Social Stratification Social Stratification DEFINITION the ranking of

Social Stratification

Social Stratification • DEFINITION: the ranking of individuals based on the unequal distribution of power, prestige & property • Access to scarce resources & social rewards • Resources & Rewards: • Ex: Education, stable job and bank

Social Stratification • In most cases, power, prestige & property occur together; however, this is not always true • EXAMPLES?

Social Stratification • • • Property: Net worth and/or wealth Objective measurement Wealth Distribution in America Power: Capacity to influence people & events in order to obtain wealth & prestige

Social Stratification • Prestige: • An individual’s status among his peers and in society • Subjective measurement

Social Stratification • Which careers do you think are most prestigious? Least prestigious? Do you agree? ?

Socioeconomic Status • DEFINITION: a rating that determines an individual’s relative position within the system of stratification • Three Factors: • Education • Occupation • Income

Systems of Stratification

Caste System • • • Position based on ascribed status Fixed, closed boundaries Not much potential for social mobility • Endogamy; exogamy not permitted • Status consistency

Class System • Position based on achieved status • Open boundaries • Greater potential for social mobility • Endogamy not required; exogamy allowed

Social Class • DEFINITION: a group of people who share similar levels of wealth, influence and status (SES) • Sociologists use THREE methods to determine one’s social class

Social Class • Objective Method: analyzes “hard” facts • Subjective Method: asks people what they think of themselves • Reputational Method: asks what people think of others

Social Mobility

Social Mobility • Definition: the movement between or within social classes or strata • An important feature of the open class system

Types of Social Mobility • Horizontal Mobility: movement within a social class or stratum • Does not involve any major change in a person’s wealth, power, or prestige • Most common

Types of Social Mobility • Vertical Mobility: movement between social classes or strata • Can be upward or downward

Types of Social Mobility • Intragenerational Mobility: a change in social position that occurs during a person's lifetime

• Intergenerational Mobility: form of vertical mobility in which status differs between generations in the same family • Much more realistic in today’s world • A quick lesson on social mobility

Example • Michelle, who began her career as a high-tech factory worker and through increased experience and taking specialized courses in her field became an entrepreneur, starting her own highly successful “dot. com business. Michelle’s advancement is an example of WHAT?

• Upward intragenerational mobility

• Sarah’s father is a carpenter who makes good wages in good economic times but is often unemployed when the construction industry slows to a standstill. Sarah becomes a neurologist, earning $350, 000 a year, and moves from the working class to the upper-middle class. Between her father’s generation and her own Sarah has experienced WHAT?

• Intergenerational upward mobility

• Mike was a very successful day-trader on Wall Street. However, during the recent economic crisis, Mike lost his job. In order to cope with this, Mike turned to gambling and alcohol. After a year of unemployment, Mike was left with nothing in his bank accounts, and his house was foreclosed on.

• Downward intragenerational mobility

• The Johnson family owned a very successful hardware store in the suburbs. It had been in their family for the last 70 years, and made them the wealthiest family in town. However, over the last two decades, multiple Home Depot and Lowes stores opened up which forced the Johnson family to close up their shop. What was once seen as a thriving family business, has fallen apart over the last generation

• Downward Intergenerational Mobility

Social Class in the United States

1. What do you think the median income is for the U. S. ? 2. What % of the population makes $100, 000 and up in the U. S. ? 3. What do you think the poverty level is for a family of 4 in the U. S. (the gross yearly income that is considered at the poverty level)? 4. Which ethnic group do you think has the highest % below poverty level? (White, Black, Asian or Hispanic) 5. Which age group has the highest % below poverty? (below 18, 18 -64, 65+)

1. What do you think the median income is for the U. S. ? – $50, 050 2. What % of the population makes $100, 000 and up in the U. S. ? – 25. 6% 3. What do you think the poverty level is for a family of 4 in the U. S. (the gross yearly income that is considered at the poverty level)? – $23, 050

4. Which ethnic group do you think has the highest % below poverty level? (White, Black, Asian or Hispanic) – Black 27. 6%, Hispanic 25. 3%, White 12. 8%, Asian 12. 3% 5. Which age group has the highest % below poverty? – below 18= 21. 9% – 18 -64=13. 7% – 65+ = 8. 7%

A Middle Class Society? • Everyone stands equal under the law • We celebrate individuality • We interact mostly with people like ourselves – Most do not know “superrich” or those in “poverty” • The U. S. Is an affluent society – Belief that everyone is financially comfortable • Socioeconomic status (SES) reflects money (income, wealth & power), occupational prestige and schooling

Distribution of Income and Wealth in the United States

Social Stratification & Birth • Ancestry – Born to privilege or poverty makes a big difference • Gender – More poor families are headed by women • Race and ethnicity – Disparity still exist when comparing majority and minority groups on social and financial variables • Religion – Members of protestant denominations (Episcopalians and Presbyterians) are identified as the most affluent

US: $55, 775 PA: $55, 702 18940: $101, 000 18940 tax returns: $159, 000

Social Classes • The upper class – 5 % of the population • The middle class – 40 -45% of the population • The working class – 33% of the population • The lower class – The remaining 20% of people

Upper Class • • The upper-uppers – The blue bloods – Membership almost always based on ascription – They have “old money” – They are set apart by the amount of wealth their families control – Much time devoted to community activities The lower-uppers – The working rich people – The “new rich” by “old money” standards – Can still find themselves excluded from certain organizations and clubs

Middle Class • More racial and ethnic diversity • Upper-middles – $80, 000 to $160, 000 yearly income – Education is important – High occupational prestige – Involvement in local politics • Average-middles – Less prestige in occupation – Few white collar, or high-skilled blue collar jobs – Income provides modest security – 50% kids attend state-sponsored colleges

Working Class • • • Marxist “industrial proletariat” – $25, 000 to $40, 000 annual income “Blue-collar” routine jobs with less satisfaction Half own their own homes Fewer children go to college (only one-third) Vulnerable to financial problems caused by unemployment or illness

Lower Class • • 31. 1 million Americans classified as poor in 2000 Others are “working poor” minimum wage jobs Half complete high school, one in four attend college Own homes in less desirable inner city neighborhoods or rural south

The Difference Class Makes • • Health – Amount and type of health care Cultural values – Vary with position Politics – Conservative or liberal – Degree of involvement Family and gender – Type of parental involvement – Socialization practices – Relationships and responsibilities

Social Mobility • Upward – College degree or higher-paying job • Downward – Drop out of school, losing a job or divorce • Structural social mobility – Changes in society or national economic trends • Intragenerational mobility – Change in social position during one person’s lifetime • Intergenerational mobility – Upward or downward movement that takes place across generations within a family

Myth Versus Reality • Among men, mobility has been fairly high • Long-term trend has been upward • Intergenerational mobility is small, not dramatic • Social mobility since the 1970’s has been uneven • Income, race, ethnicity and gender effects social mobility

The American Dream? • Earnings have stalled for many workers • Many persons need to hold more than one job • More jobs offer little income • Young people are remaining at (and returning to) home • Middle-class slide – Median income doubled between 1950 -1973; Grown only 25% since

Global Economy and U. S. Class Structure Global economic expansion • Jobs changed from manufacturing to service work • Creates upward mobility for educated people • Investments for those with money • “Downsizing” in companies effects “average” workers

Affluenza

Extent of Poverty • Poverty – Relative (in relation to others) – Absolute (life threatening) • Poverty threshold (line) – Three times the income needed to purchase a nutritionally adequate diet – Adjusted for family size and cost of living • Extent of poverty in America – 11. 3% (31. 1 million) are so classified – Another 12. 3 million are near poor at 125% of poverty threshold

Demographics of Poverty • Age – In 2012, 21. 8% of all children were poor, contributing to high infant mortality rate • Race and ethnicity – Half of all poor are white – In 2012, 35% of all African Americans and 33% of all Latinos lived in poverty, in relation to population numbers they are three times as likely to be poor • Gender – The feminization of poverty: – 60% of poor are women – Rise in households headed by single women

Explaining Poverty • Blame the poor – The poor are mostly responsible for their own poverty – A culture of poverty: produces a self-perpetuating cycle of poverty - Blame society – Little opportunity for work – William Julius Wilson proposes • Government hire people • Improve schools, transportation and daycare Poverty. . . in the suburbs?

Homeless • • • No precise count – How could there ever be? Experts “guess-ti-mate” – 500, 000 on any given night – 1. 5 million at some time during the course of the year – ¼ of those are veterans Causes – They are poor – Personal traits • One-third are substance abusers • One-fourth suffer from mental illnesses – One third are entire families due to structural changes in economy “new homeless”

Homelessness By the Numbers

WHERE are People Homeless?

WHY are People Homeless?

Why Are People Homeless? • Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness among women • Many people are homeless because they cannot afford rent • HUD has seen its budget slashed by over 50 percent in recent decades, resulting in the loss of 10, 000 units of subsidized low-income housing each and every year • There are fewer places for poor people to rent than before • In the last few years millions have lost their homes • One in five homeless people suffers from untreated severe mental illness

HOW Do We Respond to the Homeless?

HOW Do We Respond to the Homeless? • Cities are increasingly making homelessness a crime; A 2014 survey of 187 cities by the NLCHP found that… • 24 percent of cities make it a city-wide crime to beg in public • 33 percent make it illegal to stand around or loiter anyplace in the city • 18 percent make it a crime to sleep anywhere in public • 43 percent make it illegal to sleep in your car • 53 percent make it illegal to sit or lie down in particular public places

How Do We Respond to the Homeless? What message does this architecture send?

How Do We Respond to the Homeless? What message does this architecture send?

When Do Shelters Open?

Theory

Stratification: Theory Structural. Functionalism vs. Conflict Theory

Stratification: Theory • Functionalism: • Social stratification is a necessary component of society; the linkage of greater rewards to more important social positions benefits • Conflict: • Social stratification is the result of social conflict; differences in social rewards serve the interests of some while harming the

Stratification: Theory • Functionalism: • Matches talents & abilities to appropriate jobs • Values & beliefs that legitimize social inequality are shared throughout society • Conflict: • Ensures that large amounts of talent & ability will NOT be developed • Values & beliefs tend to reflect the interests of the more powerful members of