Understanding Social Stratification in American Society

1. Chapter 8 Social Stratification

2. Learning Objectives

3. Explain the relationship between stratification and social class • Stratification- ranking of people or groups according to their unequal access to resources • Social Class- segment of society whose members hold similar amounts of resources and share values, norms, lifestyle

4. Each layer in a stratification system is a social class. • American stratification includes: upper, middle, and lower classes

5. Compare/Contrast the three dimensions of stratification 1. Economic - who has the money/who does not have the money • Wealth: having an abundance of resources (food, clothing) • Income: How much money one has 2. Power - ability to control others’ behavior 3. Prestige – recognition, respect, and admiration attached to positions (celebrities)

6. 3 Different Theories • Functionalist • Most qualified people fit the positions • Teachers, bankers, doctors • Conflict • Differences exist because some people are willing to use other people (capitalists and workers) • Symbolic Interactionist • Social class is a result of talent and effort

7. Characteristics of American Social Classes • Upper Class • Middle Class • Working Class • Working Poor • Underclass

8. Upper Class • 1% of population • Upper upper class: old money families (Ford, Rockefeller, duPont) • Marry inside their class • Lower upper class: income but not friends • Molly Brown on Titanic

9. Middle Class • 40-50% of population • Upper middle class • Live well, save money • College degree and high career goals • Middle middle class • High school education

10. Working Class • 33% of population • Lower middle class • Manual labor- truck drivers, factory workers • Unstable employment • No health insurance • No opportunity to move up at work

11. Working Poor • 13% of population • Laborers and fast-food workers • Cannot earn enough money to save it

12. Underclass • 12% of population • Stay unemployed • Come from poor unemployed families • No education or skills • Physical and mental disabilities are common • Single parent families (moms)

13. Measuring Poverty in the US • Absolute Poverty- Not enough money for necessities of life (food, shelter) • Relative Poverty- Not enough money for extra materials of life (Playstation) • Government income for poverty in 2008 is $22,200 for a family of 4

14. Who are the Poor in the US? • Minorities • Females with children • Children under 18 • Elderly • Disabled • People who live alone

15. Poverty Programs in the US • 1960s President Johnson • War on Poverty • Welfare programs • 1998 government spent 3% of budget on welfare

16. Social Mobility in the US • Social mobility: movement of individuals between social classes • Types of mobility • Horizontal: change within same social class • Teacher to banker • Vertical: moving up or down • Normal to movie star • Intergenerational: change in status from one generation to the next • I become a movie star so my children are automatically famous too

17. How can you escape poverty? • Sweet Home Alabama • Social Mobility • Poverty Project