Dimensions of Stratifications

1. Unit 5: Social Status and InequalityChapter 8: Social Structure and SocietyChapter 9: Inequalities of Race and EthnicityChapter 10: Inequalities of Gender and Age Standard: Students will identify how social status influences individual and group behaviors and how status relates to the position a person occupies within a social group.

2. Dimensions of Stratifications • Social stratification is the creation of layers (or strata) of people who possess unequal shares of scarce resources (income, wealth, power, prestige, etc). • Social classes are segments of society whose members hold similar amounts of resources and share values, norms and an identifiable lifestyle. • In technological societies, there are usually three social classes: upper, middle and lower. Which social class do you belong to in the United States? • Karl Marx discussed the economic dimensions of social classes, and he identified several classes, including laborers, servants, factory workers, craftspeople, proprietors of small businesses, and moneyed capitalists. He feared that capitalistic society would inevitably collapse into two social classes—the haves and the haves not! • The bourgeoisie would be the class that owned the means to production. They would rule and exploit the working class. • The proletariat would be the class that labored and did not own the means of production. They would have nothing to sale but their labor. • Marx believed that the economy determined the nature of society. Those with money would also control education, legal affairs and government. • Income is the amount of money received in a time period, but wealth is the measure of total economic resources. Are there extremes of income and poverty in the United States? • Power is the ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will. Can you exercise power without being wealthy? • Marx would argue that there is no power without wealth, but Max Weber had other ideas. He felt that having expertise, knowledge, fame, social positions, or the ability to organize people also played a role in power. • Prestige is recognition, respect and admiration attached to social positions. It is defined by your culture and society—and it is voluntarily given, not claimed. • Read “You Are What You Wear” on page 249. Does dress reflect social status at our school?

3. Explanations of Stratification

4. Social Classes and Poverty in America • Class consciousness is the identification with the goals and interests of a social class. This is not incredibly important to American ideals. • The upper class is the 1% includes old money (heirs) and the filthy rich. They have power, prestige and elite status. • The upper middle class started growing after WWII. This class consists of successful businessmen and professionals who most likely went to college. This class is usually able to save money while living a good life. • The middle class is less wealthy than the upper middle class. • The working class is sometimes called the lower middle class and includes workers who have less stability than the higher classes. • The working poor are people employed in low-skill jobs with the lowest pay who do not earn enough to rise out of poverty. • The underclass are people typically unemployed who came from families that have been poor for generations. • Absolute poverty is the absence of enough money to secure life’s necessities. • Relative poverty is a measure of poverty based on the economic disparity between those at the bottom of a society and the rest of the society. • How are race and ethnicity related to poverty? • How are gender and age related to poverty? • The feminization of poverty is a trend in which women and children make up an increasing proportion of the poor. • What were the goals of the War on Poverty? • Have welfare reforms worked?

5. Social Mobility • Types of Social Mobility • Social mobility is the movement of individuals and groups between social classes. • Horizontal mobility is a change in occupation within the same social class. • Vertical mobility is a change upward or downward in occupational status or social class. • Intergenerational mobility is a change in status or class from one generation to the next. • Caste and Open-class Systems • A caste system is a stratification structure that does not allow for social mobility. • An open-class system is a system in which social class is based on merit and individual effort. Movement is allowed between classes. • Is upward mobility increasing? • What are the social and psychological costs of downward mobility? • Read “The Lives of Homeless Women” on page 272 and be prepared to discuss the questions.

6. Racial and Ethnic Relations • A minority is a group of people with physical or cultural traits different from those of the dominant group in the society. • A minority has distinctive physical or cultural characteristics that can be used to separate it from the majority. • The minority is dominated by the majority. • Minority traits are often believed by the dominant majority to be inferior. • Members of the minority have a common sense of identity with strong group loyalty. • The majority decides who belongs to the minority through ascribed status. • A race is a group of people who share certain inherited physical characteristics that are considered important within a society. • An ethnic minority is a group of people identified by cultural, religious, or national characteristics. • Patterns of Assimilation • Assimilation is the blending or fusing of minority groups into the dominant society. • Cultural pluralism is the desire of a group to maintain some sense of identity separate from the dominant group. • Is America more like a melting pot or a tossed salad? • Patterns of Conflict • Genocide is the systematic effort to destroy an entire population. • Population transfer occurs when a minority is forced to move to a remote location or to leave a territory controlled by the majority. • Subjugation is the process by which a minority group is denied equal access to the benefits of a society. • In de jure segregation, a minority is denied equal access based on the law. • In de facto segregation, a minority is denied equal access based on everyday practice. • Watch “Children of the Harvest” (dateline) • http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032600/vp/38308025#38308025

7. Theories of Prejudice and Discrimination • Prejudice is the widely held negative attitudes towards a group (minority or majority) and its individual members. It is easier to explain individuals who don’t fit the stereotype as exceptions than to reexamine a whole set of established beliefs. • Racism is an extreme form of prejudice that assumes superiority of one group over others. • Discrimination is treating people differently based on ethnicity, race, religion, or culture. • A hate crime is a criminal act motivated by prejudice. • A stereotype is a distorted, exaggerated, or oversimplified image applied to a category of people. • A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation that leads to behavior that causes the expectation to become reality. • Institutionalized discrimination is unfair practices that grow out of common behaviors and attitudes and that are part of the structure of a society. • Read “Spinning a Web of Hate” on page 289 and be prepared to discuss the reading with the class. • Read “The Legacy of Racism” on page 293 and answer the questions. • African Americans • What are the barriers to African American assimilation? • What are average income levels for African Americans? • How do African Americans fare in the job market? • To what degree are African Americans making advances? • Latinos • What are the largest Latino groups in the United States? • What is the general level of education among Latinos? • What is the income level for Latinos? • How do Latinos stand politically? • Native Americans • What is the current situation of Native Americans? • How has Native American gaming affected life on reservations? • Asian Americans • How have Chinese Americans fared over the years? • What has been the history of Japanese Americans in the United States? • Why have so many Asian Americans been successful? • White Ethnics (Immigrant Groups)

8. Gender Identity and Inequality • Sex is the classification of people as male or female based on biological characteristics. • Biological determination is the principal that behavioral differences are the result of inherited physical characteristics. • Gender identity is a sense of being male or female based on learned cultural values. • Sex can be defined as the biological distinction between male and female. • Gender can be defined as the socially learned behaviors and expectations that are associated with being male or female. • Are male and female brains different? • Do such biological differences lead to differences in social behavior? • How do sociologists view behavior? • What can be concluded from studies about male and female behavior? • How do parents contribute to gender socialization? • In what ways do schools reinforce gender socialization? • How do peers contribute to gender socialization? • Read “Manly Hearted Women” on page 315 and be prepared to discuss the reading with the class. • Read “Gender Based Hierarchy” on page 321 and be prepared to discuss the reading with the class. • Read “Men, Women and the Internet” on page 329 and be prepared to discuss your answers with the class. • Sexism is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify sexual inequality. • Occupational sex segregation is the concentration of women in lower-status positions. • Isn’t sex discrimination disappearing? • What kinds of jobs are women doing? • Do women earn less than men? • Are all occupations effected? • How do race and ethnicity affect women’s earnings compared to men? • What are some biases in law? • Are American women well represented in politics?

9. Aging and Ageism in America • Age stratification is the unequal distribution of scarce resources based on age. • Ageism is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms and values used to justify age-based prejudice and discrimination. • What are some stereotypes of the elderly? • Why is poverty measured differently for older people? What other factors affect elderly Americans? • Overall, what is the economic position of older people in the United States? • What is the voting turnout among elderly Americans? • Does voting lead to political power? • What is the rule of interest groups? • Read “A Town without Pity” on page 334 and be prepared to discuss the reading with the class. • Watch “Living Old” (PBS Frontline) • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/livingold/view/