

  20. How do Americans perceive social stratification in their own country? • Mixed optimism • A general belief in meritocracy (what does this mean again?) • A general belief that mobility and opportunities to advance have increased

  21. Importance of Education

  22. Better off over Generations

  23. Trap of Poverty?

  24. American Dream for Everyone?

  25. “American Dream” for all?

  26. Racial gaps in the labor market

  27. Gender gaps in the labor market • More men work full time than women, but comparing men and women who work: Median Income Male $29,458 Female $18,957 • For every dollar men make, women make 64 cents

  28. Why does the gender gap exist? • Education? • Women make up over 50% of students in college Men and Women with a BA (1999) Male $47,126 Female $34,455 • Men work more hours? • Women in full-time work earn less than men with the same educational qualification

  29. Revisiting the American Dream • Land of Opportunity? • “rags to riches” or “the rich get rich?” • classes tend to reproduce themselves (e.g. occupational & wealth inheritance, legacy admits) • are all jobs open and equal for everyone? • clearly not • Social class is achieved or ascribed? • between 40 to 60% of parental income advantage passed on to children • A meritocracy? • barriers to channels of upward mobility (e.g. a good education)

  30. America the Beautiful?

  31. Or is it more complicated?

  32. And our very own Palo Alto: A tale of two cities

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