Chapter 10, Social Stratification

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Chapter 10, Social Stratification

• Key terms

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• social differentiationThe process by which
  different statuses in any group, organization or
  society develop.  
• statuses Refers to a socially defined position
  in a group or society.

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• social stratificationThe fixed, hierarchical
  arrangements of status differences by which
  groups have different access to power, resources,
  and perceived social worth.
• estate systemsOwnership of property and exercise
  of power is monopolized by an elite who have
  total control over societal resources.

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• caste systemRigid hierarchy of classes, often
  preserved through formal law and cultural
  practices that present free association and
  movement between classes. 
• class systemStatus is partially achieved and
  there is some potential for movement from one
  class to another.

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• social classThe social structural position a
  group holds relative to the economic, social,
  political, and cultural resources of society.
• life chancesThe opportunities that people have
  in common by virtue of belonging to a particular
  class.

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• means of productionSystem by which goods are
  produced and distributed.
• status attainmentThe process by which people
  end up in a given position in the stratification
  process.

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• socioeconomic status (SES) Derived from income,
  occupational prestige, and education.
• median incomeMidpoint of all household incomes.

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• occupational prestigeRefers to the subjective
  evaluation people tie to jobs.
• educational attainment.Total years of formal
  education.

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• wealthMonetary value of everything one owns. 
• IncomeAmount of money brought into a household
  from various sources.

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• class consciousnessPerception that a class
  structure exists and the feeling of shared
  identification with others in one's class.  
• false consciousnessClass-consciousness of
  subordinate classes who have internalized the
  view of the dominant class.

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• social mobilityA person's movement over time
  from one class to another.
• poverty lineThe amount of money needed to
  support the basic needs of a household, as
  determined by the government.

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• feminization of povertyIncreasing proportion of
  the poor who are women and children.  
• culture of poverty Contends that poverty is its
  own cause.